Used 2011 Volkswagen Golf Hatchback Consumer Reviews

I like everything about this car.
The quality of the interior was the first thing that attracted me to it.
I sat in one at the Cleveland Auto Show and the highly bolstered seats gave me a very welcoming hug.
The trip computer is awesome.
It drives even better.
The 170hp engine has plenty of power and the exhaust sounds really nice.
The manual transmission (I have the 5-speed) is really smooth.
Better than on a Civic Si or a Kia Soul (other cars I have experience with).
If I drive conservatively I can average 35 mpg on my commute.
Only down-side is that I don’t think you can open the trunk unless the key is out of the ignition?

After combing through the small car segment – I stumbled upon the Golf, and my decision was made.
The combination of economy, styling, quality and driving characteristics were top in its class.
My biggest decision was going TDI or EPV.
TDI was my first choice, however decided the extra costs weren’t worth it..
After owning the car for 5 months I’m still pleased with my choice.
The car ride is solid, not a single issue so far.
Fuel economy, despite being the gasoline engine – has been excellent.
Am averaging 35-38mpg on my daily 12mile commute, and have averaged as high as 43mpg on longer distances.
Would buy it again..

I has this car for about 2 weeks and I and a very peticular about cars. This is the BEST car I have every owned. Its very fun to drive. Very good pick up and handles like its on rails. I opted for the 17 inch dlr installed alloy rims and bought the center armrest. Now car is complete. I shoppped the Mazda 3,Honda Civic,Toyota Corolla. The Golf beat them hands down. If you like to drive buy this car!!!! PS I getting about 25 MPG mixed driving…

I’ve driven my 2011 Golf 2.5 for 1500 miles now and I can honestly say that I love this car. It is very responsive while driving, and the manual shifter is very smooth. I have been averaging 28 mpg and drive about half highway and half backroads (and I’m driving it fast). The car handles great, hugging corners is easy – the suspension feels very tight. The interior is immaculate – it feels like the interior of a much more expensive car. I’m so glad that I bought this over the comparable Honda Civic.

I purchased my ’11 Golf 3 door Manual transmission straight out of college.
Prior to making this decision, I tested many similarly priced compact cars like the Dodge Caliber, Various Hondas, and even some subarus.
While I really liked the Subaru’s and had a hard time deciding between the two, the VW Golf was simply in another league.
This is probably the best compact car on the us market for the price.
The interior and exterior build quality and craftsmanship are excellent and there are no rattling noises.
I have put 17,000 miles since I purchased the car in June of 2011.
Thats right, 17000 already.
This car handles/performs exceptionally well.
At all speeds it feels secure/ planted.

I’ve driven 8 beaters in my life (trucks and cars) then a 2008 BMW 335i and then this Golf 2.5 gas, manual, 3DR hatch and this car is a solid 4.5/5.
I dont write reviews but this car is so good I had to. I’ve owned for 2 years and it has 40k miles on it.
The engine, interior, and styling make this car.
Gas mileage is incredible even above sticker, I consistently get 31 mpg mixed use and I drive it hard.
This car is a great value cause the comparable honda or subaru is $3-5k more.
You may have costly repairs or quirky electronic issues at the 8 year/100k mark but you saved that money in the front end.

After test driving many cars, Honda Accord Coupe, Hyundai Genesis Coupe, Civic, Fit, Toyota Corrolla. I settled on the 2011 Golf because I appreciated the lavish interior, I loved the drive, the insurance wasn’t killer, and it had a four door option. I really couldn’t find anything that was quite as fun to drive as a Golf in this price range. The Surge/Lag effect that was noted in earlier reviews looks like the effect of the normal drive mode up-shifting out of 1st gear to get the best fuel economy. If you truly can’t stand it drive it in tiptronic. I really wanted a small compact fun to drive 4 dour and I believe the Golf offered the best interior and most fun to drive for the money.

I bought my automatic Gold TDI in tornado red in 2011. It was my first new car. It was difficult to find as I was living in Louisiana and had to get it in Texas. This car is so much fun to drive — and this coming from someone who doesn’t particularly enjoy driving! The car has peppy pickup but it’s the diesel torque (256 feet pounds of it!) that will blow you — and other car drivers! — away. The cabin design is fairly upscale for a moderately priced sub-compact car . . . and once “Red” (yes that’s her name) turned over 40k miles, her mileage got even better (averaging 47 mpg). The driving dynamics are solid — she hugs the road and has no list on cornering. The seats are bolstered, include a lumbar support on the driver’s side, and are very comfortable.

I wish leather seats and seat memory were offered. The diesels do have one quirky thing: they warm up slowly so they feel quite “hurky jerky” for about five minutes after startup. I understand this is by design and a fuel efficiency thing.

If you are looking for a smart car that can hold her own on the highway, has great driving dynamics and will same you money at the pump, it doesn’t get any better than this in this class. If you’re willing to spend more, the BMW Series 3 Diesel is a plusher ride but it has a much heftier price tag.

I am writing this at a time when the diesel scandal at VW has broken. I still love my car and emissions aside, I think it’s a better environmental choice than gas guzzlers. Red truly is a smoking car…and my husband loves it even more than I do.

UPDATE — Because my car was affected by the recalls for the emissions, I came to the hard decision to sell it back to VW last year. VW made the process fairly easy and actually paid us 70% of the new car cost for our vehicle which had nearly 100k miles on it. Mind you, the car was in cream-puff shape. We ended up getting a 2015 Mercedes GLK – Bluetech (their version of the diesel) to replace it. I love the Mercedes GLK and as a compact SUV it gives me enough height to scan the road that is now filled with large SUVs and trucks. But…it broke my heart to give up the VW. I actually wept when we had to turn it in and my husband was the one to clean it out. The main reason we let it go was because we were concerned that eventually, the state would force us to have the emission “updated” by VW and I had no idea what that would do to the performance of the car. Also, it was a sweet deal financially to sell a car back 5 years later (regardless of its shape) for 70% of what I paid. I know a lot of people are turned off from VW…but I would buy another VW in a heartbeat. They make great cars that are actually fun to drive!

I had a 1973 VW Super Beetle, my first new car, and, due to driving around with five full size guys in the car, bought a used 69 Ford Thunderbird coupe, the party mobile, Regretted not keeping the VW longer, really solid, well-built car, and fun to drive.
Bought a 2010 Toyota Prius in December 2009, and traded it on a 2010 Golf 2dr gas AT 3 months later, due to lack of driving enjoyment when the cool factor of the Prius wore off, and everything became about gas milage with it, which wasn’t as good as they advertised.
They said it was due to it being winter, and the gas motor needed to run to run the heater, but they don’ttell you that before you buy it.
Fahrvegnugen!
Like my VW.