2000 Volkswagen Golf 4 TDI review from South Africa
"Road hungry bullet with good fuel economy"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Front brakes wore out excessively quickly even for hard driving.
General comments?
This car has amazed me from all sides. The performance is on par with both the Golf 4 1.8T GTI as well as the Audi A3 1.8T GTI, running similar top speeds and as aggressive acceleration.
However, the torque on the TDI outmatches both competitors by some bit, and taking into account the cheaper price of diesel and better consumption rates, the TDI's ride is the cheapest of the three!
From first to third the TDI's power is awesome and have to be experienced first hand to appreciate, but fourth and fifth gear seems to lack the same drive. Still, the performance is excellent, and accelerating uphill to a steady 160km/h (100mph) occurs reliably even when loaded with 4 passengers, a driver and luggage.
Service costs are high, but the cheaper diesel expense makes up for it. If you intend to drive anything more than 2000km (1250miles) /month, I strongly advise the TDI just for the fuel savings!
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| The nicest little hatchback available |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| Year of manufacture | 2000 |
| First year of ownership | 2002 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2002 |
| Engine and transmission | 1.9L TDI Manual |
| Performance marks | 9 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 9 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 8 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 8 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 7 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 40000 kilometres |
| Most recent distance | 61000 kilometres |
| Previous car | Toyota Camry |
| Date of Entry | 21st October, 2002 |