2007 Volkswagen GTI 2-door review from North America

The satellite radio has been replaced.

The plastic cover around the shifter peeled and had to be replaced.

The engine light in the car has come on and off several times in the past few months, and the dealer can't figure out why it is coming on.

Ignition has been replaced.

The DSG transmission is a blast to drive, but it shifts very rough frequently.

I have been a Volkswagen owner ever since I purchased my first VW Jetta back in 1996. They have always been excellent cars and proven to be very reliable. I have never broken down or been stranded.

The new MKV GTI is a superb vehicle. It handles like a true sports car and the DSG tranny can shift faster than I can feel or hear.

This has been the first VW vehicles that I have owned where the maintenance costs have been soooo high! This new turbo engine requires the use of a specific synthetic oil that can be found at VW dealerships and repair shops that specialize in German or VW products. The cost to maintain this car has been a nightmare.

I have just about 25k miles on the GTI and I have already taken it in for its 5k mile service ($99.99), 10k mile service (149.99), 15k mile service ($99.99), and 20k mile services ($289.99). These scheduled maintenance visits can cost a pretty penny. Especially since this car only has 25k miles on it, it should not need any major maintenance work done.

I am very keen on taking it to VW while the vehicle is still under factory warranty. Once that is up, I will take it to my trusted VW mechanic, in Boston, to do regular oil changes and whatnot. Synthetic oil changes at my mechanic with the correct oil type is still only $59.99. Volkswagen has a ridiculous maintenance schedule that should be illegal! Basically every service, up until any major one, like an 80k mile service, is just an oil change, oil filter change, cabin filter change, and rotation of tires. All the other things on the list are just "checking" things, like the brakes. It just seems a little overkill to me. These cars are not Mercedes! People who buy VW's don't have as much money as people who buy $100,000 Benzes who can afford to pay $250 for a service job every 10k miles!

My past 1997 Jetta GT and 2002 GTI 1.8T never required maintenance like this, and never did I use synthetic oil. I changed the oil in these cars every 5k miles and I sold both cars with over 150k miles on them each time. I did only routine maintenance, oil changes, timing belts, air filters, serpentine belts, etc, every so often.

My only gripe with this new car is the maintenance costs for it. If it is this expensive right now to keep it up, what will it cost me 6 years down the road from now?