Faults:

Air-con failure, common on MkV Golfs, fixed under warranty.

Electronic sensor issue, engine in limp home mode, fixed under warranty.

General Comments:

Excellent car to drive. DSG is a great thing, intuitive, super-fast shifts, excellent paddle shift function.

Sharp steering, slightly void of feel, but very nice to use.

Beautifully made interior, great sound system, just all-round excellence.

Running costs, however, for something meant to be the "people's car," were ridiculous. Dealer servicing was immensely expensive, non-dealer servicing was slightly less immensely expensive, but still expensive. The only downside to the ownership experience was service time, watching the wallet empty.

Faults:

There was a ticking noise/belt noise coming from the engine 2 days after I bought the car (car is 2 years old). The noise turned out to be timing belt (cam belt) related and was replaced under warranty, costing me no money.

The electronic lumbar support does not work and will be fixed at the next service.

General Comments:

I have the manual version of the 2007 Golf GTI.

The car is really fun to drive, has a nice, smooth acceleration curve, and is really good on fuel for a turbo car.

The car handles like it's on rails, which surprised me for a front wheel drive car, and surprises a lot of other cars on the road at how quick it accelerates.