Faults:

None so far, however I still consider the car new.

General Comments:

What a car... Great handling and great comfort, and such a sweet engine.

The engine is a gem, low displacement equals low taxes and road insurance in my country; the sound it makes is absolutely great (a very thick and torquey sound). The in-gear acceleration is something none would expect from an engine smaller than a 1.8 - once you're over 2000rpm you can easily overtake even in 4th gear. The economy is OK, I get about 5L/100km on open road if not pushed, and 6-7L depending on how much you love that sound.

Compared with the Opel Astra, it has a better roadholding and handling, better engines, better residuals and the same inside space, although it's a lot shorter and lighter than the Astra. However is not as comfortable, and it doesn't have the same value as the new Astra.

PS: MTM is preparing a 140hp M-Cantronic for this 1.2 engine. Can't wait :)

Faults:

From the day we got the car it had a strange behaviour: sometimes when turning the AC on, it lost way too much power and was barely dragging along.

At around 600 km, the fog lights were full of rain water. Dealer refused to repair them under warranty saying I shouldn't have driven through water (?). After the repair the incident did not happen again.

At around 2000km, airbag control light went on... and stayed on. Dealer fixed it under warranty (said a cable under the seat went loose, but I checked it for loose wires under seats before submitting it for repairs and it had no such problem)

At around 5000km, various squeaking and rattling sounds started emerging from under the dashboard. Even today the car becomes noisier by the mile.

At 12300 km, AC stopped running (no cool air). Went to dealer (a different one) and they say it's the AC compressor. It is covered by the warranty otherwise it would have cost around 1200 Eur (1500 $ US) to fix (parts only).

General Comments:

The Golf V is a comfortable ride. The 1.6 l Petrol engine (102 HP) is not very fuel efficient nor fast.

Running costs are very high.

The build quality is poor even though the plastics in the interior are of better quality than the competition.

The price/quality ratio for this car is at best dismal.

Faults:

Nothing.

General Comments:

A very robust car with surprisingly low fuel consumption, but I'm very glad I sold it.

When it comes to comfort it's pure nightmare (a friend named it a tractor on wheels). Imagine traveling more than 600Km on a tractor and you get the picture.

Maybe a good car to drive for short, crowded distances where other cars would take up too much fuel, but a definitely no-no car for those who want to travel in comfort or go in a vacation with their car. My next car would be a Mercedes 500 Sel or a Dodge Ram Van. I have no intention to become a farmer on the road.

General Comments:

Excellent cornering.

Great fuel economy.

Very good performance.

Good quality.

Faults:

Brakes

Motor rebuilt (price was ~300$)

Steering box replaced

Also small problem with the starter (brushes, bearings replaced); BTW if your starter isn't working properly, this is the cause.

General Comments:

Cheap to repair and maintain. Very reliable. Fuel consumption is ~4,5l/100km on motorway, 6l/100km in city traffic.

My top speed was 150 km/h

Very stable on road.