2002 Volkswagen Golf GTi 1.8T review from UK and Ireland

Gear linkage poorly adjusted at factory

Baggy carpet in rear footwell

Stalling when cold caused by faulty coolant sensor (took dealer four attempts to fix)

Mystery rattle from glove box area which started at 4,000 miles and hasn't yet been sorted.

Excessive wind noise from rear quarterlight.

Great car to drive with torquey (if not earth shattering) turbo power, capable handling and an interior which destroys the opposition in terms of the quality of materials and design.

However, after a mk3 Golf GTI which was impeccably finished and utterly reliable, the indifferent build quality of this mk4 has been a bit of a disappointment. Maybe VW have rested on their laurels, or maybe I got a "friday car", but I don't expect such silly quality faults and niggling reliability issues on a car which is priced significantly higher than its rivals.

I would also expect better competence and support from dealers who seem incapable of simple fault diagnosis, and who totally fail to convey to me that I am a valued customer. At best they are indifferent, at worst downright rude.

As a product this car is everything I hoped, but I can't honestly say the ownership experience has been what I expected. I have owned all four incarnations of the Golf GTI, and this is the only one that has made me think twice about buying VW again next time. In this particular case, the quality of the car is only skin deep.

VW's reputation for quality and engineering excellence is in real trouble as far as this owner is concerned. It's a shame.