26.03.2009
The Golf GTi is such an institution that I’m sure everyone has an opinion on which version is their favourite. We’d like to know what you think and which version you prefer.
Post your vote below and If you have a story to tell then share it with the rest of us, we’d love to hear your anecdotes and experiences with the Golf GTi.
To remind yourselves which version is which, take a look at the following wiki link:
Wikipedia – VW Golf
[poll id="3"]
About Steve Davies
Tell us what you think..
When you post a comment, it will also appear in your News Feed on Facebook (if you so choose), enabling you to take the conversation to where your friends already are. Thereafter you can continue discussing on Facebook and the conversations between SkiddMark and Facebook will be auto-magically synched, regardless of where the comment was made.
38 Comments
DriversRepublic (The DR Team)
March 26, 2009Posted on DR: Vote for your favourite generation of Golf GTi http://bit.ly/yZsT1
DriversRepublic (The DR Team)
March 26, 2009Posted on DR: Vote for your favourite generation of Golf GTi http://bit.ly/yZsT1
Russell B.
March 26, 2009No prizes for which gen GTi I voted for. Looking forward to reading the review Dickie!
Russell B.
March 26, 2009No prizes for which gen GTi I voted for. Looking forward to reading the review Dickie!
Steve
March 26, 2009Would it be worth starting a sweepstake to guess how many votes the Mk4 will receive?
Steve
March 26, 2009Would it be worth starting a sweepstake to guess how many votes the Mk4 will receive?
Caterham_7
March 26, 2009I love the Golf Mk2 Match Oettinger with the digital DashBoard and the 16valves unit.
Certainly one of the best golf Gti …
http://upload.e-loader.net/aAOFzQVMrq.jpg
Caterham_7
March 26, 2009I love the Golf Mk2 Match Oettinger with the digital DashBoard and the 16valves unit.
Certainly one of the best golf Gti …
http://upload.e-loader.net/aAOFzQVMrq.jpg
Mansell
March 26, 2009Mk2 All the way! If you fancy running a feature on the “best golf gti of all time” then i know of a lovely standard low milage(ish) mk2 you could use
Mansell
March 26, 2009Mk2 All the way! If you fancy running a feature on the “best golf gti of all time” then i know of a lovely standard low milage(ish) mk2 you could use
Pedro Sousa aka Ginga
March 26, 2009I vote for the mk5.
No doubt about the importance of the first GTI and all it ment to the motoring industry and drivers at its time, but in ‘my time’ the mk5 played also a big role because of the heritage it carries and how it works brilliantly in the time its been available!
Pedro Sousa aka Ginga
March 26, 2009I vote for the mk5.
No doubt about the importance of the first GTI and all it ment to the motoring industry and drivers at its time, but in ‘my time’ the mk5 played also a big role because of the heritage it carries and how it works brilliantly in the time its been available!
paulw
March 26, 2009Not a difficult decision,,,the mk1 Campaign with BRMotorsport 152 conversion, koni shocks and thick roll bars is nearly as much fun as the lightweight Pork!
paulw
March 26, 2009Not a difficult decision,,,the mk1 Campaign with BRMotorsport 152 conversion, koni shocks and thick roll bars is nearly as much fun as the lightweight Pork!
Steve
March 26, 2009@paulw – Another happy BRMotorsport customer. I was a customer of Brian’s way back in 1986… (gulp!)
Steve
March 26, 2009@paulw – Another happy BRMotorsport customer. I was a customer of Brian’s way back in 1986… (gulp!)
daytonafan
March 26, 2009Mk2 for me although I would probably go with a Mk 1 Scirroco Storm of Corrado VR6 as different twists on the same theme.
daytonafan
March 26, 2009Mk2 for me although I would probably go with a Mk 1 Scirroco Storm of Corrado VR6 as different twists on the same theme.
Jason
March 26, 2009My first true experience in a GTI was a ride in my buddy’s VW GTI 337. I was blown away by the quickness of this vehicle. Everything working in harmony was the real kicker. The brakes were fantastic as well as the way the suspension was set up. He was giving me a run for my money in my Subaru WRX while on a canyon run. That’s when I first fell in love with the GTI. I now own a 2009 MkV myself. It may not be as capable out of the box as the 337, but I am sure I can make it into something special. My friends and I have all gone back and forth between American, Japanese and German vehicles, but it seems we have come back to the GTI in some way. Two of my friends have MkIV R32′s and the one who let me ride in his 337 now has a MkV R32.
I would have to say my vote goes to the MkIV body style!
Jason
March 26, 2009My first true experience in a GTI was a ride in my buddy’s VW GTI 337. I was blown away by the quickness of this vehicle. Everything working in harmony was the real kicker. The brakes were fantastic as well as the way the suspension was set up. He was giving me a run for my money in my Subaru WRX while on a canyon run. That’s when I first fell in love with the GTI. I now own a 2009 MkV myself. It may not be as capable out of the box as the 337, but I am sure I can make it into something special. My friends and I have all gone back and forth between American, Japanese and German vehicles, but it seems we have come back to the GTI in some way. Two of my friends have MkIV R32′s and the one who let me ride in his 337 now has a MkV R32.
I would have to say my vote goes to the MkIV body style!
Chris
March 26, 2009In the end I went for the Mk1, simply because I’ve got fond memories of the original and its amazing abilities.
If not the Mk1 then the Mk5 would have got my vote. It marked a return to form for the GTI badge and meant I could finally forgive VW for the awful Mk4 and so-so Mk3.
Chris
March 26, 2009In the end I went for the Mk1, simply because I’ve got fond memories of the original and its amazing abilities.
If not the Mk1 then the Mk5 would have got my vote. It marked a return to form for the GTI badge and meant I could finally forgive VW for the awful Mk4 and so-so Mk3.
Mark McTavish
March 27, 2009Ideal hot Golf would probably be the Mk2 G60 that never found it’s way across to the UK….mmmm supercharged! It’d haaaave to bed red and wearing a set of BBS RM/RS split rims. Not the Rallye mind you, it’s REALLY not much of a looker.
The Mk2 GTi that was on 5th gear a few months ago was lovely!
Mark McTavish
March 27, 2009Ideal hot Golf would probably be the Mk2 G60 that never found it’s way across to the UK….mmmm supercharged! It’d haaaave to bed red and wearing a set of BBS RM/RS split rims. Not the Rallye mind you, it’s REALLY not much of a looker.
The Mk2 GTi that was on 5th gear a few months ago was lovely!
Tim Andrew
March 29, 2009Close call, but my vote went for the MK2. I ran a 1988 powersteered Helios 16v for umpteen years and 215k fun filled scorching miles. I also have owned a MK1, and currently have a yellow Colour Concept MK3 which is more luxohatch than GTi. The first R32 was a revelation, and MK5 regained some of the GTi character. MK6 looks promising…
Tim Andrew
March 29, 2009Close call, but my vote went for the MK2. I ran a 1988 powersteered Helios 16v for umpteen years and 215k fun filled scorching miles. I also have owned a MK1, and currently have a yellow Colour Concept MK3 which is more luxohatch than GTi. The first R32 was a revelation, and MK5 regained some of the GTi character. MK6 looks promising…
Alan
March 30, 2009Steve, just to prove you wrong, I will plump for the Mark 4. For no better reason than it was the only GTI I have ever owned. I agree, probably not the best, but the only one that has memories for me, and in 1.8T guise it wasn’t that bad a car.
Having said that, and true to form, I only owned it for 10 months and changed to an S3 !!
Alan
March 30, 2009Steve, just to prove you wrong, I will plump for the Mark 4. For no better reason than it was the only GTI I have ever owned. I agree, probably not the best, but the only one that has memories for me, and in 1.8T guise it wasn’t that bad a car.
Having said that, and true to form, I only owned it for 10 months and changed to an S3 !!
Steve
March 31, 2009@Alan – Good for you Alan, we probably all have a soft spot for cars we’ve previously owned.
My sister owned the MK4 and it was difficult to see it as a GTi, Volkswagen seemed to lose their way around this time and the GTi suffered more than most models in its range. But they made an excellent return to form with the MK5 and it seems that the MK6 continues this trend.
I guess the MK4 is significant in being a catalyst that led to change.
Steve
March 31, 2009@Alan – Good for you Alan, we probably all have a soft spot for cars we’ve previously owned.
My sister owned the MK4 and it was difficult to see it as a GTi, Volkswagen seemed to lose their way around this time and the GTi suffered more than most models in its range. But they made an excellent return to form with the MK5 and it seems that the MK6 continues this trend.
I guess the MK4 is significant in being a catalyst that led to change.
Seán Mac Cann
April 2, 2009Mark II all the way II!
The hot hatch template is:
- light
- practical and reliable (everyday cars, not sports cars)
- front wheel drive (for safety-first, fun handling – these
are not trad. sports cars)
- four cylinder (for lightness, balance and economy)
- naturally aspirated (for a linear throttle response)
Even in the 80s, the Mark I was comfortably eclipsed by the Mark II (faster, better brakes and handling). Yet the Mark I and Mark II Golfs shared the same spirit and approach. The 16v (light, boxy, basic, same basic engine, naturally aspirated) was
little more than the ultimate Mark I.
My 2p worth, Mark I the historically significant car and had the best lines; but the Mark II, a bit like the 916 Ducati, was a sweet point in the GTi’s evolution that approached perfection in that class of vehicle. VW, like any manufacturer who is wedded to obsolescence as a growth tool but who has confounded itself by creating something so finely balanced, struggled for years thereafter to recreate the fun of the Mark II in subsequent “better” models.
Seán Mac Cann
April 2, 2009Mark II all the way II!
The hot hatch template is:
- light
- practical and reliable (everyday cars, not sports cars)
- front wheel drive (for safety-first, fun handling – these
are not trad. sports cars)
- four cylinder (for lightness, balance and economy)
- naturally aspirated (for a linear throttle response)
Even in the 80s, the Mark I was comfortably eclipsed by the Mark II (faster, better brakes and handling). Yet the Mark I and Mark II Golfs shared the same spirit and approach. The 16v (light, boxy, basic, same basic engine, naturally aspirated) was
little more than the ultimate Mark I.
My 2p worth, Mark I the historically significant car and had the best lines; but the Mark II, a bit like the 916 Ducati, was a sweet point in the GTi’s evolution that approached perfection in that class of vehicle. VW, like any manufacturer who is wedded to obsolescence as a growth tool but who has confounded itself by creating something so finely balanced, struggled for years thereafter to recreate the fun of the Mark II in subsequent “better” models.
Stephen
April 3, 2009My sister’s Mk2 GTI was one of the first car’s I had the pleasure of ‘really’ driving, unbeknownst to her!
The way the car went has stayed with me for years and I still hark after one, even now, some seventeen years later.
The Mk2 is an undeniable classic.
Stephen
April 3, 2009My sister’s Mk2 GTI was one of the first car’s I had the pleasure of ‘really’ driving, unbeknownst to her!
The way the car went has stayed with me for years and I still hark after one, even now, some seventeen years later.
The Mk2 is an undeniable classic.
Javi M
August 25, 2009I have no idea about the other GTI´s but because i´ve got an mk4 gti i´ll say this one is the best hehe.
Javi M
August 25, 2009I have no idea about the other GTI´s but because i´ve got an mk4 gti i´ll say this one is the best hehe.
16-ventilarn
November 12, 2009Classical (as experienced by me): You’re out driving on a Swedish road in your everyday Mk2 16V -89. Suddenly there’s a big fat Volvo V70 or Saab 9-5 up your tail. They see an old car and are only looking for a way to show their turbo might. Your approaching your favourite steep and winding hill climb. You look a the poor sucker in the rear mirror, smiles because you’re feeling sad and glad at the same time. You shift from fifth to third and gives the pedal to the floor… And it’s the same old story again, as so many times before… Several weeks later they’ll still be wondering about that little car that flew away from them in the roaring sound of an engine that will beat those repulsing “Svensson”-turbo-boxes any day. With a car that costs 5 per cent of theirs. It’s pure mechanic poetry in rapid motion. Nothing else.
16-ventilarn
November 12, 2009Classical (as experienced by me): You’re out driving on a Swedish road in your everyday Mk2 16V -89. Suddenly there’s a big fat Volvo V70 or Saab 9-5 up your tail. They see an old car and are only looking for a way to show their turbo might. Your approaching your favourite steep and winding hill climb. You look a the poor sucker in the rear mirror, smiles because you’re feeling sad and glad at the same time. You shift from fifth to third and gives the pedal to the floor… And it’s the same old story again, as so many times before… Several weeks later they’ll still be wondering about that little car that flew away from them in the roaring sound of an engine that will beat those repulsing “Svensson”-turbo-boxes any day. With a car that costs 5 per cent of theirs. It’s pure mechanic poetry in rapid motion. Nothing else.