2019 GTI Autobahn + Chassis Mods: 1-Year Ownership Review

In January, I bought a 2019 GTI Autobahn DSG with 5k miles in Washington DC, where I lived at the time. I enjoyed the car’s practicality and thought it had the potential to be a razor-sharp daily driver with a few changes.

A stock Volkswagen GTI — on stock tires — feels like a 5 or 6 tenth’s car on harsh roads. It was unwilling to turn in, crashy over rough surfaces, and had a general “looseness” over road imperfections. So I plotted a course for a series of minor changes that added up to a much more positive driving experience.

In my view, I’m augmenting decisions by a company limited by cost sensitivity and brand hierarchy. With one exception (see giant intake below).

Problem #1: Un-linked MacPherson strut.

As the front suspension uses MacPherson struts (as opposed to double wishbones) stress from bumps and cornering travels to the strut towers, which are not braced together from the factory. As the strut towers are connected to the body, imperfections in the road can cause a terrible shimmy that rattles the body of the car and upsets the handling when you need it most. This…