Overview & Reviews

For the 2002 model year, the GLS and GLX trim levels are dropped. Instead, choose from the juiced-up 180-horsepower turbocharged inline four (that can be mated to a five-speed manual or a five-speed automatic transmission with Tiptronic) or the VR6 engine. The current 174-horsepower, 12-valve VR6 will be replaced with a 24-valve unit good for producing 200 horsepower in the spring of 2002. Later on, a special-edition model called the GTI 337 will arrive with a six-speed manual hooked up to the 180-horse 1.8T, as well as 18-inch wheels, 225/45VR18 performance rubber, a ground effects kit, genuine Recaro seats and red accents inside and out. All-new Volkswagen vehicles come standard with an improved four-year/50,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty, up from two years/24,000 miles. In addition, Volkswagen offers a fully transferable limited powertrain warranty that covers five years or 60,000 miles.

• Fun to drive, reasonable price, lots of standard goodies, hatchback design offers excellent cargo utility, available six-speed manual.

• Some controls hard to decipher, handling could be crisper, dated styling.

User Reviews:

Showing 1 through 10 of 150.00

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  The best Pocket Rocket. - 2002 Volkswagen GTI
  By buckeye_in_CA - September 15 - 2:00 am

  I have the late year 200-bhp 6-speed version. Well worth the wait. The ride is smooth, while the handling is very responsive; the acceleration is very good for the size of the engine. Ive put 11,400 miles on in the past 7 months, and no faults yet. The interior is very comfortable for a sporty car (Im 62", 225 lb). The cupholder could be in a mildly better position (right in front of the radio controls), but its the best cupholder Ive ever seen. Aside from that, the interior is designed for people who take driving very seriously. Complaints: 1. The car occasionally stalls when attempting a warm start. 2. The Monsoon Stereo sucks.

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  02 Indigo Blue GTI 1.8T - 2002 Volkswagen GTI
  By rfernatt - August 26 - 2:00 am

  Great looking car, especially with the very affordable 17" wheel package, and a blast to drive. My only complaints thus far are with a few interior squeaks and rattles. I guess I was expecting a little more quality control in this area. However, materials are top notch. There are some great design features such as the way the front seats move up and away for access to the rear seat - pretty cool! Then, there are some pretty poor design features - what were they thinking when they placed the cupholder to block the radio controls and drip liquid down the center stack?

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  Excellent so far - 2002 Volkswagen GTI
  By rcwired - August 21 - 10:00 am

  Ive had my 2002 GTI just over 5 months now and must say Im impressed. The only "problem" I have is the left tie rod popping as descibed by Russell. This car feels like a much more expensive car. I owned an Infiniti G20 before the GTI and must say the VW seems to be built just as well. Well see how the GTI holds up over time. My G20 was still solid (no squeaks) after 125K miles. The power of the 1.8T engine is unbelievable. Its nice not to have to downshift to get in the power range - just step on it and it goes...FAST!

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  The Best/Worst Girlfriend Youll Ever Have - 2002 Volkswagen GTI
  By lehmann108 - July 9 - 1:15 am

  I bought my 2002 VW GTI 1.8L turbo used with 50,000 mile on it. It is a rocket ship of a car: fast, nimble, quick as a cat. This car is a blast to drive. You can mod the car to make it even faster raising the HP from 180 to 240 with a new ECU chip. But, all this being said, this car is the best/worst car youll ever drive for this price. It requires dedicated maintenance and $s to keep it in top shape. Youll grown as you pay the $1500 shop bill every 6 months, but when you rocket out of the parking lot youll say, "Yeah baby!" The best/worst girlfriend you ever will have! Shell rock your world and drain your wallet at the same time. And youll just smile.

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  Fun to Drive - 2002 Volkswagen GTI
  By peanut - May 22 - 10:00 am

  This is the 2nd VR6 I have owned and have had many other high performance cars (BMWs etc) but VW seem to build a fun pocket rocket. This car is first class - a real pleasure to drive, well built and excellent value for the price. The only things that would make this even more fun would be 4 motion (like the european version have). The six speed is well suited for short smooth changes and the car handles the power well.

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  Amazing!!! - 2002 Volkswagen GTI
  By drewz - April 9 - 10:00 am

  Everything about this car is beautiful. I have never received so many complements on the way a car drives and looks. Probably one of the most fun cars Ive ever driven.

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  So far so good - 2002 Volkswagen GTI
  By gticl - March 4 - 10:00 am

  I bought this car (my 5th VW, 2nd GTI) for a month. So far, only door panels have rattle noise sometimes. This car is almost perfect despite the noise.

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  VW GTI - 2002 - 2002 Volkswagen GTI
  By NC Larry - February 25 - 10:00 am

  A fun, fun car that is practical at the same time.

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  Nice GTI - 2002 Volkswagen GTI
  By Tots - January 27 - 10:00 am

  I have now 21000 miles on the car and I have had no major problems with the car. For 2002 there is a recall for wiring in the ABS system. What was scary is the window regulators. I had one glass fall into the door. I took it to the dealership and it was fixed with an updated kit free of charge and they went ahead and did it on the passengers side. All that happened within the first 6 months of owning the car. I havent done anything to it since. The car is working great. Tires are stock michelin and are at half of their thread life. The only hard part about driving the car is keeping it under 60mph.

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  All-In-One Package - 2002 Volkswagen GTI
  By CJU - December 9 - 2:00 am

  This has been a great little car, despite a few minor problems(ignition coils, window brackets, radio replacement, & dash lights.) All of which were taken care of by the dealer. It is very functional, alot of room to haul people or cargo. Great handling, traction in snow, wet, & dry conditions. Decent MPG for the performance numbers. Safety and security features are of a caliber usually found on higher end vehicles. Improved warranty is also a plus.