Drove 2 '10 Golf TDi's this weekend. A 2 door grey dsg and a 4 door grey dsg w/ nav.
Positives- The sport suspension is pretty good - ride isn't bad. Over time it will probably prove to be a great balance between comfort and sport. I love the torque hit around 2k rpm. The only way I know to put it is you get a full second of really quick acceleration in every gear - which is plenty for such a fuel sipper. Power falls off above 3500 rpm as expected. One car had a sunroof and one didn't - I felt like the car was larger without it (yes I know it actually is larger inside without it). I'm 6'3" so it made a noticeable difference, especially in rear seat head room and overall spaciousness feel. We had 4 above average sized people in the 4 door and it was very quick in all situations. I wont call it fast but it is quick. I like the car alot.
Negatives - rear seat doesn't fold flat - are you kidding me? It's 2010. Make the rear seat fold flat, engineers. Center console can hold an ipod and a pack of gum ... and that's about it. Glove box isn't huge either so interior storage is disappointing but understandable. The car was very slow until it warmed up completely, but maybe that is normal for diesel. Sticker price rises quickly ($27,6k for 4 door dsg w/ nav, no sunroof) and out of this segment's price range if you're not careful w/ options. You get some "drum" road noise in this car on rough road surfaces but it is to be expected at this price point. It's not unbearable or anything, but worth mentioning.
Overall impression is that this is a great car with very few faults. Great motor, great look, great driver ergonomics, agile handling AND smooth ride, great torque AND great mileage. On my test drives I was flooring it constantly and the loop mpg was 29.5 or so. If I can get used to the small cargo area, this will be a great car to own. I brought a standard sized large cooler and a set of golf clubs to see if they would fit without folding (individually and together). Golf bag fits with the driver removed and laid opposite facing. Cooler fits just barely. Together you must fold down one of the back seats. I was glad to see it.
2 questions though: One car had paddle shifters and one didn't, but there was nothing on the options sheet about the one that had them. And one car had an electric drivers seat recline - the other car's driver seatback was manual. Why?
