MK7 VW GTI Owner, interested in the new Si...

[Southstar01118]

My mk7 gti was also stage 1 tune from unitronic and it made some pretty impressive power over stock but maintaining it cost money. Even changing oil in the vw cost more then my old Lexus. The mk7 gti is a fun car but if you want a good enough power for daily drive get the si and the new seat in the si feels really good almost like my old recaro seats in the Evo x.

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[kritz]

My wife's A3 2.0T(glorified AWD GTI) has been flawless reliability wise. Of course it's not modified either.

 

[takemorepills]

OP here. Sorry I should have clarified that my GTI is NOT tuned, it is bone stock. My previous GTI (an '07) was APR Stage I and my current GTI is still considerably quicker as stock. I will agree that this particular 2.0T (VW/Audi makes a few variations) is severely underrated. One thing I would hate to regret if I went with the Si is the lack of power, or constantly comparing it to the GTI. I really don't feel like wringing as much power out of the 1.5T as possible to the point of it becoming unreliable, having to change the clutch, etc. VW owners know that once you hit "Stage II" power levels, the car becomes quite vulnerable to issues like clutch slip, boost leaks, oil consumption, coil packs, spark plugs, etc. Not really something I want to get into.

Mk7 doesn't have those issues when tuned, aside from clutch slippage, which is why the DSG is the preferred choice to modify. The Mk5 and Mk6 had those issues badly, they pretty much crept up as soon as they were modified. VW has really made a great vehicle this time around.

I'd take the reduced power (stock) any day over questioning the reliability of the VAG (VW/Audi group) product. Timing chain failures are common on the 2.0T's, not something I'd be willing to chance. Good friend of mine works at the parts counter on the shop side at a VW/Bentley dealer and the things I hear about those cars is horrible. My point, I'd be looking for long term reliability and resale over temporary increase in power.

Mk7 GTI is more reliable than CivicX.

Mk7 didn't have a stop sale.
Mk7 weren't sold with sloppy assembly causing harness grounds to be disconnected making cars freak out.
Mk7 AC vents don't wander
Mk7 sunroofs don't self-destruct
Mk7 don't have the no-start+christmas lights
Mk7 don't dent themselves
Mk7 don't have a buggy Android infotainment
Mk7 don't rattle when you turn the sub all the way up (I suspect Mk7 has more bass too)
Mk7 didn't get castrated with a small displacement 4 cylinder

Now, I will concede that VW overall sells some pretty crappy cars. I have driven both the new Jetta and Passat, and it blows my mind that the same company makes my GTI. The Jetta and Passat are absolute crap, why anyone would buy one and NOT an Accord or Camry boggles my mind. Mk6 and older GTI/Golfs are absolute crap. But the Mk7 has been out for 4 years now, and it IS a good car.

Honda used to make the best cars. Honda used to make the best F1 engines. But the old Honda is gone, and their F1 program, which is horrible these days BTW, is just a sad realty that they are not such a "sure bet"

 

[kritz]

 

[jpuhl777]

Kritz, that cat avatar cracks me up every time I see it. simple awesome

with the posts in this thread it just made it that much more relevant, cheers to you!

 

[kritz]

Kritz, that cat avatar cracks me up every time I see it. simple awesome

with the posts in this thread it just made it that much more relevant, cheers to you!

Try the ignore button. Works wonders on weeding out the negative posters. Every forum has them unfortunately.

 

[zroger73]

Try the ignore button. Works wonders on weeding out the negative posters. Every forum has them unfortunately.

YOU CAN'T IGNORE MEEE!!!

(Okay, that was juvenile...but, it was fun!)

 

[kritz]

 

[05NBPDC5]

Mk7 doesn't have those issues when tuned, aside from clutch slippage, which is why the DSG is the preferred choice to modify. The Mk5 and Mk6 had those issues badly, they pretty much crept up as soon as they were modified. VW has really made a great vehicle this time around.




Mk7 GTI is more reliable than CivicX. Thought this was the Si sub-section, not "CivicX general" so I suppose some Jetta contrasts must be made..

Mk7 didn't have a stop sale. TDI anyone? The only stop-sale was for wrist pins in the early 2.0NA LX/EX Civics, not related to the Si
Mk7 weren't sold with sloppy assembly causing harness grounds to be disconnected making cars freak out.
Mk7 AC vents don't wander
Mk7 sunroofs don't self-destruct No, but the shades for them do.
Mk7 don't have the no-start+christmas lights VW is well known for check engine lights and electrical issues.
Mk7 don't dent themselves Don't lean on the car? Seems easy to me..
Mk7 don't have a buggy Android infotainment But they are equipped with a failure prone unit (Screens go bad)
Mk7 don't rattle when you turn the sub all the way up (I suspect Mk7 has more bass too)
Mk7 didn't get castrated with a small displacement 4 cylinder And the Civic doesn't have issues like a plastic impeller(attached to a knurled metal shaft) on an ever failing water pump (issue has been going on 10 years now, you'd think they'd figure it out.) ,or a need to replace intake manifolds due to carbon build up.

Now, I will concede that VW overall sells some pretty crappy cars. I have driven both the new Jetta and Passat, and it blows my mind that the same company makes my GTI. The Jetta and Passat are absolute crap, why anyone would buy one and NOT an Accord or Camry boggles my mind. Mk6 and older GTI/Golfs are absolute crap. But the Mk7 has been out for 4 years now, and it IS a good car.

Honda used to make the best cars. Honda used to make the best F1 engines. But the old Honda is gone, and their F1 program, which is horrible these days BTW, is just a sad realty that they are not such a "sure bet"

Their F1 team has fallen apart, unfortunately.

Couldn't sit by idly while the Civic was made to look as if it has a world of issues while the GTI is set on a perch...just isn't the case. I see you on the VW forums (golfmk7.com) bashing the new Civics.

 

[CDM 98 ITR]

I just recently went through the same choice between the Si and the GTI, and ended up going GTI. Picked up a 2017 Autobahn DSG with Leather.

I was coming from a 2013 Si HFP (and a dozen other Honda's before that) and really, really wanted the new Si to push the performance of that car even further. However, TBH, I found the new Si to feel almost exactly the same as the 9th gen HFP dynamically, but with a lot less character under the hood. I spent a good 45 minutes test driving the new Si around some beautiful twisty, banked country roads in my area and gave it the beans as much as I could. I liked the seating position and new seats (although no lumbar), the brakes, and in sport mode it did transition well in corners, but the all-season tires didn't help out much with steering feel, unfortunately.

I just found the engine to be super boring; doesn't sound particularly good, has no real punch, the first 10% of the throttle is dead, and it starts gasping for air anywhere past 5500RPMs. It felt very much as if it was the CRV motor with a great 6-speed transmission attached to it and thrown into a very capable chassis. At least with the 9th gen NA K24 you could ring it out and it gave you a sense of occasion! The 1.5L just never put a smile on my face. Of course, YMMV, FWIW, etc.

In contrast I find the GTI engine really barks out of the gate and puts the torque down immediately. The power doesn't die off on the high end of the rev range either and you can really ring out the gears. Also, the mid range of the EA888 is massive in comparison to the 1.5T on the Si. If you ever get a chance, hop into a GTI, get up to 4th gear and slow down to about 1500RPM. Put the pedal to the floor (but not until it clicks on the DSG - just before that) and ride the wave of torque up past 6K. Unreal how that thing puts down power. A stage 1 re-flash from Unitronic or APR bumps the power up to 300HP and 350LB-FT with zero supporting mods and costs about $600. That's only stage 1!!

Dynamically, I think you can split the two as the GTI feels just as agile as the Si (which says great things about both). However, when it comes to refinement of ride, the GTI is hands down the winner. Ditto with interior fit/finish. However, you do have to pay a lot more to get the toys with the GTI. This isn't to say the Si is a slouch in any of this ... I think it's fantastic!

Overall, the heart wants what the heart wants. I've been driving Honda exclusively for almost 15 years but the more I drove the GTI the more I wanted it. It's kind of what I wanted the Si to be ... which it is, minus the engine IMHO. The Si is a great car, regardless and I certainly don't blame anyone who went that route.

 

[LoveToDrive]

I definitely noticed this last night. I was wiping the roof of my car and leaned on the side. Did that aluminum pan pop sound. That's why it's so light I guess?

Interesting tidbit - a member here works for the steel factory that provides the sheet metal for Honda. He has mentioned before that Honda uses high quality steel which allows them to make it thinner, and thus, lighter.

 

[1.5CivicEX-T]

"The things the Si has that my GTI does not are the rear-view camera, sunroof (big plus), limited slip differential (BIG plus), better stock stereo, lane departure warning?, Apple CarPlay, keyless entry, push button start, better gas mileage, I'm guessing cheaper to maintain, higher local dealership ratings, and better resale value in the long-term."

Those are your words OP. Your base GTI will never have those items. That's a big list if you ask me. This should be an easy fix. Drive the Si and see if the driving characteristics are to your liking. It will be down on power. No doubt there. But a flash, if you're gutsy enough, can help with that issue. I imagine you'll know after a 20 minute drive whether it's worth it to swap or not.

Why not consider a new GTI SE? Win win for you.

 

[CivicSi84]

Yea, GTI might be faster and have more potential with tunes but its still a German car that is expensive to maintain and in my case our local VW dealers are shit and screw up shit as simple as an oil change. Most of the Honda dealers around here are really good and we have one of the top rated Acura service departments in the country so I'll take the Si and be happy. If I want something fast I'll buy a V8 down the road.

 

[mdsniper7]

So let me give my take. I actually had a mk7 first model year s with lighting package. I had it for about 1,500 miles or so before the welds snapped in the engine and my engine slightly fell out. Yes I said that right it basically fell out. Now to be more specific my gti was stage 2. Those fwd cars I don't think can handle that much power and as such I would do stage 1 only next time. But even with the mods vw corp bought my car back and declared it a manufacture defect. They said improper welds, do I believe it no I think it was to much power and snapped some welds but hey that just shows how awesome vw was for buying it back. After that I went into a wrx and hated it, such a rattle cheap fest. Now I am in the market for something to hold me over till type r adm is gone and I am comparing the gti and si. What I can tell you is the si has a way better look and more features but at the current pricing for gti you can't help but notice the performance and fit and finish. My issue is I still think the gti is so ugly but is so fun to drive.

 

[05NBPDC5]

In your situation I would have drawn the opposite conclusion, that VW is not so awesome because the car made it through all inspections and still made it to the lot to be sold to you with the potential for serious issue or danger. In a scenario like that, I believe buying the car back would be more of a given than something to be applauded, especially with only 1500 miles on the clock.

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