2023 Volkswagen Golf GTI SE (6-Speed Manual) - POV Review
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- čas přidán 1. 06. 2023
- MSRP: $35,330
MPG: 23 city / 32 highway
Horsepower: 241 hp @ 5,000 rpm
Engine: 2.0 L 4-cylinder
Curb weight: 3,133 lbs
Cargo volume: 19.9 ft³, 34.5 ft³ with seat area
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I currently own a manual 2023 40th Anniversary Edtiion GTI (roughly $38,000cad) , and absoulutley love it. I do think the infortainment gets WAY more flack then it deserves.
It takes an adjustment getting used to the infortainment, but once everything was set up to my prefrences everything has been perfectly fine. As a daily vehicle for southern ontario climate, i have no complaints.
Highly recommend if you're looking for a fun car year round. 🙌
The amount of gloss black trim pains my detailing heart
Detestable, right? Literally the worse choice for trim.
@@CapELarry 100%. I just don't understand it.
Idk why they did that on the 23, the 22 didn't have much of it.
And those capacitive buttons also turn me away from VW (aside from Jetta and Taos)
what do you like about them? mister ANIMALFRIES
Getting rid of the HVAC buttons/knobs is such a stupid design imo. I agree that it is dangerous to relegate them to being only accessible on the touchscreen. Other than that, I would love to get this car, coming from a mkV GTI.
Given you have never owned the car, I can assure you adjusting the temp is pretty easy.
I work at a VW Dealer and there was an open recall on one of our customers MK8 GTI's. The recall required tools our dealership didn't have so I drove it to the next dealership closest to us that could do the recall and I had to pull of to figure out how to turn on the A/C. Such a stupid design.
I'm usually someone who is really accepting of new designs - but really, the mk7.5 looks so much better and has a nicer interior imo
The base S has the knobs
mk7.5 its better in every way
Topher is just clean and to the point, I don’t even know how we can stand Doug DeMuro’s bullshit anymore 😂
The piece "missing" from the trunk space is the Hazard triangle that comes standard in European models.
Love the channel, hope you're doing great!
Love this video. Real world driving! Not that stupid slow driving you see in a lot of car videos
Just grabbed an S for 35k and Golf R's were selling at 55-60k at the dealership (even though both R's and GTI's were basically impossible to find in Phoenix)
It isnt stretching your budget a little bit, its stretching it a lot.
Infotainment system needs work but it doesnt dominate my drive, great car.
Spot on. Even to say stretching your budget a bit by $8k on a $35k base budget is lot for people.
Congrats! Hope the s infotainment doesn’t freeze frequently like mine in my SE. if I commuted I’m sure the freezing would enrage me and be a deal breaker but really fun to drive and lots of utility.
I’m living mine after 2 days.
Any rattles or problems yet?
Sorry... an "S" for 35k? That's complete BS. VW has lost their minds with their exorbitant prices on the Mk8's. It was bad enough prior to the Mk8.
Awesome Video!
2:55 It's me, I'm people.
Great Work!!! Amazing review!!
Wow, what a thrilling POV review of the 2023 Volkswagen Golf GTI SE!
As a former Mk7.5 owner, the new interior controls are a huge step back. The MK7.5 had the best mix of physical and touch controls that were easy to use and navigate. I can't believe that those touch controls got thru on a big VW product especially when the performance and driving dynamics are even better than before.
I just got a mk 7.5. The mk8 is always compared to it and journalists are always criticizing it because of missing features/changes that take away from what was great about the gti. I also think that the mk7.5 looks a lot better but I’m biased.
Agree 💯, it’s a shame what they’ve done to this car while not improving it in meaningful ways. Ultimate insult was releasing the Golf R manual with the same BS clutch as before, with gimped output compared to the DSG.
@@eiros59 I mean that I could deal with, it does not affect everyday usability unlike the lack any physical controls. Plus you can actually tune and upgrade the drivetrain without too much difficulty unlike the interior controls
@@tooturbo Did you actually drive a Golf 8? I picked my golf 8r up a couple days ago and its a blast. The controls are extremely easy and not much different to physical buttons. Esp because in the Middle of the console is every button you need (Climate , Mode etc)
@@akiimo389 I did and you got to be an odd one out. No doubt the driving dynamics are improved but the interior is a deal breaker. The touch controls are way slower, less responsive, and way more distracting to use especially when on the move and especially compared to the previous gen. Like some of the most basic functions take a couple steps to do instead of a single button. For responsiveness and feedback physical buttons trump any touch screen. And interiors need a few of them in addition to their touch screen to make it work. Porsche is prime example of having a really good mix of physical buttons and touch controls
This infotainment WAS a dealbreaker. I am infinitely happier in my Miata where no matter how slow the infotainment is, I can always control my HVAC and heated seats instantly. And the driving experience is better as well. It's obviously a worse single car solution but paired with a CX5, it's about perfect. And the best part is, hardly anyone likes driving in it so it's usually just me, an open road and gool ol' George (Soul Red) Mica.
Car play makes the infotainment kinda moot anyway. It’s a bit slow at first but who cares, let’s the car warmup lol
Love my ND2. Still pretty analog for a modern car
@@NDEEZMiata I got a wireless adapter for Android Auto and it's a game changer
My Mk7.5 is still peak GTI with its buttons, dials, and manual handbrake. I love the thing and wouldn't notice any real benefit going into a Mk8.
@@markthibault8579 Downgrade for sure
Sorry to hear about that .. can't wait for a stage 2 mk8 to blow past you
Took the words out of my mouth with the review of this GTI. I knew I should have saved up for the R!
I have 235/35 19s on my gti...looks amazing...first set of 19s I've ever had ..and on such a little car I couldn't believe the fit so good...my first vw I usually drive bmw and lexus but I'm really enjoying the vw I'm kind of in love with it..to be honest
looks beautiful
I recently bought this car. I, too was afraid that the infotainment was gonna be way too distracting for me for daily driving, but after using it for a few weeks, it's not that bad. It could be a lot better, but it's not as bad as everyone says. I would say that for me it was not a deal breaker. I was able to develop the muscle memory of the 2-step process HVAC control access where I only glance at the screen for a split second to change HVAC. Other than the underwhelming convenience of the infotainment, I love the driving. It's so simple and fun when you want it to be.
Agree. I recently bought a 40th and the infotainment doesn't bother me at all. It takes a few hours to get used to and to build up that muscle memory, but it's great after that. The S and the 40th also both have knobs for volume and seeking, but I find the button on the steering wheel much easier to use.
a 1 second glance can cause a crash
I've been shopping in this segment and just put down a deposit on a 40th Anniversary. One factor I want to mention to people, if you are really shopping, is availability. Right now, the Civic Si, Corolla GR and Elantra N might as well be dust in the wind. In most cases you'll be looking at a minimum 6-8 month wait - or longer in some cases. Additionally, with incoming cars getting snatched up while still in transit, it is difficult to even find these cars to test drive, let alone buy. And given the availability, we all know ADM comes along with it. I searched hard for these three cars and came up empty handed for even a TEST DRIVE. I don't know about you, but I can't buy a car without test driving it first.
On the other, the GTI and WRX are out there, and not getting marked up. You can find one, put a deposit, wait a few weeks, and it will show up. Considering how good all of these cars are, I don't think it works to anyone's benefit to write one or the other off.
I test drove the Civic SI, WRX and the Elantra N and ended up getting a 40th AE GTI. Elantra N has the best power among all the cars I’ve driven but the ride is pretty hard. I’m looking for a fun daily driver that’s a little more refine and comfortable. The GTI fits that perfectly. It’s been 2 weeks since I took delivery of my 40th GTi. The only gripe I have is when I was trying to adjust the fan speed for the AC while driving. Other than that I have been loving every second of driving the car. No regrets.
Why pass on the Si? Thinking about a GTI over the Si as well
FYI: Golf 8s in general that are built after December 2022 have gotten a new chipset and software which makes it a lot smoother/better.
I own one and it's one of the best daily I've owned! I love it so much :)
love the color
just got a 2022 s for 28k and im loving it. The touchscreen is easy to get use to and learn. Love this car
Chris, The tartan seats are classic.
SE Michigan FTW 🙌 nice review! Manuals are becoming so rare 😭
S trim has infotainment knobs and it's around 4K cheaper than the SE . I feel like that is the sweet spot for the ‘23 GTI . I just ordered one and I’m so excited !
yeah i've been driving a S for about 8 months now. It's awesome. The best value if you don't care about sunroofs.
@@statlanta_ glad to hear it - I hear people get used to the infotainment even if it is a bit annoying to use
@@Wuhbzy yeah you get used to it really fast it’s not that intrusive TBH
Yeah no clue why everyone keeps sleeping on the base model gti. It already comes with so many packages and options theres zero reason to spend 4k-8k more on the upper trims and get a worse infotainment experience.
edit: nice interior, automatic headlights, heated steering wheel and seats, auto cruise control even with the mt model, blind spot monitoring, auto dimming rear mirror, all the auto safety braking stuff, rear backup camera, wireless charging, push button start, etc, etc. All come standard with the base model. I don't even understand what the 4-8k gets you over the base model, the base model is already completely loaded.
Does it have the LSD? Because the mk7 S trim doesn't have one.
Great presentation..👌
Looking at this, is the gearing shorter vs MK7. it looks like second tops right at 60 or a tad above. Ive been looking at the Golf R partly due to shorter gearing but found its market price is 55 to 57K.
Looks and sounds like a dream.
That empty space in the rear is for emergency equipment required in European countries. It’s a traffic triangle and a few other things. Shame they didn’t just add it in the US models
What are your thoughts on the 40th anniversary version. Basically an s version with active dampers
The buttons and knobs were actually why I bought my Mk7.5 GTI (competitors at the time were experimenting with all haptic touch stuff but have since changed back). Wish they still made the 7.5R. I'd be in a Mk8 if it could be had with the 7.5 dash and wheel. I guess it forces analog folks up to Audi. No classic lights knob, hvac knobs/buttons is a deal breaker for me.
15:44 I love the Firestone Indy 500's on my MK6 GTI
Hey @ 18:10 you seemed to enjoy holding it near its grip limits through that curve, despite the poor tire! It’s good to hear that one of its few shortcomings can be solved with a good set of tires.
Nice reveiw
Hi Topher! Thanks for your awesome review per usual! Quick question, hows the torque steer? Is there any? Doesn't look like it from you driving....or you are really good at correcting it.
I saw a GTI give a Camaro the business this morning. There was a lot of exhaust noise from the Camaro, but the GTI was in the wind.
Would you take this or a Mk7.5 as a fun daily? I’ve been looking at used GTI’s and these 8’s are going for a few thousand more but not much…
Bravo bravooo 🎉🎉🎉❤❤❤
Really nice to see someone driving a manual for a change
OMG a Manual Golf ❤
@thetopher where would you rank this, the Elantra N, gr Corolla, and WRX if you had to rank them 1-4, and why?
I understand the times we're in, but $35k+ for not even a top ranging GTI makes a bit queasy.
@@HarryTwatter If we keep buying 30k Civics then that is what we will get. Enthusiasts need to buy older models and turn our backs on overpriced cars like the Si and GTI.
@@HarryTwatter dealer near me wants over 40k for one
$43,000 for ones with the leather seat delete is an absolute scam
16:04 very true, I got rid of the stock Michelin all season on my mk7.5 after a year or so. Very underwhelming stock tires, especially when I have a set of winter tires for winter capability,
Thank you for the review! I really want an Autobahn, really want the chassis control and the heads-up display. I started after a Golf R Anniversary edition but those things are hard to get AND going for $15k over MSRP in my area. So not gonna happen. Waiting around for an autobahn in manual, we shall see….
You make really good and descriptive videos, i really appreciate your effort. Could you possibly make a video about VW Polo Gti 2021- and ongoing model? i am consindering buying one in the fall and would like a video from you.
What do you use for your camera pov??
Regarding haptic "buttons" on steering wheel. Why change what isn't broken? Real buttons have perfect usability and tactile feedback. And don't have haptic feedback mechanisms or capacitive touch sensors to break down the road. No thanks.
Mine came with good year eagle f1 thinking about going to pilot sport 5
Other than the heating system controls not been real dials etc .This could be the best interior at the moment .The check cloth is so cool ..even Porsche should offer it
Wish you could review the m140i but theyre not available in the US i've heard. :(
2:50 This is where the warning triangle usually is in. In germany you have to carry one with you by law otherwise you'll get a fine.
Hello from England-great review. I'm thinking about buying one of the last mk8 gti manual transmissions I can buy here (there's only two cars available just now on the uk vw site!).
If I had to choose one reason to buy this it would be that the back cam comes out of the logo and u open with the logo it’s really cool ngl
Some SE GTIs have synthetic seats, new modern flat VW logo on the steering wheel and Harmon Karden speakers. The those rims are nice tho. Mine came with the the older style GTI rims so must be manufacturing supply issues.
I just realized what I dislike about this and most other current instrument displays: they look video games! At least, in my ‘19 Mazda MX-5, I have what appear to be real, authentic gauges. I love that!
Driving my 23 GTI SE manual on the highway everyday gets me around 40-45 mpg, gas is expensive where I'm at, so I cruise doing the speed limit or maybe 5 miles over, I've had it for a year now, and even though I hate some things about it, such as the buttons and what not, I love the car in general, and I don't plan on getting rid of it anytime soon.
I don’t know if should get this or the si
It's so good, I love my Autobahn.
I have an id 3 and have the same infotaiment system i think its more fun than old fashion nobs like the golf mk7
I was literally just shopping these
They still haven't fixed the touch controls? I thought VW setup a focus group to fix it
Anyone cross shopping this against new WRX? Which one is more fun to drive in northern climate? Not interested in anecdots (head gasket bs, etc.). Looking for first person experience.
I own a 2024 gti S now. The infotainment system leaves a lot to be desired but not deal breaker. Driving feel is great though. I owned a mk7 before and the mk8 feels much more refined and fun
Bought a 40th AE 6 speed and absolutely love it. The shift knob is the weak point imo and will get replaced soon. The 40th AE does come with summer tires and DCC, so it does handle a little better than the SE would.
I love my 40th AE. Thinking about swapping in a shift knob similar to an 03-07 accord V6
Sport shifters has some really nice knobs. Got myself a weighted knob and it's amazing
@@peepthesheep4823 Nice! The wait time is long though, lol.
Mine cracked and broke after about two months with easy shifting(2022 GTI SE). Boomba racing has a nice short shift kit and weighted shift knob. Super easy to install.
Look no further than Black Forest Industries
For real world prices great value for a sporty - efficient - highly practical - stick shift option. Don’t love the styling esp. up front but it’s ok enough.
Awesome daily for sure.
The tires in the 40th and I believe the Autobahn are very nice. In the past 2 weeks I don't think I've squealed the tires even with spirited driving on curvy roads in NW Arkansas
ever come across Pindall Arkansas? My grandmother was from there.
@@jamesmedina2062 No, only been in the area for half a year so I haven't been able to do much exploring
@@jv6miata gotcha. It must be nice though eh? I have only been through Little Rock and drove from there to Shreveport.
Literally, my car
Does this trim have keyless entry?
Chris, do you live in Plymouth?
As a small daily-able sporty car, there are some things I absolutely LOVE about this as a 2017 RS3 owner - cloth seats (and that plaid, absolutely WOW!), steering wheel looks great, shifter position seems good.
The reason I would personally never buy this car is the touchscreen. I think I could eventually get used to the haptic touch controls on the wheel but I absolutely hate touchscreens and although I don't plan on trading in my RS3 for a newer audi any time soon, I don't think I would even want to anymore. I hate that Audi elected to remove the mmi wheel as an alternative to using the touchscreen- it always feels so dangerous to me and I hate it. I've never been the biggest fan of BMW and still don't really like what they're doing with the iDrive 8 (i think?) huge screen, but regardless, they retained the wheel and I like that a lot. Plus, with VW/Audi interior design there seems to be a whole bunch of gloss black everywhere now which just looks and feels so cheap. Wish they'd go back to faux wood/aluminum trim- sure it doesn't look brilliant or integrate with the touchscreens as well but it sure beats gloss black.
From a driving perspective though, this thing is absolutely brilliant if you can actually buy it at MSRP. Unfortunately I think that's gonna be kinda hard to do- recently saw a Golf R with a 10k markup in my area (putting it just above 50k), and I'd be surprised if this doesn't get the same treatment as that. Fantastic review as always though man! Really no one else scratches the POV itch quite like you. Your channel is like my comfort car review place on youtube haha.
Piana black looks really nice in the showroom but the reality is over time UV will fade it and it scratches really badly and ends up looking dull. I hate all the piano black in cars and I hate even all the stupid assistance systems we don't need.
I own one and I have no issues with the touch screen. Climate is set to auto and my phone runs the audio stuff. I hardly have to mess with the touch screen.
@@bikin2008 I just don’t like using touch screens in general! I prefer my RS3 system where I have the scroll wheel and can use that to navigate the menus. Most of the time I don’t even need to look away to do things anymore.
The nice thing about piano black plastic is that you can easily spruce it up after it's aged with some plastic polish. You can't do that with old matte texture pieces. You'd have to replace them.
I actually really live the interface
Super easy & intuitive after about 2 hours
Sweetness. I still love my mk6 GTI though.
This looks like a lot of fun! The lack of knobs would probably be a deal breaker for me though
It can be annoying but it's not that bad once you get used to it. Biggest complaint really is changing certain settings while driving. Like fan speed on the ac
I’m a 60 year old female
I love the interface after just 2 days of ownership
If I can live it, anyone can.
And I actually love it. Don’t miss my 7.5 at all.
Well, ok, a little bit. Just because it was fun and oh so cute.
But then it lead me to the 8
😊
I LOVE VOLKSWAGEN!!!!
My mk7 is yet to let me down after 130k miles
Only issues I have with the car is the gearing I thinks it's too long and the touch controls and infotainment
I like how 2nd gear is tall enough that you don’t have to shift before reaching 60mph.
How the the no handbrake work
Still love the GTI but I just recently got a 2023 GLI Autobahn and rn it’s a better buy for the money I feel!
no golf ball shifter??
40th anniversary is where it’s at. Special colors, limited edition, blacked out roof, adaptive suspension, club sport wheels, summer tires, plaid seats, all for a few grand more than the s model.
I agree…. I have the 40th in yellow and its a fun vehicle. Drives better than my former Mark 7. The infotainment needs getting used to. Not a show stopper for me, but having the climate and auto stop/start controlled by knobs and switches should have been done to make it more simplistic.
I love this carr!!! With A Few Specs that can be improved or changed but its a really great car... id honestly buy it if i could but got to ship it across to my country which is a bit costlyy
Of all Golf GTI'S which should I get?
The Golf R would be my dream car at this point in my life, but to be a true daily driver and a car I can also comfortably take on road trips, the GTI really is very tempting having a bit better fuel economy and better yet, runs on regular! I much prefer the front end of the R, and that larger spoiler out back is great, but ugh…my inner pragmatic adult tells me to get the GTI instead and save a fair bit of change.
GTI gets much better mpg and runs on 87, golf R you want 91 or higher. I've sat in both 2022 models back to back and compared them side by side, honestly the gti feels more premium than the golf r.
Edit: the only thing the golf r has going for it is AWD. That's it.
@@username8644 Curious why the gti feels more premium than the R. I would have thought they are the same car inside.
@@jkliao6486 Maybe premium isn't exactly the right word. But I found the golf R interior to be way too much and not very elegant. The GTI is simple and elegant, not extra or over the top. This is what I think makes it look more premium, the golf R interior is just too sporty feeling, but not a good sporty. It's just trying too hard. Exterior wise they are pretty much the same though.
@@username8644 specifics convince more than generalities but it piques my curiosity
im in the market for a new gti or R. golf R prices in my area are still pretty out of wack, at around 55k. although i did find one dealer around me that sells for 47k on a first come first serve basis. but i have a way to get a gti autobahn for msrp. i think im gonna do that, and then shoot for a final edition mk8 R in a few years, when maybe the supply/demand is more normal
Being a VW diehard, I always had a wish that Tedward did Vws on a regular basis. Ask and u shall receive. Love both channels.
how do you guys never get pulled over for speeding?
The piece that's missing in the boot door is a warning triangle
The SE is definitely the sweet spot in the affordable "do everything" daily driving sports car. Way more practical than the BRZ/86, way more comfortable for long drives than the Elantra N, much faster than the civic si. I love my SE DSG, already put 30k miles on it.
Genuine question here, are these reliable? Is the cost to own on the average or higher end?
Is it more affordable than in germany or are the other cars just more expensive? The BRZ/86 is around 6k cheaper - if you can get one. We have the i30 Fastback N instead of the Elantra and its also about 6k cheaper.
You can get the same performance with simple bolt-ons and/or tune and far superior reliability from a 10th/11th gen Si.
@@DB-sd3cw Negative ghost rider.
I don't like that people give plastics such a bad rep in cheaper cars. Plastic cleans easily, isn't damaged by sun either and it tough against scratches and bangs. Which is useful for daily use.
Just a thing I keep noticing that people always bring up
When I bought my last vehicle, this was the same config (including color) I drove although the one I tested had the Harmon Kardon. I think I could have dealt with the infotainment, but the steering wheel is what drove me away. Frustrating to use, you accidentally hit buttons, they don’t always respond when you intend to push them and the fact that the voice commands wouldn’t allow you to change the temp in the car. If they change the steering wheel back to something with actual buttons, I will gladly trade my Accord in for one. Would like to try the DCT since it would be nice to have an auto since my ND2 Miata is obviously manual
I have a 2023 GTI manual but am considering trading it in for a new brz for the rwd dynamics and I miss a sports car feel. @TheTopher owning a brz, is the seat of your pants acceleration that much different than the 2023 GTI?
@@HarryTwatter but the brz is going to be way more fun and enjoyable because of better driving dynamics and rwd. And the manual is probably going to be better in the brz as well compared to the GTI.
I want to buy this car, but seeing the accidental button press at 1:38 does not look good :(
I wish this car was more practical for my lifestyle they look like the ultimate daily driver to me.
If this GTI had the simple HVAC, Radio setup and steering wheel setup without all the haptics (like from the Jetta Sport) I would be sold. Chilling with my 2015 with 189,000 miles for now.
Why? I come from a Seat ibiza with everything being a button and the golf 8 r system is really easy. I dont even use the buttons under the screen (why would you=)
I got the R and still own my 2015 GTI( 228K miles ). Ive gotten used to infotainment, it took me about a week. When I go back to my GTI, i do prefer that setup, but I think people blow this out of proportion. The infotainment, you will know where everything is lighted or not lighted. The steering wheel cruise control can be odd but I like it so far. I think the car is more detached than the MK7 at least in r form and that to me is a bigger concern.
Where in usa you are driving this??
Again more people who have never OWNED the mk8 complaining about the "lack of physical buttons".
Too bad they don't sell a 2-door version here anymore.
AUTOMATIC 👍
My last two cars were manual F80 M3 and manual 992 C2S and l like my GTI better! M3 was very fast C2S was insane fast and the GTI is way more public road user friendly fast...and fun! I also don't mind the infotainment at all as pretty intuitive to me and I love the clean no knobs or dials look. Steering wheel controls very user friendly. As noted in review the shifter is exquisite, super smooth and fun to drive!
Topher any comment on GTI vs gli? Looking at the gli for price but prefer the smaller size of gti
GTI is better. I believe it has a better turbo and tuning from factory. Also smaller and lighter.