GTI as hot hatch/bike hauler?

[jamesdak]

Originally Posted by Ken Robb

I bought a 2019 Civic Si sedan and it's a wonderful car. I can get my 62cm Rambouillet in back with the seats folded and front wheel off. It was about $25,000 out the door so several thousand less than a GTI with the goodies I wanted. If you want a manual transmission I recommend giving one a test drive. Some of you may remember I have instructed high performance driving on various tracks so I have driven a lot of cool cars at pretty high speeds and I can say that I enjoy driving my Civic at least as much as most of my BMWs.

My new (used) BMW 340xi is nothing short of amazing out on the road. Had it on a very fun road mountain road today and had a blast.

[bcroslin]

I have a 2017 Sport and I can easily fit a medium to large bike and have plenty of room to stack other crap around it. So far it’s been a great car and fun to drive.

[makoti]

'17 Golf. 54cm fits fine in the back. Front wheel off, of course. Bought a roof rack. Have yet to install it, though. Never needed it.
I have an SEL version, so all the bells/whistles available in the non-GTI, and I find it very comfortable. I drove both the GTI & mine and opted for creature comforts over performance for the money.

[54ny77]

Thx. for all the great owner feedback. Interesting comment on the rear hitch voiding the warranty. Weird!

[GonaSovereign]

My mk7 Autobahn takes a 56cm road bike, and can also fit a large Intense Sniper, which is a long, slack fs. Look at the wheelbase numbers on that thing...

Front wheel off in both cases, and with the passenger seat pulls all the way up.
Incidentally, the Autobahn has driver power seats with adjustability in a ton of directions, so easy to adjust.

If I’m hauling many people or stuff, I use a Thule roof rack for bikes.

[foggypeake]

Another car to think about is the Buick Regal Tour X. Recently we were looking for a new car that can haul some gear and teenage boys and we considered a GTI, a Golf Alltrack, and even a Kia Stinger, but this was the best for us. It's actually an Opel (made in Germany) and rebadged as a Buick. It's spacious, quick, and comfortable plus it has AWD. It already has roof rails installed that are Thule compatible; plus I'm sure that you can fit a bike with the rear seats folded without taking off the front wheel. IIRC, the length of the cargo area with the seats folded is close to 8 feet. I also think that their sales numbers are down, because we paid $6K under the sticker price (The sales manager kept complaining about how this was the worst deal that he's made in years), there's the possibility of negotiation. Yes, it is more expensive than the GTI, but not by much.

And yes, I still can't believe that I drive a Buick wagon.

[delish]

‘17 GTI with hitch rack here. Fun car and practical enough. Bikes fit inside but it’s a squeeze.

I put a Torklift EcoHitch on because they make a 2” version and it sits much higher than the Curt hitch, which gives more clearance (steep driveway). Install took a couple of hours. You have to remove the bumper cover. Curt hitches bolt on quickly.

I have a hard time believing a hitch could void a warranty. Plenty of folks with modded engines & suspensions get warranty work done.

[54ny77]

Delish, being from NJ which has some lovely roads....how's the ride of the GTI over potholes, etc.?

Thanks for the info on the Ecohitch.

[pasadena]

Originally Posted by 54ny77

Thx. for all the great owner feedback. Interesting comment on the rear hitch voiding the warranty. Weird!

towing over gvw could damage the powertrain and unibody, potentially bending/breaking parts.

[jamesdak]

Originally Posted by batman1425

I have a '16 Mk7 Golf R. 56cm road bike with ISP fits fine with the front wheel removed. HT MTB fits fine as well.

There are good stealth hitch installs available. Only rub is if you have a nitpicky dealer, a hitch technically voids the powertrain warranty. Most dealers realize they are for racks and not towing and look the other way, but some don't care and VWNAs official stance is no hitch.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnus...s_Warranty_Act

[Ken Robb]

Originally Posted by foggypeake

Another car to think about is the Buick Regal Tour X. Recently we were looking for a new car that can haul some gear and teenage boys and we considered a GTI, a Golf Alltrack, and even a Kia Stinger, but this was the best for us. It's actually an Opel (made in Germany) and rebadged as a Buick. It's spacious, quick, and comfortable plus it has AWD. It already has roof rails installed that are Thule compatible; plus I'm sure that you can fit a bike with the rear seats folded without taking off the front wheel. IIRC, the length of the cargo area with the seats folded is close to 8 feet. I also think that their sales numbers are down, because we paid $6K under the sticker price (The sales manager kept complaining about how this was the worst deal that he's made in years), there's the possibility of negotiation. Yes, it is more expensive than the GTI, but not by much.

And yes, I still can't believe that I drive a Buick wagon.

Cool car. I wonder what effect GM's sale of Opel will have on parts/service availability in the future.

[batman1425]

According to my owners manual, it voids the warranty if you tow. The haldex System in these cars can’t handle towing. A hitch doesn’t mean towing but I have read several reports of warranties getting voided by dealers for installing them.


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[bcroslin]

Originally Posted by 54ny77

Delish, being from NJ which has some lovely roads....how's the ride of the GTI over potholes, etc.?

Thanks for the info on the Ecohitch.

It has a stiff suspension so it tends to bounce a bit on rough roads. You’ll definitely want to avoid potholes. I drove an Element for 13 years and it took some getting used to that I couldn’t just drive over curbs anymore.

[eddief]

can be over jarring. but it is a great smooth road cruiser. if a GTI is more jarring then another reason not to have one where I live. Make america smooth again.

Originally Posted by bcroslin

It has a stiff suspension so it tends to bounce a bit on rough roads. You’ll definitely want to avoid potholes. I drove an Element for 13 years and it took some getting used to that I couldn’t just drive over curbs anymore.

[Climb01742]

Another GTI owner. As others have said, a 56 frame fits easily sans front wheel. Mine is an ‘09 and knock on wood, extremely reliable. And so much fun to drive. Doubt there’s a car that combines fun and practical better at anywhere near the price. You asked about potholes. One word. Avoid. But then any performance car hates bad roads, broken pavement and potholes. Luckily a GTI is nimble enough to dodge ‘um.