2010 Volkswagen GTI: Rear Seat Comfort

The rear seats in a Civic Si sedan are fine. The Civic's flat floor also helps with legroom.

Wow, every post makes Edmunds' overall impression of the GTI seem more schizophrenic. John - don't let Jacquot know you're writing nice things about this car... might be bad for your career!

Anyway, I just bought a GTI a few weeks ago after oggling the car for years. I think Dan summed it up best in his suspension walk-around last week when he said it's not meant to be a giant killer -- it's simply a premium, sporty version of a Golf.

I've never driven my car on a track, and don't plan to start with the GTI. That said, I think it has every bit of performance (in corners and a straight line) that I can use on the real roads I drive. It has very little "extra" performance that would increase the price or make it tougher to live with as a DD. Hits the sweet spot almost perfectly for me.

And the other point many reviewers miss (though you guys had a nice post on a few weeks ago): the exhaust note is amazing. Under full throttle at about 5,000 rpm it makes this mechanical wail that's Gallardo-lite. Just awesome.

@yellowbal,
As I was comparing two-door sport compacts, I was referring to the Civic Si coupe which has 30.3 inches of rear leg room to the GTI's 35.5, and 34.7 inches of rear headroom to the GTI's 38.5.

In fairness, one could get the Si sedan as you point out, which offers quite a bit more room back there than the Si coupe (Leg: 34.6, Head: 36.7) though still not as much as the GTI.

Too bad the MkV lost the bucket-ness of the MkIV's rear seats, and the MkVI is just more of the same...there's actually bolstering in the back of the '99-'06! Much more comfortable.

Wow, for years the Germans refused to put cuphholders in their cars-- now look.

And the good thing about those armrest cupholders is that the driver and front seat passenger can easily reach back and stow water bottles in them, or retrieve them.

That's what I do in my Outback-- I use the front cupholders for drinks with no secure lids, and the rears for bottles. In the Outback the rear cupholders pop out of the rear of the console, and are probably a little easier to use than those shown in the GTI.

I am not a big fan of the plaid and would buy a Wolfsburg Jetta to avoid it. Too bad the 2.0T is no longer available in the Jetta wagon. That would be my choice in a VW. My daughter just bought a new Jetta Diesel wagon with a stick-- nice, peppy car with great torque (as everyone knows by now.)

I was surprised it's no longer called the Jetta wagon. One of my neighbours just bought one and it's now a Golf wagon. Only the sedan is a Jetta now.

http://www.vw.com/jettasportwagen/en/us/

Jetta Sport Wagon. The Golf hatchback is another model.

http://www.vw.ca/ca/en_ca/models/golf_family/golf_wagon.html

Golf Wagon. (there is also a Golf 3 and 5 door)

Turns out they are named different in Canada and the US.

Why no mention of the MS3's rear seat? You guys own the cars. Sit in both and take pictures.

Whether it's a Golf or a Jetta/Bora/Vento Variant has always been a market-by-market decision, depending on how the nameplate is viewed. It's actually stranger that it's still called a Jetta SportWagen in the US when it now wears the Golf's front fascia. Granted that the Jetta has been a much bigger seller here since soon after it was introduced, and is perceived to be more premium, why then change the fascia--I get the impression that when the NCS Jetta is introduced, the existing wagon will be soldiering on for a while, and the Golf's 'look' is newer?

@ed124c, you can get optional black leather in the GTI (albeit not as nice as the only slightly more costly CC Luxury); whereas the Jetta Wolfsburg has vinyl. Guess it depends on whether you have a rubber or a leather fetish ;-)

My god. Those seats were they made from an retired golfers pants, must have since the gti is golf based.......those seats would have been awesome in the 90's when grunge was in flannel any one.
Ps my ms3 seats rock. Red dots and all..

@arcangetcesar,

Apparently they don't really rock. They creak... red dots and all.

I totally LOVE the plaid seats...it is amazing to me how cool I think they are! I like the Golf...I think it costs too much for what it is, but it is a nicely done package. I went to look at a TDI and found the dealer snotty and unwilling to deal or special order anything....just like I had been told VW dealers are like. Oh well....my wife wants a Soul anyway and the Kia dealer bent over backwards to be nice and helpful. I wanted my wife to drive several different cars and really wanted her to like the Golf but we did not even get in one after the way we were treated.

@Bodyblue.

I totally agree with you and you are not the only person that feels that way. I intially went to look at a 2010 GTI but the take it or leave it, snotty mentality of every VW dealership in the area was a big turn off. I then went to Mazda to look at a Mazdaspeed3 and fell in love with the car, however the dealer seemed uninterested in selling me a car or returning my calls. I eventually turned by views back to the GTI based on the covered service and overall value, I got the same snotty attitude, but they were atleast creating dialogue and making light offers. I finally got a super offer on a similar car in a city not too far away and I forwarded that offer to the VW dealership I was working with and they honored the deal and actually beat it. Point is every dealership has its bad attitudes, but I do agree that most VW dealerships come off a bit more stuck up than most.

I really don't know the attitude of the dealers (I use dealers only for test drives) I buy from as I just get quotes online and buy from the one with the best price. Buying locally usually isn't as favorable as getting the car from LA.

+1 bds231

Your thoughts about the GTI having all the necessary performance that the road can handle is spot on. Congrats on your new car.

I find the 370Z has way more performance than can ever be let go on the roads, which is something I paid for but can't use very often (unless on a track). Also, there's something to be said about driving a moderate car fast, rather than a fast car moderately in terms of the fun factor.

The back seat room is wonderful. I came from a Jetta IV and I could not sit behind the driver's seat when it was set for my position (I'm 6'3") but in the GTI I can get in no problem.

Still no response from Edmunds regarding backseat shots of the same driver and passenger in the back of the Mazda3 and GTI.

We all know how that will end, eh?

"I find the 370Z has way more performance than can ever be let go on the roads, which is something I paid for but can't use very often (unless on a track). Also, there's something to be said about driving a moderate car fast, rather than a fast car moderately in terms of the fun factor."

Yellow miata, there is also something to be said from:

More is better
Why settle?

And what ever happened to the riskwick measure? Put that boy to work!!! LOL

Their GTI is a 2-door and not a 4-door like the MS3, and I doubt they want to take a cutting torch to it just to get the photo. But I think the 4-door Golf/GTI has the same dimensions as the 2-door, so it should be possible to find one and get a photo. I'm only average for a US male and the Mazda3 is tight for me but I really only care about the driver's comfort--I do find it strange, though because it has a considerably longer wheelbase than my '83 and '90 626s, which I recall as having more room as well as wider rear door openings requiring less twisting to get inside.

Funny -- I remember my A2 GTI (1986) seemed very roomy in the back. My A4 seemed less so, but was dimensionally bigger. I sat in the A6 and it seemed to be just as roomy as the A2.

But I think in 1986 I was simply much more limber -- and considering some of the things I did in that A2's back seat, that counted for a lot!

@ blueguydotcom,
As our GTI is a two door, I went the apples-to-apples route in the post. Let's face it, some buyers in this segment can't stand the thought of driving a four-door. That said, there is a 4-door GTI available.

In terms of the stats, the GTI 4-door and the MS3 are very close:
Rear headroom: GTI - 38.5, MS3 - 38.0. Rear legroom: GTI - 35.5, MS3 - 36.2.

But as they say, numbers don't always tell the story. Our tallest editor (yes, 6'-3" Mr. Riswick) has done the "sit behind myself" test in both cars and states that the GTI is much more comfortable in back due to its better driving position (he can get closer to the wheel in the VW which provides more leg room in back) and better seat shaping/cushioning.

@ everyone,
Here is a comparison test we did between the GTI four-door and MS3:
http://blogs.edmunds.com/strategies/2009/12/comparison-test-2010-volkswagen-gti-vs-2010-mazdaspeed-3.html

@johnny, thanks. The sloping roof of our 2010 Mazda3 makes a big difference; I live with it daily. Taking my kid out of the back always requires a bit more attention so as to not smack his noggin on the descending roof.

this is an example of the reason the GTI is still the Hot Hot Hatch, unlike the Mazdaspeed 3, the gti isn't all Juvenile, It combines superb handling with a comfortable ride and a luxurious, feature ladden versatile interior. since it offers all that, Im fine with 200 horses

You GTI guys are saying this like the MS3 doesn't have decent rear seats. I just sat in the back of my car (6'4") with my 5'11" brother, with passenger and driver up front. I'd call that comfortable in terms of space...