Volkswagen Golf Mk5 1.6 fsi

I bought my VW Golf 1.6 FSI SE in April 2009 for £7,990, Its a 55plate, 5 Door Model, It was an ex motability vehicle that was driven by a woman, so had one previous owner before i bought it, fully serviced as you would expect for an ex motability vehicle and only 31,000 miles on it when i got it.

It's fun to drive, very sturdy in the bends, comfortable and has lots of space for the driver and rear seat passengers, although it does feel quite sluggish at times, it never seems to give you enough oomph when you need it, i find it quite slow to pick up speed as well.

However on the motorway it drives really well and seems to pick up speed quicker and with less of a struggle.

I love the look of it from the front and the rear, i love the 'bad boy' bonnet and the evil looking headlights.

I love the blue and red dial lighting and the red spotlight LED's that light up in the centre overhead console, i love the automatic light function (coming home/leaving home function) i find the automatic window wipers a bit hit and miss, as it never really knows whats going on, and even start wiping when i go under some shaded trees on the road,

I like the cruise control feature, the radio is stylish and the automatic anti dazzle rear view mirror is a god send when you have some road hog with bright lights tailgaiting you. i like the fact it has 8 good quality speakers and the 8 air bags that come as standard is a bonus.

The dashboard is well made and doesn't look cheap, i like the rake and reach adjuster on the steering wheel column, and the seat height adjusters are easy to use too.

The only issue i have is, the car has just hit 43,000 miles and the release bearing on the clutch has failed/failing, its going to cost me £350.00 to have a new Valeo clutch fitted, i find this a real disappointment as my Golf is only 4years old with 43,000 miles on the clock, surely Vw's are meant to be made better than this?

Fuel consumption on my 1.6 FSI SE is great, i can easily get on average 43 MPG with 'Urban Driving' and Upto 47 MPG with Motorway Driving. I do change up early though and dont accelerate fast, I'm only 21 and my friends say i drive like my nan, but if it saves fuel, wear and tear on the engine and helps me avoid having an accident who cares LOL.

Overall i really like the Vw Golf 1.6FSI SE, It has everything you need in a sporty looking, family friendly hatchback, like i say i just wish it wasn't so sluggish and i'd be a happy boy, i'd definitely reccomend getting one, as the running costs are relatively low, insurace group 6 too!

Servicing can be expensive and so can parts but if you want to drive a reliable, sturdy, safe and fun car like this, you have got to pay the price, be aware though FSI engines can run badly on poor quality fuel and timing belt tensioners have been known to fail on 1.6 and 1.4 engines.

I hope my car is back to normal after its clutch repair on tuesday as i adore it! :)

So readers i hope this review helps somehow, eventually i plan to get the VW Golf GT :) Then i can have some fun :)

Kind Regards

Chris