2016 Volkswagen GTI S Performance Package

Hard to believe though it may be, 2020 rings in the reign of what will certainly be the new benchmark for small hatchbacks – the Golf Mk.8. The Mk.7 redefined the driving dynamics and performance of the category with what is generally hailed as the best VW chassis to date – the MQB platform. So it’s time to start looking at these models as potential values while we wait for the next GTI to bow.

The Mk.7 introduced a new strata of GTI trim levels. The base was a S, which gave you the Tartan interior, the turbocharged 2.0TFSI motor cranking out 210 horsepower, LED foglights, Bluetooth and a 5.8″ touchscreen, 18″ alloy wheels and a review camera. In other words, it wasn’t exactly a stripped model, and as such it’d cost you over $26,000 to get into one. Moving to the SE got you leather and a sunroof, along with automatic headlights, premium Fender radio and rain-sensing wipers. The top-tier Autobahn package further added navigation, power seats, and dual-climate control – by which point you were knocking on the R’s base price if you had fully optioned out your GTI.

So the one to get was the S if you could live without a sunroof, since it gave you the best look and the most bang for a buck. But there was a secret – the Performance Package, which gave you a further 10 horsepower and a limited-slip differential in front, along with upgraded brakes. Click one more option – the Lighting Package – and you got adaptive HIDs. This Pure White over Titan Black/Clark Plaid cloth 2016 had just that set of options, and just 5,500 miles since new:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2016 Volkswagen GTI S Performance Package on eBay

Year: 2016
Model: GTI S Performance Package
VIN: 3VWY47AU6GM065912
Engine: 2.0 liter turbocharged inline-4
Transmission: 6-speed manual
Mileage: 5,509 mi
Location: New Milford, CT
Price: $22,950 Buy It Now

Up for sale is my Candy White 2016 GTi S 2 door . The car has the rare Performance Package and Lighting Package along with a 6 speed manual and NO sunroof – the perfect spec GTi 2 door .The Performance pack gave you the upgraded engine , Limited slip diff and the Golf R brakes . The lighting Package gave you xenon lights with dynamic corning . Like all GTi’s of this year it has power windows , A/C , in dash CD, heated seats etc . It is adult owned , bone stock and has 5509 original miles .It carries the balance of the VW 5 year / 60K mile powertrain warranty and the 12 year corrosion warranty . It has never had any paintwork or damage and has not been used in winter weather .The front bumper has not been drilled for a license plate bracket . It came on Bridgestone summer tires and also has the winter floor mats ( still in the bag ) and the VW cargo liner in the loadspace . I have the window sticker and the owners manuals are still in their sealed box . I have the title in hand ( CT ) and the car may be viewed by appointment in NW CT . I took the car off the road a couple weeks ago before the inclement weather arrived and I’m finding my shop too jammed up with cars to keep it stored there . Car has never been left outside . I included a couple shots of the wheel wells and brakes to illustrate how fresh the car is . There are a couple tiny paint chips , but otherwise could pass for new . If you missed out on buying a 2 door GTi MK 7 new this might be as close as you could get now . I can work with your shipper and can store the car for a reasonable period of time if a carrier needs time to arrange pickup .

This really is just about exactly how I’d have spec’d my GTI, although I’m also a fan of the Night Blue Metallic and especially love the 2018 addition of Great Falls Green Metallic. The darker tones work a bit better with the fussy strakes on the front end. Otherwise there’s little to complain about. As the seller notes, if you missed getting into a Mk.7 this one really is just about new, well optioned and priced at a hefty discount from new. Granted, you may be able to find a few leftover ’19s that dealers are struggling to move, but a quick look at my local dealer still had the cheapest ’19s at $29,000 plus. To me this one seems like a good deal on a very lightly used and well optioned example.

-Carter