2017 Volkswagen Golf GTI consumer reviews

It's a fantastic car...when it's working. It stranded me on the highway due to a valve spring breaking. The check engine light turns on like once a month, and the oil pressure light comes on intermittently. This car is immense fun and seemingly very refined, but it does not inspire confidence that I won't have to call a tow truck on a longer drive.

GTI's do almost everything well. Economy, performance, flexibility, holds value, road car, back roads car, safety, comfort, feature-laden and now almost $10K less than the price of the average new vehicle. Two minor flaws IMO. All GTI's should have Golf R climate controls. Standard controls too confusing and fussy. Rather set it and forgot it. DSG is "still funky after all these years." Don't get me wrong, the lightning quick shifts and in-traffic ease are compelling, but DSGs can be clunky and feel strange at low speed and can't yet read all of your intentions correctly, thus some odd decisions/shifts on occasion. Not a fault, just a thing. Otherwise brilliant. GTI is among the contenders for "best" mass-produced combustion engine car of all time. Yes, that good. If shopping the used market, I would strongly suggest one try to get a Performance Package car. Much better brakes that won't need brake service as often and stop better. Also, the electronically controlled differential aids both traction and handling.

It is a fun car to own, great gas mileage and even if your not going to turn it into a rice burner it is still a awesome little car and gots alot of power, you can get around all these slow idiot drivers that seem to be all over the place. The interior is nice and comfortable, I have already took mine on a trip to Cali and no comfort issues, smart with mechanical other than stuff that should of been taken care of by the dealership on their "certified pre-owned inspection" but that is a dealership laziness issue so stay away from Larry H Miller Volkswagen in Avondale and you should be ok. Look forward to many many years & miles behind the wheel of my car and would recommend this car

If you can find the Sport trim on the 2017 GTI, I can’t recommend it enough. Boost in horsepower, upgraded brake system, upgraded differential and dynamic bi-xenon headlights easily make the upgrade from the standard GTI S a no-brainer. By far and away the best car I’ve owned.

Although I purchased this car and have not yet taken delivery, this will be my third VW and have driven several other GTI's (including the one I am waiting to have delivered). One of the major reasons I have stuck loyal with VW is the bundle of performance, comfort, affordability, and reliability. Yes, there are production cars that will beat the GTI in all of these categories, but where one of these cars boasts it lacks in another area. For the GTI, it is a very well-rounded package! I could go on and on about specifics of the car, but I feel the easiest way to get an idea or feel for this vehicle, is to go hands-on playing through the ins and outs of the car, every feature and option, including the interior, exterior, and driving. Then, go into any other comparable car and count how many times you say to yourself "well the GTI had that..." Before reading on, please note that I live in New England and although I have spent most of my life (winters more specifically) driving FWD cars, AWD is certainly a "nice to have." In my opinion, the biggest flaw of this vehicle, is the lack of AWD on the standard GTI trim levels. YES, you could upgrade to the Golf R, but if you are simply looking for AWD without an extra 100 horsepower, then it may be very difficult to justify the extra $$ you will be dishing out. I rated the exterior styling as average, not because I dislike it, but because VW certainly did not go to any extent to make the car flashy or over-styled. Although the appearance is fairly basic, it is still aggressively styled. I would love to be able to say more about this car, but without having more seat and hands-on time, I feel as though I have given all I have to offer. Definitely go and test drive a GTI and find out why it is such a hot-selling car!

So to start this off, I own a 2017 VW GTI in SE trim, with the performance package, 6 speed manual transmission, and leather interior. I bought it used with 28,000 miles. I use it as a daily driver for my hour long commute to work and occasionally take it to the local racetrack for track days. As a commuter car, it's ride is a little harsh because of the performance pack's stiffer springs, but that helps with the racing and overall it is still very comfortable. When driving reasonably I have peaked with 48.7 miles per gallon AVERAGE (WITHOUT HAVING AN ECO MODE!) over a one hour and 15 minute drive, but in the 6,000 miles ive owned the car (including racing), my overall average for ownership is right at 32mpg. As for performance goes, it is NOT a straight line speed car. Its much quicker than you would expect it to be, beating some r/t and 392 v8 chargers/challengers on quick 'zero to speed limit' pulls, but again without modification its not spectacularly fast. But this car is AMAZING for cornering, that is hands down where you will have the most fun in this car. I still have the OEM Hankook tires on it and even though they're a basic all season, this car has some phenomenal grip. Normal highway onramps and offramps you can reasonably do double, sometimes close to triple the recommended speed. Maintenance is typical german car standard; expect routine maintenance to be reasonable, but big jobs will be a lot more expensive than American or Asian cars of similar style. The upside though is if you keep up with regular maintenance, you should have very few problems. Change your oil religiously to oem standards and you'll avoid many problems as so many systems on the engine are run off oil pressure, including the timing which is very important for VW engines. The interior is very understated and everything has a place, all of the materials feel very nice and well made. The infotatiment has quite a few options and features, it's definitely worth taking some time to learn it. Overall it is very intuitive and easy to navigate. Android auto/Apple car play is not wireless on this model year, but works phenomenal and I have grown to only use that for my media and navigation. Being a 2017, this is offered with drive modes and normally the GTI has Eco, Normal, Sport, and Custom. Being a performance pack you get Big brakes, stiffer suspension, a few more horsepower, and a sport display including various temperature gauges, a g force gauge, and a boost gauge. The performance package GTI does NOT have an eco mode, but in Normal mode its still very efficient. The drive modes change throttle response, engine noise, steering response, and suspension feel. Honestly, I'd buy this car over and over again if given the chance. If you're considering it, go drive one and take some corners quickly, you'll fall in love. Its practical, reasonably quick, and very very easy to live with every day.

This car has been great so far. New owner and purchased pre-owned. Very much enjoy driving it and is super comfortable, sporty, fast, and has incredible phone connectivity and driver features. Definitely better than other cars I’ve driven. I have the cloth seats which are very comfortable and adjustable. Multiple driving modes allow for fun or cruising. Definitely worth looking into for affordable and practical fun

Consumer Reports rates the 2017 GTI as the most reliable version from 2015 to 2019, and a driving experience rating of 98 out of 100 points. It doesn't get better than that. The GTI continues to offer an excellent blend of driving enjoyment and practicality wrapped in a package that feels more expensive than it actually is. Car and Driver magazine calls the GTI "Simply the Best" and has awarded it with a 10 Best trophy for the 15th consecutive year in 2020. Check their website for more details and comparison wins.

I owned a 2015 GTI/S but unfortunately lost it during Hurricane Harvey in 2017. As soon as the insurance paid off on the 2015 model, I purchased a 2017 GTI Sport. There are no regrets with either purchase and have found that the GTI in any trim level is an awesome all-around performance car, comfortable and great on long trips. Should I find the need to purchase another Volkswagen, it'll be either another GTI or the new Arteon. VW of Beaumont has an awesome staff, deals and customer service! 👍🇩🇪👍

I knew that this car would be great, but I did not know that this car would be excellent. I would recommend for anyone looking for this style of car.