Volkswagen Golf 2.3 V5

Very smooth,great power delivery and pleasant sound when accelerating. It's a bit thirsty but will typically do 30mpg at 80mph on motorway - urban around 26mpg - owned one since new - now 11 years old - has never let me down - is very reliable. Factory battery laster almost 10 years. Absolutely brilliant on long motorway drivers - and has superb acceletaion in 5th gear.

very dissapointed, everything seems to be going only80 on clock when bought, had top mount bushes,lambda sensor,discs,exhaust springs,drop links,abs sensors,belt tensoner, all this in only 2000 miles now key fob will not operate drivers door every fault says common fault on mk4 is that all parts then seems like it sick of it as fast as you sort one thing out something else goes oh and throttle body stripped and cleaned had a scooby turbo before only replaced plugs and leads in 2 years so much 4 german engernering performance good but all else very poor i have had several golfs over the years mk2s;siroccos and this car has well put me off them it has never run more than a week without a fault or other this car must be how the germans got there own back for the war.engine gearbox ok,everthing else not, oh and bear in mind just a lambda sensor is 150 quid for one and there are 2 on it its a common fault lol and so is every other thing on it WOULD NEVER BUY ONE AGAIN

I have Volkswagen Golf MK4 V5 with a 150 horse power engine and automatic transmission.

The car runs excellent, the engine is very responsive, especially on high speeds.

Sound insulation is good, even on high speen and high revolutions it is cooperatively quiet inside the car.

The steering wheel has short ratio and a fast response, it is also quite informative.

Automatic transmission is good, gear ratios and working algorithm is okay, but it is much less reliable than the manual transmission which I strongly recommend for this car.

My car has climate control and four airbags. I live in a worm country and effectiveness of the air condition is very important, I'm satisfied of it's performance.

I have wider than standard tires and low profile rims, so road handling is very good and much better than the standard model. The drawback of this solution, is much harder suspension.

Basically the road stability is good, the car goes on the road like train on rails, wind doesn't disturb. It goes on the quad smooth and quietly almost on any speed.

Fuel consumption is comparatively high for the engine displacement, especially in urban cycle.

Engine is a mixed displacement one, it is something between straight and V engine. It has one cylinder head with a problematic heat spreading, which may cause cracks in the head on a worm climate zone.

By practical means I would recommend more 1.9 TDI model, which is very econnomic and has a great torque.

I would recommend V5 for people who want a responsive engine with good power on high revs.

this is the third golf i've had, and the best to date. my requirements were simple - i needed a car which would enable me to fit children and dogs in, but wouldn't be drudgery for my daily commute. my previous mk 3 golf vr6 ticked those boxes, and when it was time to trade that in, i eyed up the volkswagen mk 4 golf VR5 as the logical upgrade.

the golf V5 i bought was by chance, really. it was in a local dealer and a good price (i ended up bargaining down to £2950), with low-ish miles (67k) and an automatic, which i wanted as it suits me better in traffic than grinding the clutch. mine is metallic beige - not my first choice of colour, but it's grown on me. anyway enough waffle, you want some nitty-gritty!

the good points:

- 170bhp 2.3 engine - growls deliciously through the changes, accelerates well enough to leave most of the middle classes still changing into first behind you, the automatic tiptronic works fine but use it wisely (or recklessly if you're oblivious to petrol prices) as hasty changes = thirsty journey! it's a smooth engine and when pressed, sounds superb. i'm well pleased with the drive.

- cabin interior, much better than the mk 3 golf. quality touches like the dash lighting at night, climatronic climate control as standard,

- i'll mention the dash lighting at night again, because it is well cool :-) you get a cool blue/purple colour on the main dials and reds around the other visuals.

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the bad points:

- under-stated styling. i'd have liked to have seen a rear spoiler as standard, heated side mirrors, fuller side skirts, driving lights at the front, arm-rest in the rear, etc.. without much to make it stand apart, besides discrete V5 badging, the car looks like any other mk 4 golf.

- a bit tight in the back. despite having ueber-sufficient headroom (alas my top hat days are over), the legroom in the back seems a bit lacking. i'd also describe the front cabin as 'cosy' with the armrest and sports seats all taking up a bit of cabin space - but hey, makes it feel more like a comfy cruiser so it ain't all bad.

- boot sill too high for dogs. well, almost. it makes an olympic sport out of my labradors jumping in and out of the boot, whereas the sill was lower (ergo more practical) in my mark 3 golf. that said, the boot is plenty roomy enough for 2 large dogs, it's just getting them in and out which is a tad, uh, logistical, trying to avoid them scratching the paintwork and negotiating over the high sill.

- economy. shoe this car and you will get about 23 mpg tops. i am a bit disappointed by that, i'd have expected it to be better. best i have had yet is 30mpg on a run from chester to leeds when i was taking it easy. ouch. but hey, the point of this car isn't fuel economy - if it was, i'd have gone for a tdi. and hey, you only live once :-)

you'll see there seem more bad points than good - but if you weight them, overall the good points are far more significant. for my needs this is a great car. i'd recommend it - and superb value for money. i am still admiring it on my drive and looking forward to the next time i can get behind the wheel.

duncs (cheshire)

I recently bought a Bora 1.8 T Bora, (good Deal) there was virbrations on the cluth and slight noise from under the bonnet; thought that one of the teeth on clutch were broken but on closer inspection the sump guard was rubbing and vibrating, loose, (like a knocking noise), aswell as brakes fixed on when pressed hard, the smell is the same as burning clutch; (The garage i bought car from fitted new pads and disks, explains it)!. The engine, well I just had to turn the music up, they actually are that quiet you know! The engine is so quiet and the throttle is so fierce. However, the engine guard is a fault as this is my second bora, both being the same.

Volkswagen have sorted it out on there newer models like the golf, Jetta and Passat; Hope they change the angle of the windscreen so as to accept more chips on the next model as the back roads can be a bit harsh. But I have to say that I WOULD NOT change my maker.

This is the 10 valve 150bhp model. Having driven both the 1.8T and V5 these are the differences/benefits of each. The V5 benefits from improved smoothness on the road and pulls without complaint from virtually no revs. When pushed the revs climb effortlessly and progress is pleasantly rapid. Big plus of the V5 is how relaxing it is to drive, makes the drive home more pleasant. Performance wise the 1.8T is more urgent and fun to drive, however in a flat out race I doubt there would be a great deal of difference! Economy wise however there is a difference - V5 does about 28mpg average, 1.8T about 33 so less thirsty. Both have their strengths and weaknesses - V5 is cheaper to buy and smoother, 1.8T far more pricey and more sporty.

since buying this car ive had notting but problems with it

The Volkswagen Golf 2.3 V5 truly is a unique car, It has lots of power, has a classy interior and most importantly of all is one hell of a car when it come to value for money and also when you are looking for something with performance and comfort. I bought my Golf V5 for £3700 and absolutely love it.

I recently bought my Volkswagen Golf 2.3 V5 170bhp almost by accident - I was looking for a nice Saab 9-3 but read a lot about the cracking bulkheads which put me off! At around the same time I came upon a black 2002 3 door V5 in pretty decent condition - after a test drive, I was smitten.

The car feels immediately comfortable, everything falling easily to hand - ergononics at its best. The materials chosen by VW are excellent - the plastics feel satisfying, and even after 85k miles, there are no rattles.

The engine makes a car, and the 2.3 V5 is a gem. Its not outrageously powerful at 170bhp, but its enough for the car to really kick up its heels. 0-60mph is typically quoted at around the 8 second mark, however some magasines have measured it at considerably less than that - and I can believe the 7.2 second time that one recorded.

One thing to remember, is that the UK car tax is linked to CO2 emissions - and sadly this puts the V5 in almost the higest group, so you need to really enjoy your driving to justify the additional expense!

A very good car . Benzene consumption is very good (500km when u make it full tank ) excellent acc. i get by this car 240km/hr. and i was feeling as i get 80km/hr. the stability is excellent

Volkswagen Golf 2.3 V5 is a fantastic car.