I had a mk7.5 Gti pp but changed it for a TCR and I much prefer it to the GTI performance . I also prefer the look of the TCR it looks more aggressive and purposeful , but what do I know ?

Can’t believe it was 17 years ago when a bought a mk5 (new)which I loved and put 70k miles on it in 3 years..today I have the 7.5 which is a great all rounder too..exactly what a gti should be imho.

The wife had a mk2 16v gti for about 10 years. Looking back that was an excellent car. Totally reliable and well built. We sold it with about 110 k miles on it. She then got a mk 5 r32 for the next 12 years. Another cracking car. Probably not much faster than a gti really but very satisfying to drive and listen to. I don't think it was as agile as her old mk 2 though . We loved the f32 so much I tracked down a low miles r36, which I've still got, about 8 years later. She's now got an up....not the gti unfortunately, but I still enjoy driving it for all the short journeys we do. So I suppose we are vw fans...weve never broken down and they've provided brisk safe and fun motoring....without spending a fortune. Can't ask for much more than that. Excellent video, as usual, Andrew.

Happy owner of a GTI mk5 30 Edition. 260k km and the only problems i had with it was 1 thermostat and 1 injector. VERY fun car to drive and relatively easy car to work on repairs/maintenance (which is rare nowadays).

The most comprehensive and thorough channel I’ve found for a car I’m looking into right now😊

Don't forget the bottle opener that was a centre piece in the cup holder

Mk7.5 best GTI. Really takes some beating, it just does everything. Mk5 got the GTI back on track that’s for sure. I’d maybe say the mk5 was the best looking GTI though

Owned a mk5 gti, 3 different impreza STI's, gen 1 and gen 2 MPS and a turbod mx5. Even though the mps and imprezas may have been faster, there was something about the mk5 that stood out. the qaulity felt so much better, the car felt more "hot hatch" rather than just a small car thats fast. Looking at buying another in the next few months and i cant wait to get back into the vw scene

The MK5 has an electric Steering rack and it was VWs 1st and worked brilliantly with briliant feedback which was sadly missing in steering feel of the mk6 to mk8

Looks really good in tornado red - my favourite GTI colour :)

Mines a Mk7.5 GTi Performance, manual, 3 door. End of discussion 😁

100% the best gti ever made, in my opinion anyway! Although I am biased, I've owned 2 regular gtis and 1 ed30. Best hot hatch for the money no doubt about it 👌

Mk7.5 GTI Performance DSG wins! Yay 🤣

Great video Miss my MK5 GTI, always a fun drive Sold for a more family friendly MK7 TSI when the children appeared

I recently got my first golf gti (mk5) and its awesome daily.

7.5 pp is the right choice in my book, but what gti do you put in 2nd place? For me the mk5 is in 2nd but I do admit I haven't driven a mk8 gti yet.

Great video. The suspension looks in good order for the age. I just had to replace my Mk6 rear suspension as the arms had holes in and looked like a rusty shipwreck from the bottom of the ocean.

Great Video Andrew. :-) Being an edition 30 fan I am a little biased on the mk5. I think the mk5 GTI represents so much value for money, in a retro analogue modern classic package. The base product is dynamically ok, but with a few choice chassis modifications, they can be made to handle so well. I drove back from Hereford from a work assignment yesterday evening back to Wiltshire through some lovely B roads. My little ED30 still feels sublime. I like the non fussy nature of the cabin, without all modern interfaces, like hot hatches of old. They have not aged too badly either. Although sadly they have a reputation for being a bad boy car now. With some of these poor GTI's being so badly modified, and abused the cheaper they get. I have done 40k in my car and she has been incredible and reliable, just regular servicing with the best of everything. For me she is a long term keeper. Keep up the great work sir.

11:55 I preferred the cambelt era TFSI engines, although the belt had to be changed at 80k - at least they didn't fail prematurely

Absolutely timeless motor, way ahead of its time, no other comparison. Mines on 130k 2007 DSG stage 2, its had 3 dsg services, many many oil changes as half way on its 2nd service booklet, walnut blased injector refurbed at r tech, oil sump cleaned and every common part changed in one go, peace of mind and not expensive. Been offered about £4k but i wont sell her because its hard to come across a well looked after example that performs exceptionally well like mine, she will be used as a daily. Only thing is that the cam follower wears faster when tuned so got to change it every 10k miles religiously, other than that, phenomenal cars for the money

Great video - I always liked the Mk5 & it's one I'd seriously consider now. I've always fancied a Mk5 R33, but the GTi is probably a better car in some ways. Suprised you didn't got for your Mk 8 Clubsport as the best GTi - I love the Mk 7.5 too, (over the 8) , although it's a 7.5 R Estate I run (mainly because I wanted the estate - I'd have probably had a Mk 7.5 GTi pp myself otherwise).

I love all of them would never have anything different than a golf I love them.

I have owned a mk5 gti for 7 years and am thinking of a newer gti but really struggling with being able to sell and let go. I really love this car

I bought my mk5 GTI in 07 I waited for the 5 door because my young boys at that time We loved that car so much Only thing I didn't like was the ice build up at the front corner of the front door bent the door panel on the passenger side... very disappointing

My 2008.5 looks exactly like the one shown. It does have GTI on the door sills. And hill hold assist in the DSG. The Bi Xenon lights were not cheap. Neither was the Vienna leather. Sat Nav I don't have was $4k in Oz. It's done just under 86,000 kms. Not trouble free. But it is still with me. Cheers Andrew.

i had an 81 gti , the best little beast. you will not change my mind

In all honesty, I don’t think one generation is better than another, I think nostalgia plays a lot when we remember a specific year. I’ve had 4 iterations; the golf, rabbit, and two gti,s and of all I remember the 2007 rabbit most fondly

Cheers Andrew 👍 Thank you for the Mk5 GTI content. You are the reason I bought my Mk5 GTI in the first place. Loving the ownership so far and considering it's 15 years old, it still gets lots of respect and admiring looks on the road.

The Mk5 is my favourite GTI for a few reasons; 1. firstly it had the best Advertising campaign for any car ever made with the “Unpimp my ride” series of ads which were absolutely brilliant & genuinely hilarious. 2. The last of the timing belt FSI 2 litre motors may not have been the most powerful, but they’re much more reliable than the Mk 6 (and their well known timing chain tensioner failures) and the earlier motor still respond to tuning really well. Also retrofitted to Mk6 racecars by VW Motorsport so they must have preferred the reliability of FSI’s as well. Yet to encounter a Mk6 owner who hasn’t had timing chain tensioner &/or chain replaced due to problems. 3. That styling & shape is beautiful & still looks good today, particularly the 3 door model with sunroof delete option in Tornado Red. 4. The best ever GTI special edition had to be the Mk5 Pirelli (in yellow) with those beautifully sculpted wheels & the tyre tread upholstery. Too cool. (EDIT; and I forgot the best part, that factory KO4 turbo!) 5. Overall reliability & driving enjoyment of the whole package is fantastic. A well resolved good looking car with good power to weight that can still hold its own almost 20 years on, with great economy & very few known issues. Future classic for sure!

High Pressure Fuel Pump Cam Follower is a big issue on these. Premature wear destroys the cam.

I loved that video. I really like my TCR but, having bought a Mk5 to keep it company, the older car has really grown on me. It reminds me of the Mk2, not shouty but just sharp and fluid on the road. Such a lovely thing. Plus to my eyes it is the only GTi that quite clearly looks better as a 3 door than a 5 door (and I much prefer 5 doors as a rule).

Why does my mk5 have projector style xenon type headlights? They look nothing like the one in the video

My wife & I have owned 6 GTI’s between us across the years. She drives a 7.5 & me a Mk 5. Both offer so much & to me the best 2 GTI’s we have owned. Great video as always Andrew thank you👏👏

Thanks for another enjoyable video. Love the GTI reviews on the channel. For me, I love my 7.5 GTI performance. Has everything you need. Love the interior which is just the right combination of switches and digital features. The red ambient lighting strips on doors and sills are great at night. Good balance between traditional GTI features and technology. When you wind it up on the twisties, a real fun car. Keep up the good work.

Cars for me that are for Collection are the mk3 jetta vr6 and the mk5 r32 ...my opinion 😊

Interesting your comment at the end re: what you consider to be the best GTI. Just purchased a very late (70 plate) mk7.5 GTI Performance, picking it up on Tuesday. Cannot wait!

Glad I made the right choice! Just brought last week mk 7.5 Gti performance and I love it!

Great video as always Andrew. Engine cover befits a GTI, unlike the unsightly one on the Mk8.

I always thought the mk5 gti was peak golf until they did the mk7 clubsport s .....

Love my Mk5 Edition 30. Although new golf GTIs are faster, I personally don’t think they are as much fun!

Me and my 06 coupe sure think so 😄 155k miles on it and running great!

Thanks Andrew. I had a MK4 and the internal plastics were definitely better than the MK5. That said, I ordered a laser blue dsg 5 door and am still driving it today. 190k on the clock and the engine and dsg are still sweet. Still really enjoy driving the car, and I haven't lost the bottle opener 😉

I had a edition 30 for a few years. What a car. I’d still go for an edition 30 now!

I had a 2006 Mk 5 GTI in Red, have to say it was one of the best cars I have owned. I still have the Brochure for it too.

I loved watching this Andrew, thanks again for sharing this with us, I'm still loving my mk7 GTI PP 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

My mk5 GTI has 70k miles on it. It's pretty much standard apart from Miltek, Rtech stage 1 and better brakes. The only thing I want to do is change the alloys lower it on springs then detail it. I'm slightly worried about is the mechatronics. Three times it's been stuck in 1st with the PRNDS flashing on the dashboard but in space of 2.5 years. It seems to be fine most of the time though. Fantastic cars.

YES YES YES YES YES Best GTI ever This chariot is pure love

I really love the look of the Mk5 GTI. It has lots of character and it really looks good in Red. Great video, as always! Be safe and have fun driving always!

Another brilliant review - your knowledge and passion for Golf MkV shines through. Am thinking of adding a Mk V GTI car for fun at weekends . Watching this 15 mths after you filmed the video when you were below 40k subs, now up over 50k - well done!

The Edition 30 is my favourite version of the Mk5. It has nicer wheels without the stupid diamond cut Monza wheels and more importantly got rid of the awful black lower part of the rear bumper which I’ve always hated. It’s a shame crusty wings affect so many of these now.

They went back to 16v because they couldn't fit the direct injection hole with 5v per cylinder unfortunately

Best gen, vw peaked here for quality, they got cheaper made, after much more plastic. Love my jetta enough to make it my profile pic, mk 5 btw.

I had two MK5s I wish I kept one of them by far one of the best Golfs I have had.

Got a mk5gti 07 plate. Drives like new. Love it

Aww Andy just made me miss my 7.5 now. I agree with you 100% for me that car was such a sweet spot of useable power with fun dynamics and not bogged down by 4wd. Currently in an F40 m135i.

Hi Andrew, love your videos on all the vw you look at and review. Mk5 golf I have a real soft spot for especially Gti & R32 :) Vdub Do you or anyone you know would like to buy a mk2 golf 1989 Gti 8v in great condition restored back to its best and keeping the original purity. Thank you

Great video Andrew. Always hankered for a Mk5, but missed the boat on this and ended up with a Mk7.5 Performance instead and it is a great car! VW have offered me a good deal on it and I am tempted to sell and get the mk5 but your video has made me question this. Tempting though, still want to a Mk5 one day.

17:00 You could put a "Wavetrac Diff" to plant the power to the floor and avoid torque-steer...and gain far better traction....

Brilliant Video Andrew, great watch and cheers for the climate control shortcut... I didn't realise lol

Watching this has made me not want to sell my Mk5

thoughts on the pirelli version?

Very MK4 I've been in GTi , Jetta , Golf whatever.... they all smelled like crayons

I am picking up a Mark 5 in a few days, it really has grown on me. 2009 White only done 55k km. I think I will only own 2 GTi, one is a m5 and m7.5. Thanks for the review

I want to buy a mark 5 GTI with DSG transmission. What are definitely things I should check out before buying? And which model would be the tuning most potential?

All I can say is I'm now looking for a Mk5 GTi, so I guess your video worked 👍

Had a brand new 05 place Mk 5 and loved it, but my TCR is frankly light years ahead.

beautiful cars ! I should have kept my 🖤 Ed30 and not sold to you hahah 😆😆

The 5th deadly Venom!

Is the Carwow drag race vid still on KZfaq, I can't find it?

Certainly a milestone but not the best and it shouldn’t be, I’d be disappointed to learn the gti hadn’t progressed 👍

Great video Andrew, one of my favourites actually - it really should get more views than this because you’ll struggle to find a higher standard of content quality per given subject on KZfaq, or in any form of modern media to be honest. The mk5. Hmm. The mk5 is the Golf model that I have the least level of personal association with (never had one in the family, unlike every other gen). For that I feel as though I sometimes give it a hard time. It wasn’t the best looking or the poshest Golf, not the most reliable, nor the best to drive, or even the most special. The mk6 is a much better car in standard Golf form, prettier too (imo), and the mk4 R32 the more sonorous and better looking of the R32s. And yet: I find myself watching your videos wishing that I was 15 years younger so that I could skip into a VW dealer and put my money into a brand new mk5 Golf GTI. And I say that having ordered a mk8 CS. The mk5 GTI was the car that actually hooked me into Performance VWs; I gasped at the amazing red press GTIs with 2 shiny exhausts, the distinctive Monza alloys, the aggressive grille and ultra cool steering wheel as a 6 year old in my Dad’s car magazines. Broadly, if it wasn’t for the mk5 GTI, then there is no chance that VW would have my order today, and I’ve never even driven one! For that reason, what a car. It dominated it’s era like only the mk1/2 ever have in 45 years of the genre - unfortunately the world has moved on and the Golf GTI will never reach such dizzy social heights again. When you consider the mk4 that it came from, and the GTIs that it bred, it has to be the best. The noughties will always belong to VAG, I just wish that they’d have invented a time machine!

Love your reviews! Can’t believe you don’t have more subs.

I run a MK5 and a 7.5 Autobahn in the US, both manual. The mk7.5 has a broader range of capability, gaining flexibility through electronics and engineering progress. The bigger performance envelope and build quality with more mpg make it the better car. The Mk5 is just perfectly judged with essentially one setting. I think the gearing and steering of the mk5 and it's more honest simplicity make it the better GTI.

I fell in love with the GTI in late 2006. I was getting my Jetta and there was a red 2 door on the lot. I finally got my own GTI 13 years later!

I have owned a manual 2 door Mk5 R32 in shadow blue and a black 5 door DSG Gti with every factory option on it! Including sunroof, xenon’s, leather, nav etc etc, lucky find that one lol Have to say they were both really good cars, although the R32 wasn’t fast enough for the tax bracket it fell into 😂 and the DSG box shat it’s self on the Gti If i had another Mk5 at some point it would have to be a a white 2 door with cloth seats, very hard to find in nice condition though!

Aha! The 7.5 TCR got "tacky boy racer bits". As the most mentionable attribute in comparison? Not bad. Hats off. 😉After having driven numerous Golfs as all day driver (and modified on track) I can say that this TCR represents the GTi spirit (as you define it) more than any other VW car before or after. For me the TCR is the legitimate successor of the 7.0 GTi CS. Which was the one nearest to the original MKI. But who cares what I think...

I own a mk5 gti dsg l am thinking of selling it to buy a golf R is that a good move? Is the golf R a lot better then the mk5 golf GTI l know it’s a lot more expensive lol any advice would be good. Great video keep them coming love the mk5 gti ones the most thanks 🥂

I’ve got 05 MK5 GTI DSG, it doesn’t come with paddle shifts. How easy is it to install them or even buy a steering wheel that has them, do I need to change the module or anything like that?

I have one. So yes. Timing belt 5 years or 80k? Always thought 5 years and 60k?

Great video, I still prefer my mk5 r32 over the mk5 GTi which I’ve also owned both at the same time. Your comparison between the mk5 ed30 and r32 is also a great video where you couldn’t make a conclusion on the ‘best’ car 👍

Mk4 fantastic car much better build than the 5, gti turbo yes under powered but a good car non the less, pick for me v6 4mo, mark 5 only one to have gti/32, diesels are shite!

Until recently I was a proud owner of a GTI 7.5 DSG Performance and boy was this car great! Maybe in fact the best GTI of all time, who knows. One thing though was worse that GTI 7.0 - its the lack of DSG farts. but apart from that - 10/10!

Hi guys i have a 08 mk5 gti stage 1(250hp) with a dsg and i have 2 problems…The firt is i feel that the performance is not 250 level and it was when i bought it a year ago ..i changed a DV for the newest revision new maf sensor and nothing has changed..The second problem is with the Dsg box when the car changing down the gears from 5th to 4th and 3rd to 2nd a metalicy clunk is heard from under a car and only doin this with downshifts… thanks for the ansewrs guys😊

Were the mudflaps from the factory? I don’t have them on mine mk5 and I would love to have them.

55 reg axx engine?

I mostly agree, but not with all. I bought my DSG in 2005 and in a week I regretted buying the DSG because it it always did what I didn't want it to do. Had some track days with it, and the only thing I can say: boring. It was tuned to 240HP and it ate a pair of front tires in 1,5 hour. On track it did around 16MPG and on another slalom day it was around 8MPG. Of course it was stolen, but It did not cause a lot of heart pain. Before that I had a 307XSI 2.0 and that in fact wasn't less fun than the Golf. Before that I had 106GTI's and those were a completely different league. I hoped the Golf would have had the same driver experience, but: incomparable, fun filtered out. Don't care about 0..60 or top speed, only driving fun.

I certainly hope not! 😳 I collect my Mk8 GTI tomorrow morning! 🥰

Loved watching this. Missing my mk 5 GTi. Some pre 2006 cars had oil pump issues, which killed my car. Great drive. I had a 997 at the same time but always found myself in the mk5 GTi.

Comprehensive and well thought out review Andrew 👍 the Mk5 GTI was my first performance golf and have been hooked ever since, a great drivers car and would agree that the Mk7.5 is the ultimate golf generation 😎

Got gtd yesterday anyone got this problem with 2022 model turn volume up full when u drive off volume goes down to half way ?

Hello Andrew 4:25 I think that tartan bucket seats is not VW original seats from factory. it’s a mk5 R32 bucket seat rewrap with mk5 GTI tartan, because I’ve collected original golf german brochure, I didn’t see this kind of bucket seat available to mk5 GTI (including edition 30). Greetings from Taiwan！ Lu

Will sadly be having to sell my Mk5 GTI in a few months. Black, 3door, manual, tartan cloth seats on 120k. Have owned it since 2018 when it was on 90k and have looked after it meticulously since. Really don’t want to sell but the lack of rear doors is forcing it.

The 18" Monza's had painted black inserts as well as the diamond cut face.

I have had 4 mk5 gti’s all manual. Definitely one of my favourite cars of all time

Prices will go up after this

I sold my mk5 gti in 2013. Since then I've had the Scirocco, an A5, John Cooper Works mini, and spent time in mk7 gti. None of those cars made me love them like the mk5 gti. For me modern cars have lost all the feel and character. The mk7 in particular felt completely soulless to me. Didn't get me going at all. Too refined, lack of steering feel, nothing naughty about it. I specifically remember asking the salesman how to make the steering heavier, he told me I couldn't. Felt like a video game! So overall yes, I'd say the mk5 is the best if all, it treads sensibility and devilment perfectly.

I miss my mk5 everyday :(

Fantastic cars, had an early Laser Blue model that I used every day for a few years, absolutely loved it, changed jobs and had much further to commute and decided to change it for a mk7.5 gtd, really wish I kept it now, great car.

Great video Andrew. The mark 5 has a touch of charm about it, well executed Sir. You seriously deserve a bigger subscriber base, I do hope you get the rewards soon enough. All the best.

Golf mk5 was the best looking car that VW ever made, in my op.