2010 VW GTI: Driver/Steering Column Interference

Sounds like Mrs. Jacquot would prefer a WRX seat. Hehehe :o)

And I thought you weren't a fan of the Mk VI GTI...

http://www.insideline.com/volkswagen/gti/2010/2010-volkswagen-gti-full-test-and-video.html#article_pagination_top_1

Have you warmed up to it?

there is an angle adjustment... its that handle by her hand. is the seat down as low as possible?

Looking at how much her knees are bent, I don't think that's a proper driving position.

How about some info on the way the car drives instead of all these comments about steering wheel, seats and other useless stuff. I am seriously thinking about buying this for my commuter to replace a BMW 335i. I want to replace it with a economical fun car that is also reasonably priced so I can give it to my teenager in a few years. Stick vs DSG, 2 dr vs 4dr, what are the recommended options? xenon, nav, bluetooth? I am tired of waiting for some real info.

The dashboard on the GTI is not THAT high, why on earth does she need to drive it like an SUV? Lower the seat, you'll be fine.

angioman1:

get a GTI. DSG, Xenon, Nav. those are the must have options, IMO. 4 DR costs a little more, but its useful if you ever need it. (even if you are just putting stuff back there) i will likely get another with those exact options when the time comes for a new one.

i have a fully loaded 4 DR DSG GTI minus NAV right now. i wish i had NAV. the leather seats have more bolstering and look sexy, but are worthless really. they don't hold you on the track and they only make it harder to get in and out of the car on a daily basis. standard seats are fine and they look cool in their own way. i am not a sunroof guy either, although the sunroof is very cool. (it can open at many intervals from a little to completely open, or lift up in back as a vent) 18" wheels ride worse, are heavier, more prone to damage, and tires cost more as a result of the larger size. im a single guy and dont really need 4 doors, but like i said, it is useful. like the NAV, its something i would miss having when I actually do need it.

angioman1, just go drive one. The way the car drives on first impression, believe me, doesn't deteriorate. In fact, if my two GTIs are any indication, you will quickly fall in love. I sat in a '10 GTI last week, and wow, was it impressive. I didn't drive it, because if history is any indication, I'd have bought it.

I agree with stingray, her legs don't look like they're in a proper driving position. She looks like she's setting the seat to drive a bus or big rig. I know shorter people have problems with the driving interface in certain cars, but this seems weird. Is this a syndrome of long legs, short torso?

seat can also be lowered. not only that, but the steering wheel seems way to close as well, I know you want bent elbows, but it looks your wife can almost rest her forearms on the steering wheel.

This driving position looks all kinds of strange. I do agree with angioman1 though...still waiting on some newsworthy information regarding the 2010 GTI.

@ huyracing: have you been able to compare the 18” vs 17” wheels on the GTI. I test drove the 2010 with 18” wheels and found it to be a rougher ride than I am looking for. Are the 17” wheels a much smoother ride?

carterbw77: it is a smoother ride with 17" wheels because you have more rubber. i really dislike the trend towards bigger wheels because it serves no purpose other than looks. you can even fit 16" wheels on there.

huyracing: I totally agree with you on the size thing. Another example of bigger not being better; better for the dealership selling the GTI but that is about it. You are splitting hairs when you start talking performance of a daily driver with some good performance summer tires on 17" vs 18" wheels. I will take the more comfortable ride; the roads suck around here.

Thanks for the comments everyone. I might be getting a GTI myself, and if I do I'll be sure to insist on the 17" wheels. My two big questions are manual vs DSG and sunroof versus non-sunroof. I want to row my own gears and save money, but the DSG is both faster and more fuel efficient. The sunroof is simply a matter of balancing a more open cockpit with the desire to save weight and simplify.

Also, yeah, that seating position is way to close to both the pedals and the steering wheel.

thanks for the input. you would think the edmunds drivers would have something more useful to say. back to the dsg vs manual, I have a friend who has the last gen audi tt with the dsg and he has heard his mechanics tell him that the tranny breaks at about 50k. Manual may be the way to go and I think it would serve my teenage daughter well to learn how to drive a stick. ever see amazing race on tv and see all those people have driving manuals in other countries. also when i took a rental car in europe the auto cost $200 more for a week.

I also agree with the 17" wheels. No need for 18" on a car this size.

For the folks who already have their GTI's, what is the real world MPG? Should I even consider the TDI Golf?

the steering wheel should still telescope into the dash more than it is. that looks like it is still pulled out some to me.

My wife is 5-foot, 4-inch and she loves her GTI. Just do not raise the seat all the way up.

I'd skip the Autobahn package/navigation along with the DSG and save a considerable amount of money. My portable Magellan unit from Costco works perfectly. But the wheels, I don't know. The 17-inchers will again keep the price lower and ride smoother, but the 18-inchers really complete the look of the car. Those black Khartoum rims look awesome too, especially on a white GTI.

The Manual is actually more efficient, DSG is quicker. 50,000 miles is around the time you need maintenance for the DSG, it does not break. There are issues with the DSG's, although mine is not affected. What is nice is they extended the warranty to 100,000 miles for me in case it does fail at some point.

This is the case for me. Manual means replacing clutches. DSG only needs a filter and fluid change at 50,000 miles and its supposed to last the life of the car. In theory, I'm saving time and money in the long run. Its quicker, easy to drive, and works well on the track. Does everything I need. If you like to shift yourself, then its not really for you... the manual modes are far from comfortable to use. Might as well get the manual if you really want it and save some money.

Real world MPG's is about spot on with the claimed MPG. I got 31 miles highway without even trying and doing extra legal speeds. With a reflash, I've gotten 36 MPG highway. City is easily around 24 mpg, although I rarely pay attention to that.

Josh, you need to really spend some time with your wife and explain proper driving position and adjust accordingly.

The steering wheel is way too close to her chest compared to her outstretched hand on the gear shift lever. You don't want her to be too close to the airbag if nothing else. The seat bottom is for thigh support. Why are her thighs so far above the seat and not resting on the cushion?!

For starters, move the seat back a bit to get her thigh on the cushion, adjust the seat back angle forward, and maybe tilt the wheel up slightly.

I'm with angioman1 and others, let's hear something useful about this car for a change. Enough about plaid seats and someone who doesn't know how to adjust their seat properly.

My wife says NO to a new car with a manual, so a DSG-equipped GTI seems the way to go (I've tried teaching her to drive a stick -- it ain't gonna happen). I test drove a DSG and was pleasantly surprised. Great fun blipping up and down the gears like a WRC car, and if I have to sit in a 10 mile backup on the DC Beltway I could just leave it in D and save my left leg.

Come on Edmunds, let's hear more about the GTI.

Couple thoughts:
1. The seat height does adjust - as Josh mentioned originally, it does this by pivoting on the front edge while the back rises/falls
2. The bottom cushion on these seats is quite long. This is great for taller drivers like me, but not so good for shorter people.
3. The MkV/MkVI GTI is well known for being good for very tall drivers (6'5" and over); i'm surprised about the shorter driver issue.

4. For those who asked about owner experience (MkV is essentially the same car); mine is 2 doors with only DSG, sunroof and 18" wheels as options. Absolutely love DSG, don't regret it for a second... sunroof brightens a fairly dark interior... I don't mind the ride tradeoff for the slightly sharper turn in of the bigger wheels, although some might... my typical mileage is about 24 city/30ish highway.

I do like seeing negatives about this car as it is firmly at the top of my list for my next vehicle - that said - the negative tone in this one does seem a bit excessive.

Would love to see a road trip where the GTI and MS3 go in tandem for comparison's sake.

@huyracing: Thanks so much for the info on the transmissions and MPG. I still have a tough decision, but I am armed with even more information to make the right one.

no prob. for the record, my mom is short and she was fine. she's also used to a V8 and always complains about weak cars, but she was happy driving the GTI. how is this possible? torque rich engine + DSG always keeping it in the sweet spot.

i guess as long as they don't post a picture of the GTI in flames, then this blog serves some purpose. lol.

huyracing

You say "Manual means replacing clutches. DSG only needs a filter and fluid change at 50,000 miles and its supposed to last the life of the car".

By my understanding the DSG uses 2 dry single plate clutches. If clutches wear on a regular manual why would they not wear on a DSG?

Seems like the potentional for a very large repair bill as few shops will service these.

The 100K warrenty is great but I've never had a problem getting more then 100K out of a regular clutch too.

Lest I sound like Randy Newman, let me just say I'm finding it hard to feel sorry for shorter drivers to find an optimal seating position for a change. I'm constantly frustrated to find a car i can put my 6'2" frame into - and i don't consider myself all that tall. Volkswagen and Audi seem to be one of the only marks who design their cars to allow adequate seat travel for taller drivers, where nearly universally on asian carmakers I find the seat tracks come up several inches too short. My 2000 passat (RIP) fit me perfectly, my 2008 Outback not so good. Can't we just turn this around to the positive and say something to the effect that that shorter drivers shouldn't jack the seat up too high and the track fits 6'X" drivers just fine? You know... make some lemonade.

As much as I appreciate all your advice on the wife needing driving position lessons I have to disagree...

Huyracing should know that the handle he's referring too raises and lowers the seat bottom but makes little to no difference in its angle. Yes, she sits high. She's a big believer in being able to see the corners of the car in order to place in properly in its lane, while parking, etc. It's a point I completely agree with.

This puts her close to the wheel -- maybe closer than some of you would prefer. Think carefully about how to be precise with the steering wheel. It can't be done at arm's length. Precision requires close proximity. Ever heard of a surgeon doing his work with an outstretched arm? Me neither.

Furthermore, as I write this I'm staring directing at a three-foot-tall SKUSA Mission Region championship trophy which she earned in a shifter kart not many years ago. So I hardly think she needs my driving advice. Or yours.

Josh

I think I can relate to this problem -- cuz I feel the same. I am a 5'7 male with '08 GTI. I'd like to be able to see the corner of my car too... that means seat has to be raised. But at the same time, seat cushion is too long and the horizontal angel cannot be adjusted. So I always feel my thigh is a little hindered by the seat cushion when fully depress clutch. I think GTI is more a tall-people car. On the contrary, I feel just fine with my Acura TL-S and my girl's MINI. (sorry for my poor English).

Does the GTI offer optional electric seats? Electric seats generally allow you to adjust seat height front/back, independently.

Does she have the same issue with the Mazda MS3 in IL's fleet, as well? I think finding a comfortable driving position for shorter drivers is somewhat compromised if the car's equipped with a manual transmission, i.e. you've got a clutch to depress/reach etc.

Volvo's C30 manual driver's seat offers separate front/back adjustability, as do BMW's, just an FYI..

i think we've learned two important things here today:

- the GTI's seat adjustments might not be so great for shorter drivers who position their seat a certain way

- if you dare to criticize josh's wife's driving position (there's a phrase i can't say i ever saw myself using), prepare for a long defensive rebuttal.

one other thing to think about - sitting close to the wheel might be great for the track, but in the real world you generally don't want to right on top of the airbag should you get in an accident

As another short driver (5'3") who has driven GTI, I can definitely relate.

When the seat is placed fully forward (which I needed to fully depress the clutch), your knees will hit the steering column even at the lowest seating position. I also found the steering wheel too close even fully pushed in. Additionally, the seat cushion was both too long and wide, and instruments were all far away. I found myself doing a stretch each time I was depressing the clutch and reaching for the shift lever.

It's definitely not a car for smaller drivers. However, I've found similar to be true for almost all German and US cars. About the only exception so far had been Mini certain BMWs. I'm curious to find out how Italian cars (Fiat/Alfa) will fit once they come this side.

I have to put in my two cents about her seating position. Here's how I see it. For the upper part of her leg to sit properly on the seat cushion, the seat needs to slide back a couple notches. This would also make her feet sit more comfortably on the pedals. She could also telescope the wheel out more towards her as far as she likes to keep her elbows bent. I know the wheel telescopes out a lot because I'm 6'4", and I've driven the 2010 GTI. It fits me very well.

But there's one problem that prevents her from being able to do this: her right arm won't reach the stick shift comfortably if she slides her seat back more. So this is probably the best seating position she can get in this car with the gear lever where it is. I guess this car really is better suited for taller drivers.

Btw, a shifter kart has absolutely NOTHING to do with a street-legal passenger car. Duh.

Sharpend,

I would agree in every way but two:

1) You need to be able to see when driving both.
2) You need to be able to drive both without interference.

Duh.

wow. so much passion about a freakin seat in a car.

but i agree w. everyone who cares enough about the gti's seat to share my 2 cents:

1) i've rented the jetta for 4 weeks on 4 different occasions
2) every time, i endlessly fiddle w. the seat controls, in futile attempts to get it "right"
3) i never get it right
4) the seating position is never natural and feels generally unnatural

VW - i love you, but i hate how your seats are contoured and configured. gotta fix this!!!