Overview & Reviews

For 2011, Volkswagen has simplified the GTI's trim levels. Otherwise, the GTI remains largely unchanged.

• Hatchback versatility, unmatched interior sophistication, confident handling, supple ride, good fuel economy.

• Many competitively priced sport compacts are quicker and handle better.

User Reviews:

Showing 1 through 10 of 32.00

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  Great car so far - 2011 Volkswagen GTI
  By mgbayer - December 8 - 4:58 pm

  Have only had for a couple of days but wife has 09 version. Biggest differences are exterior styling and much better interior. Havent pushed it yet to know what the XDS is all about but really fun to drive.

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  Two cars one month and now water? - 2011 Volkswagen GTI
  By syopspwnz - June 7 - 2:00 pm

  I got my car in May and after 300 miles the engine had to be replaced due to a hole in the upper oil pan (isnt that the crank case?). Fast forward a month of hell and I ended up getting another new car. Shortly after getting my second car it I had water issues and a funky smell slowly developed. It wasnt till I took it in that I ascertained it was due to water leak in a body seam. It spent two weeks in the shop at the dealer before being fixed. Mean while in both warranty situations Ive driven a crapy toyta camry. Can you say numb? If this is average reliability I want out NOW. Id gladly have paid the premium and eaten the gas mileage difference for a subaru wrx at this point

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  Not so excellent after 14 months. - 2011 Volkswagen GTI
  By magician2166 - December 7 - 2:39 am

  This is an update after owning GTI for 14 months. The car has a bad wind noise, which VW can not fix due to its design. Low-profile tires provide terrible ride and are easily destroyed over regular road imperfections. No potholes, replaced 2 already. Highway mileage is very mediocre due to the low ratio 6th. gear, which results in a constant high RPM. Interior panels rattle. Turbo lag is severe if A/C compressor is on. Engine consumes oil (1 qt. every 5000 miles). VW customer service is left to be desired. Headlights are alwauys dirty due to lack of the headlight wahers. Navigation screen is extremely small and very hard to see. Navigation system features are extremely limited.

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  Great, fun, reliable car - 2011 Volkswagen GTI
  By bodhizuffa - August 14 - 7:49 am

  I traded a Nissan Titan for this about a year ago when gas prices began to rise. I was worried about not having a large, practical vehicle with plenty of storage. I can say, with a bike rack installed, I havent had any issues with space or being able to haul stuff home from Target or Lowes. There is lots of room with the rear seats folded down. I live in NC so no experience with snow yet. The car is fun to drive (especially around town), gets very good gas mileage even with premium gas, the DSG transmission is great, and the interior is at least one price point above the GTI. I have almost 10,000 miles on it, drive it pretty hard, and havent had one quality/reliability issue.

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  Nice car, not good on NW roads - 2011 Volkswagen GTI
  By markb9 - June 6 - 6:16 am

  The 2011 GTI is without a doubt a nice car. It performs well, is fun to drive, and the interior is first rate. The only very disappointing aspect of the car is road noise. I dont expect a small sporty car to be super quiet, but this car has a split personality. I test drove it on some smooth highway and, as advertised, is very quiet. The problem with WA State is that a lot of the highway is fairly rough, and when this car hits rough road the interior noise goes up exponentially, it even makes my old Ford Ranger seem quiet. As I said, overall a very nice car, but like most other small cars its not going to be quiet.

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  Exactly What I Expected and Thought I Wanted. - 2011 Volkswagen GTI
  By bwschubert - August 28 - 3:02 pm

  I feel this car has delivered exactly what was promised based on reputation and car magazine reviews. It is fun to drive, especially with the sweet shifting manual and quickly spooling engine, the ergonomics are exactly aligned to how I think, and the hatchback practicality is obviously a big plus. I have had absolutely zero reliability issues over 16,000 miles and 13 months and have not experienced any poor customer service when I have been to the dealership. After a over a year though, I cannot stand the leather seats as they are not perforated and are always disgustingly hot, and the exterior styling looks cheap from some angles.