[Aussie Keith]

And so after some time without a Golf, we have acquired another. This time a MkVI 118 Comfortline wagon (2010) for the purpose of loading things into the back more easily than a hatch owing to the lower loading height.

This vehicle has the 1.4 TSi engine which is both supercharged and turbocharged and goes well (118kW, 160hp).

http://www.autoevolution.com/news/volkswagen-tsi-engines-explained-60143.html

The car is also fitted with the 7 speed DSG transmission, known in its early days to be unreliable and expensive to repair. Many were repaired or replaced under warranty. Others faced no issues at all. A recall was applied to them once a solution was found which seemed to sort them out for good.

These cars can be a dicey proposition if you get a bad one. This one however drives like new. Low km's for its age, factory serviced since new and all the recall items attended to (especially that gearbox). It's a nice car, quiet, well appointed and drives well. The steering is much better than the i30 (no contest) and both have Pirelli tires recently fitted. Ride is comfortable but maybe a bit less relaxed than the i30.

I'll keep you posted on how it works out.



Volkswagen Golf 118 TSI wagon review | CarsGuide

[Dazzler]

Thanks Keith. Looks mint for a 6 or 7 year old car.(In the facebook picture) Wheels still the same on the 2016 model I think.

Hope it works out well for you. I'll check out the review and other link later. 

[cleid]

Very nice. I nearly bought this exact model instead of the Tourerbut then decided I didn't want to risk owning the 118TSI out of warranty.

Hope yours is trouble free.

Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using Tapatalk

[cruiserfied]

Best I can say is Good Luck.

[BC]

Very nice. I nearly bought this exact model instead of the Tourerbut then decided I didn't want to risk owning the 118TSI out of warranty.

With no I30 wagon in Au (currently), the Golf wagon as the next car is very tempting - they're obviously a good drive  however the long term maintenance is a bit of a worry . . .

Good luck with yours.

[Aussie Keith]

Yep, everything crossed.

A great tragedy there was no i30 wagon worth buying at the time or I would have had one of those instead.

[Aussie Keith]

And so after a short period of ownership, some observations.

The i30 is broader - the Golf fits more comfortably in the garage. Thus the i30 cabin is more commodious and in fact a nicer place to be that the Golf. Not that there is anything wrong with the Golf in this respect, but the i30 cabin is just much better thought out. The Golf is orders of magnitude quieter, it wafts down the road on a great cloud of torque with plenty of poke should the need to accelerate urgently arise. It's an amazing magic trick they have performed with this tiny engine to make the car go as it does.  Acceleration is quite startling as well, although less so now having become acquainted with the proper launch technique with the DSG transmission. And yes there really is a launch mode should you require redline acceleration from the lights.

The i30 of course wafts down the road on half as much torque again but in a marginally less serene manner. Engine noise is always present, though typically hardly unpleasant. At idle though, you know you have a diesel engine in front of you. Not that there is anything wrong with the way the i30 goes, but one notices the silence in the Golf by comparison.

Now our i30 was delivered with Hankook eco tires. Noisy, poor handling, nasty things they were too. Recently the tread came off the tires in great chunks indicating it was way past time to fit something that worked properly. The result is that both the Golf and i30 now have Pirelli tires which one might assume form the basis of some sort of comparison. Actually, not so, both cars handle quite differently. The i30 is transformed and goes where its told with confidence now but I am not feeling an urge to push hard around corners. Actually I'm not inclined to drive this car with any sort of verve at all really. It is quite capable of course but uninspiring and ideally suited to tooling around in traffic. The Golf on the other hand instills confidence and feels utterly planted on the road. It cruises quietly and effortlessly, more so that the i30. It would I am sure respond to the helm in a far more satisfying manner that the i30, should I be so inclined.

A brief digression here. Many long years ago I had a MKI golf which was built to be driven hard. While the current Golf is nothing like that car, I still sense the DNA is in there somewhere.

I am surprised to have to say this, but I would pick the Golf over the i30 for a really long trip - if the cost of fuel were not a consideration. The Golf is frugal but cannot match the i30. Plus it takes premium. Not a great big deal for the odd short trip to the coast and back, but if one were logging big km's the difference at the pump would be quite evident. Is this a harsh assessment? I don't think so, both are enormously capable vehicles. It's just that one satisfies the urge to drive more than the other.

Lets see how I feel about this down the track.

[The Gonz]

An enjoyable read - a flair for storytelling there.

[Dazzler]

Yes, what Gonz said. Interesting feedback Keith

[beerman]

Your car looks Ace. Good luck with it.

It is amazing the difference between the Fd i30 and the i40 too. The i40 likes to go at corners much harder. I am on the third set of tyres for the i30, and other than road noise, not much has changed with the way it handles.

[Aussie Keith]

Following a week on the road with the Golf, I can report fuel consumption in the mid fives with a bicycle on the roof, an embarrassingly vast amount of load space and a complete disdain of the highly variable road conditions encountered across the northern rivers district. In short, frugal, goes like a train and very easy to live with. All win so far.

The i30 cabin remains a better place to be however. It's brighter, has more room and more storage.



 

[Dazzler]

That's good the hear Keith. 

[Aussie Keith]

Well here we are at service time.

Recalling that this car has the insane twin charged engine, I've checked in with the dealer to be told its time for a major service. This involves rebuilding the engine by the sounds of things for a not inconsiderable sum.

While the capped price service for the 118kw TSI seems OK, the major service is more than 3 times as much and involves replacing the timing belt, water pumps (integrated with the intercooler) and other stuff besides. In fairness, I replaced the belt on the Getz a while back and that was not inexpensive either.

I then called a euro specialist workshop who suggested that with the current kilometres replacing the belt might be overkill and to just bring it in for an oil change and inspection for a far more modest sum. Decisions, decisions.

Service Pricing Guide | Volkswagen Australia

[Dazzler]

That is a tricky one Keith. At least you don't have to worry about voiding the warranty. That link didn't have your saved search. I think yours is a 2010 golf wafon series 6 with 7 speed DSG, so you are talking 3 x fixed = about $1500?

You only have to do the belt once, if you leave it this time it will atill need to be done eventually. .. 

[Aussie Keith]

Good advice Daz, off to the dealer it goes. And yeah, its a little north of $1500.

[Aussie Keith]

An update on the service.

Dealer A was where the car has been serviced since new insisted the timing belt belt, water pump and such needed replacing as a service item. I quizzed them on this point and they were clear, for a vast some of money, this was entirely necessary. Hmmm.

I contacted dealer N, the Volkswagon dealership part of the group we have dealt with for years with our Hyundais. The report that the CAVD engine in our Golf famously has a timing chain which is not a regular service item and neither is the water pump. They subsequently serviced the car at about the same cost as the i30. The water pump houses the clutch for the supercharger which probably seemed like a good idea when the engine was designed, and so if the clutch fails the waterpump needs replacement and vice versa. But its not a thing you change just because.

I replaced the tires as well and both cars now have Pirelli P1 fitted. These seem a competent basic tire, good performing at the price and not something that's going to evaporate like the P7's that were on the Golf previously. Given no one is driving the car like they stole it, these tires are working out just fine.