Bye Bye VW GLI - Long Term Review Wrap-Up
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- čas přidán 16. 07. 2024
- We said goodbye to our 2020 Volkswagen GLI Autobahn trim with the DSG 7 speed transmission in Pyrite Silver. After almost 30,000 miles and 20 months of ownership, we could just not pass up the opportunity to take advantage of the crazy car market. We traded the GLI for almost what we paid for it in 2020 and we were able to find a good replacement for a smidge under MSRP. We really did like the GLI and would have been happy to keep it for several more years. We loved the spacious cabin, the power of the 2.0 liter turbo, the infotainment system, and the incredible handling and ride quality combination. Turbo lag was though annoying and we could never quite warm up to the rather cold and stark interior. All in all the though the GLI is a great car and we highly recommend it. Maintenance will cost a little bit more than some cars and reliability will not be Toyota Camry like, but it is all worth it for the performance. In this video we provide an update on its reliability and give five reasons why we chose to move on to another long term car.
#Volkswagen #gli #vwgli - Auta a dopravní prostředky
I love my car! 2021 GLI Autobahn 6MT in pure grey. I love the value - $30k out the door and can sell it for that price 18 months later - inflation beats depreciation apparently. I love the interior - structured, austere, but bountiful, and driver centered like the GLI. I love the mileage - 38mpg on highway (800 mile roundtrip from LA to northern Mendocino County) driven hard - 2k rpm in 6th @ 70mph. I love the comfort - full bolstering for driver and auto adjustments; sport hunkers down quite noticeably; comfort is totally innocuous and unobtrusive.
I love the features - has everything you need (heated, ventilated, full digital functionality, large sunroof!). - but nothing you don’t. I love the looks - complements all day, but still understated. I love the room - I’m the oldest of 8 and my younger siblings come to visit all the time - alone and in bunches. Never had a problem picking everyone up at the airport and fitting all their gear into the trunk. I love the performance! - handled Mendocino county mountain twisties with aplomb! It’s no Porsche - sure. But you get the impression that you are driving a precise machine - never under power, total body control (LSD in effect), awesome brakes…and 6MT bruh. nuff said.😊
Thanks for sharing your experience. Awesome to hear when people love their rides.
Not gonna lie. I've been on the fence about getting the GLI Autobahn edition, I've been trying to find a good car with all the tech upgrades with a 6 speed, and that wouldn't be 35,000+. After reading your comment, I think I'm gonna pull the trigger and go get one. Thank you 😂
@@Cerdafied777 - did u pull the trigger? How are you liking it?
Well that sold me! Still just as happy with it? I just sold me 2015 M3 and I’m looking for a nice daily with a fun car as well.
@@clubracer6 lolol - still happy with it. can’t beat it for the price - the only other thing I’d get is the Intégra Type S - but it’s $20k more! So yeah after 2.5 years it’s proven to be excellent.
I am about to buy a 2023 Jetta SE. Got recommended this video. I'm surprised you do not have more subscribers. This is a very well made video!
Thanks for the very nice comment! Getting subs is a slow and methodical process. It takes patience that’s for sure. You will enjoy your Jetta. VW has quietly improved it since it’s update on 2019 and after some initial hiccups with the 8 speed they have the transmission and engine fairly sorted. The 1.5 is a great little engine and gets great gas mileage. Thanks again and happy motoring.
Don't see many of these VW's out here in the Palm Springs area. Great video. 🌞
Thanks for watching!
I have a 2019 GLI built in Mexico but for the Brazilian market. I bought it pre-owned with 18,000 km (about 11k miles) for a nice discounted price. Great bang for the buck, even being 4 years old as of now, it stands out and delivers a fine experience. And it's light on fuel burn, being comparable to lesser or less performing cars in this matter.
I didn't experience the problems you faced, but I had to replace the rear pair of tires prematurely, because of hitting a pothole once that damaged the left aft one.
The GLI lacks a little of comfort and trim, but to switch to the next better option (MB, BMW or Audi) the price tag increases in at least 50%.
The tires shipped along the GLIs for Brazil are the Hankook Ventus Evo S3, they are not stellar but they certainly outperform any "all season" tire that is sold as standard for US GLIs.
I'm happy with mine, the time I will replace it will be for a higher tier (and more pricey) car. For the same price range or below, I'm not thinking about switching.
Thanks for the video!
Thanks for watching and the thoughtful comments. Love to hear from fellow car lovers in the southern hemisphere! We really liked our GLI and miss it often. Hard to beat for the price especially with car prices continuing to rise. And the interior room is hard to beat. Our issues were very tiny and not a major factor in moving on. If it was not financially advantageous to get something new we would have been content with keeping the GLI. And fuel mileage is very good as you state. Glad you love yours and thanks again for sharing. All the best and happy motoring.
In this vid I cover all the considerations on why we chose to go ahead and trade our GLI. Quite hard to do given how much we did enjoy and like the car. The GLI offers so much performance and value for the money we highly recommend it. In the video you will see the main reason we traded it was because we took advantage of this crazy car market where our 2020 GLI depreciated very little and we were able to try something else out without the crippling financial loss that typically comes with trading cars frequently. I think the mk7 GTI, with its nicer interior and legendary aura may still be the one to get if you can live with its smaller back seat and shorter overall length. But it’s hard to beat the GLI especially with the higher priced MK8 GTI out now.
Great objective video. I've got my eyes on this car for a new purchase. I respect your views on the interior, however, the utilitarian look is actually what I like about the inside.
Thanks for watching and for the nice comment. You will really enjoy the GLI and it is probably more sorted now after some more years of production. And yes, the interior is rather stark but also very functional. We have some more vids on that GLI so be sure to check them out. Keep in touch on what you actually purchase. Good luck and happy motoring.
Which episode did you talk about the fuel line rattle? I just bought a 2022 GLI and it had a fuel line rattle. I narrowed down the issue before going to the dealer and they quickly fixed it (I hope permanently) using some expanding foam.
Hi Paul. Congrats on a great car. You will love it. The link for that video is below. My fuel line rattle did not develop until about 22k miles so VW stated I was out of warranty for rattles (12mo 12k miles). And I also used expanding foam to fix it. It’s just frustrating that VW will not fix this on the assembly line. Enjoy your GLI and thanks for watching and for the question.
czcams.com/video/LeCQhbnD0h0/video.html
My wife;s 2019 Tahoe had crappy Continental tires that only lasted 3 years before we had to replace them ..
Thanks for watching and commenting. SUVs can be notoriously hard on tires. And exact alignment and rotation is key. Continentals are pretty good tires though. Thanks again and happy motoring.
I got a 2019 GLI with 20,000 miles last fall, and I agree I wish I'd gotten a GTI instead. I took a 2019 GTI for a test drive in May but I couldn't afford it at the time.
They are both great cars. So no worries and enjoy. I think if we stayed on the MQB platform we probably would have gone back to the GTI. But both really good. Thanks for watching and commenting.
should i get the new GLI or finance my 2020 Civic Sport when the lease is done? Just not trying to wait long to get a new vehicle due to the shortage.
Hmm. Interesting question. That 2020 is pretty nice and financially would be the best option. But if you want brand new have you considered the new 2022 Civic? The hatch is especially nice. If you like to drive manual there is also the Civic Si. If your finances are ok and you are just not loving your civic then I would take a look at the new Civic, Mazda3, and GLI. I think inventories are heading up and prices should stabilize in the new year. Your agreed to buy out on your 2020 civic may be your best financial option though and hard to beat.
@@BeyondTheTestDrive thanks. Will consider! I do love the Civic. I originally wanted the 2020 Jetta Highline but the dealbreaker was the backup trajectory lines didn’t move when turning the steering wheel (at least in Canada). But will they refresh the Jetta? Was gonna get the Accord before they removed the 2.0T.
Interesting perspective on the GTI vs the GLI. To me if I was going to spend the money towards a GTI, I'd buy an R.
Yea. I can see that. The R pricing always puts you in a range where there are some viable options from Audi and BMW whereas the GTI has always sat alone as a more value play. But the new mk8 GTI pricing moves it more upmarket. The base model though is still an ok buy. Thanks for commenting and watching!
@@BeyondTheTestDrive yeah, I kinda considered those options back when I ended up in the GLI. If I was going to end up in a similarly optioned GTI I probably would have bought a Camaro SS 1LE
Lol, 2 years of waiting. Overpriced.
@Quadruple-Vaxxed-Boomer yeah idk bud I'm not in the market. MSRP on the MK8R is high but it is a stout runner. People are running 10s with them on the stock turbo, and can be driven year round even up here in the NE. I probably won't need a new car for a while, but that one is definitely on my radar.
Old vid, but commenting anyway!
Had a 2019 GLI, loved it for the first year, but then started to experience all sorts of rattles after 20k. After that, began to realize how cheap the interior was - lots of hard plastics and is basically a Jetta interior with a marginally better sound system and digital display.
After 60k - jumping ahead a lot - the car started stalling at low rpm and wouldn’t start. Had it towed three times and basically spent the next 6 months in about 8 loaners, and on the phone weekly with service. They couldn’t figure it out.
Finally walked away after both parties got tired and got a great trade in value - even though I needed (near the time of issues): new tires, new brakes, new windshield, and some other smaller service items.
Was lucky they had a 2021 GTI on the lot - fully loaded - so I stepped into that.
Is the GTI a perfect car? No. It has rattles, clicks, the suspension creaks at random times, and a fuel line rattle that’s been rectified - thankfully my relationship with service got me more attention.
The interior is much nicer, the sound system is far better and it drives like it you believe a car with the heritage should. I’ll gladly put up with those issues because each time I sit in it, it feels special.
And I’ve already put about 32k on in the first year.
IMO they did the GLI a dirty and could have added a bit of that zest. Simply adding the engine/transmission and a couple other items doesn’t do it the justice it deserves.
Oh, I will add that I thanked my lucky stars that I bought the extended warranty.
I do the same with all my cars. $1800 covered probably $15-17k of replacement parts/ labour and loaner fees the dealer spent.
Thanks for watching and sharing your experience. I think you summed up the GLI versus GTI perfectly. VW just needed to do one thing to make the GLI special and they didn’t. But on the other hand it undercuts the GTI price also. I really enjoyed driving the GLI but the interior just never did it for me. Cars are always more or less than the sum of their parts. It’s hard to quantify but the GTI comes together better as an overall package. All the best and happy motoring. Enjoy your GTI… a great car.
Good day! I'm very seriously considering trading in my BMW 335 convertible for a more family friendly economical sedan with some performance. Can you talk about fuel efficiency at all? Highway cruising and mixed driving? Would greatly appreciate it!
Thanks for watching and the question. Below is a link to our entire set of videos on the GLI. Check those out as they address your questions. In the five favorite things video you will see that fuel economy for the GLI is one of our favorite things about the car. Over almost 30k miles we averaged nearly 29mpg in rather mixed driving. There is also a highway cruising and fuel economy video where you will see it’s very easy to get highs 30s out on the the highway. So check those out and let me know if you have any more questions. Thanks again.
czcams.com/play/PLO0bPSIuWSivk5Ic_9c6Pv9_MJDM52d3U.html
I've squeezed 42.5 MPG out of my GLI highway using eco mode and cruise control (people need to learn to use that function) and it's still plenty quick and fun especially in sport mode. The paddle shifters are actually quite responsive and I find they're better suited for passing slow cars and hills.
What is the longest you have owned any car?
Had a 2003 Camry for 17 years. Had a Mazda protege 14 years. Wife had a Toyota Sienna for 15 years. We keep cars along time. Traded a couple cars during the pandemic era of low interest rates and hi used car values. But those days are over.
Why do the taillights flicker?
Hi Sam, they don’t flicker to the eye. It’s the frame rate of the camera for the video. I think 60 frames per second on the camera will capture the LED frequency.
Interesting. My 60,000 mile tires on my Altima went at 30,000 miles.
Yea, alignment is critical and can get out of wack easily on multi link suspensions. Thanks for sharing.
@@BeyondTheTestDrive My car DIDN'T need an alignment. The tires didn't have any bald spots on the sides of the tread. I think I got taken.
@@dmikulec🤔 Yea, sounds a little funny. I would not expect the full 60 but 40-50 at least
Just seems like it was a great idea to get rid of it, just for the # 1 reason alone.
Yep. In normal car buying times we would have been content to keep the GLI.
I pretty much did the same thing on my 19 GLI S DSG. After a year the honeymoon was over and I wanted to install an exhaust, tune and wheels. I didn’t want to chance voiding that great warranty so I started falling out of love with it. Sold mine back to VW in Jan 2022 and made back my down payment, all 24 payments and about $2k extra. Took that money and went and bought an excellent maintained 2014 Audi A5 cash. But I do miss the GLI.
That A5 is awesome. These are crazy but kinda cool times where we can make trades and not lose. And that A5 won’t depreciate much if you choose to move on in a year or two. Thanks for watching and sharing and congrats on the A5.
Tbh you downgraded bruh
Very interesting. I am still considering trading in a 2020 Civic for a GLI Autobahn. You are right that to truly enjoy your car, one has to live it. I do love the civic except for the infotainment and TPMS. But i always wanted a GLI and may try to get one next year
Thanks Terrence for watching and commenting. A 2020 Civic is a great car and is holding its value so you should have choices next year. The Civic and GLI could not be more different. The GLI gives the impression of sitting a little higher than the Civic. Some like that, some don't. The Civic and GLI both share great handling with their fairly sophisticated rear suspensions. The new Civic does probably address your infotainment concerns. And compared to the 2020 Civic, the GLI is quieter and maybe tad more solid feeling. Thanks again and keep in touch if you choose to change cars.
Had my GLI since last November. Still love it (special ordered, I'm the only driver).
And the cvt
@@fabolousjada5070 Honda CVT is fare I say it very good. No complaints there
Wasn't free when you got 1k less and paid sales tax. Still a good deal tho for 30k miles.
This was a rare point in time. Free is of course an exaggeration. There is also gas and insurance. The days of high new car depreciation have returned. Our state only charges sales tax on any difference in price if you trade-in in a single transaction. We actually got a tiny sales tax refund on the Mazda 3 we purchased as it was actually cheaper than our trade in GLI’s value. But a rare point in time when you could do something like that when depreciation was not a major expense. Thanks for watching.
@BeyondTheTestDrive Oh my bad, I assumed you bought the replacement car at a different dealership since you said it took a while to find a good deal. Yeah if you were able to avoid sales tax then I would really give yourself a pat on the back then. Good work. Thanks for sharing.
I had a 2021 GTI. I like my 2024 Jetta SEL better.
As you commented in the other Mazda 3 vid, yes. we did ditch this for the 3. We should also mention we owned a 2019 SEL Jetta but had the notorious transmission grinding sound that VW refused to fix but did eventually offer a full buyback conditional on another VW purchase. That and 2020 pricing is how this GLI came to be. VW has quietly improved the Jetta since 2019 and even settled a class action lawsuit on the transmission. Glad you are enjoying your SEL. Thanks again for watching and happy motoring.
I returned my leased 2018 Audi A4 (6MT) and bought 2021 Mazda 3 (6MT) instead, never regret my decision. My leased buyout was 25k and the dealer sold my car a week after for 33k. I was thinking about buying back as the price of used car was crazy but I would rather not to deal with reliable issue of Audi in the future.
Yea, with Audi your are defiantly going to have some more maintenance costs. I think if you maintain they can be fairly reliable but they will cost you more. Good choice on the 3 manual.
you should have bought it out of the lease and sold it, sounds like you left a lot of money on the table
@@krisschedler exactly lol dumb .. sell it and get your 6 7k in your pocket
Unbearable commentary
All German cars are unreliable (my opinion). Living in China and VW is super popular here for many years, but you'll never see an old VW on the road! The only old cars on the road are Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Buick, Chevrolet and even some domestic brands (though not that much). Also, I've never seen any website mentioning a German car as 'reliable'.
Thanks for commenting. Yea, the German brands tend to be a little more complicated in their design and engineering which also leads to longer term reliability issues. Since we only had this GLI for its first 20k mikes we really can only assess initial quality. I think brands like BMW do have good initial off the factory line quality where Audi and VW maybe have a little less. And Toyota tends to keep things simple and changes happen slowly so good long term quality. US makers have quite the spread depending on actual model. Thanks gain and all the best.
I don't know how true this is, but I remember it depends on the market, here in México many brands sold deprecated models like the Nissan "Tsuru", which was a very popular model at the point that instead of moving to the new style, they sold the new one under the name of "Sentra", so the old model (a 1990 or previous) was sold until 2017, no matter it was banned on Europe. I heard the same with the MKII (maybe) of Jetta, which was sold in China until 2016 (last time I checked) because it was so popular and weak regulations didn't ban it. Also, in 2005 (aprox) Volkswgen changed the Jetta, but here it was sold as a new model called Bora while keeping the old one as Jetta, then in 2010 they sold the next iteration as "el nuevo jetta" (literally, "the new Jetta") and rebranded the 2000 model as "Clasico" (classic) and they sold it as a lower tier model. Now they discontinued the "clasico", but that's because they introduced the "Vento".
This may be a biased opinion, but I noticed countries with less regulations tend to have cars with more problems, so maybe China has less quality control.
I drove around a 1980 something Volkswagen rabbit pickup with no problems and it was 30 years old at that point
Lol, sounds more like a biased opinion than a fact.
@@Quadruple-Vaxxed-Boomer I think he did say it was his opinion lol