Golf 8 Touch/screen / haptics / no buttons - any owners?

[25th QV]

Loved my mk 7.5 and was very sad to see it go when the lease ended.

Had a Mazda 3 since but looking at maybe a Golf 8, despite me really not wanting to out of sheer principle from the amount of penny pinching I've observed over the previous model, not to mention the near universally bad feedback on the user interface.

I'm interested to hear feedback from those who own a mk 8 and had had it a good while to get honest feedback as to whether the interface is as bad as is claimed in the reviews or is it something you get used to and forget?

[ghiblicup]

Had my 8R for 9 months now. No problems with the haptics apart from freezing a couple of times. Once you’ve got your shortcut buttons assigned you can get to stuff you use a lot pretty efficiently.

I’m really loving the car and all its gadgets. The main problem people seem to be having is with the auto cruise. But as I love driving It’s something I’ll never use!

[25th QV]

Ah, I use cruise all the time - what's the issue with it?

[ghiblicup]

The main thing seems to be it puts the speed limit recognition in Kph!!!

[simonwhite2000]

Have a look through this forum where you can find the insight you are looking for.
https://www.golfgtiforum.co.uk/index.php?board=137...

I have a GTI CS on order not because of wanting the car necessarily just because it was a standout deal in the current market. I had a mk7 R for 2 years in 2014 and really enjoyed it. Always liked Golfs but not quite drawn to the mk8 mainly down to the interior and all the software problems.

It's also worth looking at Volkswizzard on YouTube as he has a GTI CS and despite being a VW fanboy he does give some honesty about the issues he had and still has with his car.

I just dropped my wifes Touareg off for a service this morning and a chap was there with a standard GTI in for the 3rd time trying to get the adaptive cruise control kph/mph issue resolved. Basically this is where you set the car to 70mph on the motorway, but randomly the car will drop your speed to the KPH equivalent of 70mph thus causing you to slow on the motorway. The Volkswizzard guy has the same issue still unresolved.

Edited by simonwhite2000 on Tuesday 8th February 11:11

[catso]

ghiblicup said:

The main thing seems to be it puts the speed limit recognition in Kph!!!

Seems almost unbelievable that a company the size of VW would have this problem (brexit revenge?), especially given the US market potential.

[25th QV]

Thanks all, I'll give it a swerve - that's the sort of thing that winds me off the clock and I also fear I'd be forever comparing it to the Mk 7.5 GTI I had and noticing all the cost cutting.

I just can't get past the shiny plastics and interface.

Might have a look at the BMW 128ti as it also get's strong reviews and appears to be a leap forwards in quality / interface.

[4StringBass]

I had my wife's 7.5 GTI in the dealer for a new sunroof surround and was given a mk8 1.5 Golf as a courtesy car. For me, the screen position was far too high and everything was controlled through it. Even on it's dimmest setting, the screen shown constantly in my peripheral vision. I don't need a 2" square radio station logo in my eye line. The heating controls being haptic meant I had to look for them rather than just feel for them. The haptic for the demister was slow so ended up double touching it and then it turned on then off again. Having to turn the lane departure off (through the touchscreen) very time the car started was also something not required in the older car. It's just unnecessarily harder to live with just so VW can save a few quid on a few buttons. It was nice to drive but it was horrible to interact with.

The speed recogntition also said the speed on the motorway was 110mph, and set the limit marker on the speedo the same!

Not for me, keeping the old one.

[simonwhite2000]

25th QV said:

Thanks all, I'll give it a swerve - that's the sort of thing that winds me off the clock and I also fear I'd be forever comparing it to the Mk 7.5 GTI I had and noticing all the cost cutting.

I just can't get past the shiny plastics and interface.

Might have a look at the BMW 128ti as it also get's strong reviews and appears to be a leap forwards in quality / interface.

Believe it or not that's the biggest think I hate about the mk8 - the shiny piano black trim around the digital instruments. You can see your reflection in it!

[25th QV]

simonwhite2000 said:

Believe it or not that's the biggest think I hate about the mk8 - the shiny piano black trim around the digital instruments. You can see your reflection in it!

It just looks so cheap and low rent. On the Mk 7.5, the display screen was akin to the cover of a smartphone - beautifully integrated, matte finish that went all the way to the edge of the housing, rather than the ridiculous looking window in a window look there now. If you look next to the light 'switch' panel, above it there's acres of just blank, bare, cheap looking plastic - it's absolutely terrible to my eyes.

Then there's the manual bonnet stay instead of the gas struts I had even on my Mk4.

Or the lack of cover on the drinks holder.

Or the cover over the key lock area on the door handles.

Or the lack of quality lining in the door bins and oddments trays.

Or the fluffy cardboard '80's Ford Sierra' quality floor carpeting.

And that's just the obvious things you notice in the first few minutes of looking round it.

We are witnessing the commercial clawback following the expense of diesel-gate.

[ghiblicup]

Or why did you bother posting your first question??!!!

The 8R is a lot more involving drive than the 7R, I’ve driven both. (This is pistonheads )

[25th QV]

ghiblicup said:

Or why did you bother posting your first question??!!!

The 8R is a lot more involving drive than the 7R, I’ve driven both. (This is pistonheads )

Because I hadn't seen one in the flesh until today,

I want driver involvement AND quality build/user interface.