Golf R as DD??
05-03-2016, 02:51 AM
#61
Has anyone had a chance to test drive both the R and the GTI back-to-back? VW dealers are not eager to let customers test drive the R, it seems. I should probably go back to the dealer, driving my GT4 ;-)
I'm leaning towards the GTI but the R is tempting...
I'm leaning towards the GTI but the R is tempting...
05-03-2016, 05:50 AM
#62
I drove a GTI for the first time last week and it performed better than I thought it would. Gonna see if I can get my hands on an R.
Considering a few other things as dailies too. Did not like the BMW M4 or Lexus RC-F.
Test drove an RS5 today.
Meh. Engine was cool, but seemed a bit out of place in a heavy AWD GT car. Nothing else was really remarkable. Steering felt artificial, handling felt lazy, and tech felt outdated. Only Audis that capture my attention at the moment are RS7 and R8.
Drove a 2017 Macan GTS right afterwards. Best handling SUV on the planet without a doubt. Felt huge coming out of the GT4 though. Adequate power. Enough to get you moving, but doesn't push you back in your seat. It looked great and the standard sports exhaust sounded nice. Interior was also fantastic. The new PCM with Apple Carplay was far ahead of the unit I have in the GT4. One of the biggest improvements in the 2017 models. Other than that, what else is there to say. If you want a sporty little 5 seater SUV, you can't really do better. Felt more nimble than the Macan Turbo I drove on track last year, mostly due to the revised suspension. PDK keeps winning. It somehow felt even smoother and faster than the one in my Cayman GTS. Best auto in the industry by far.
Rear seating room was good. 4 people could fit comfortably in this thing. Tons of space for luggage too. Wouldn't make a bad year round DD. $89K + tax though. At that price, unless you need an SUV, my favorite new sporty/luxury vehicle is probably the Mercedes C63S AMG.
Some crappy cell phone pics. You can see like a true Porsche owner, I parked in both the handicap AND fire lane. lol
Considering a few other things as dailies too. Did not like the BMW M4 or Lexus RC-F.
Test drove an RS5 today.
Meh. Engine was cool, but seemed a bit out of place in a heavy AWD GT car. Nothing else was really remarkable. Steering felt artificial, handling felt lazy, and tech felt outdated. Only Audis that capture my attention at the moment are RS7 and R8.
Drove a 2017 Macan GTS right afterwards. Best handling SUV on the planet without a doubt. Felt huge coming out of the GT4 though. Adequate power. Enough to get you moving, but doesn't push you back in your seat. It looked great and the standard sports exhaust sounded nice. Interior was also fantastic. The new PCM with Apple Carplay was far ahead of the unit I have in the GT4. One of the biggest improvements in the 2017 models. Other than that, what else is there to say. If you want a sporty little 5 seater SUV, you can't really do better. Felt more nimble than the Macan Turbo I drove on track last year, mostly due to the revised suspension. PDK keeps winning. It somehow felt even smoother and faster than the one in my Cayman GTS. Best auto in the industry by far.
Rear seating room was good. 4 people could fit comfortably in this thing. Tons of space for luggage too. Wouldn't make a bad year round DD. $89K + tax though. At that price, unless you need an SUV, my favorite new sporty/luxury vehicle is probably the Mercedes C63S AMG.
Some crappy cell phone pics. You can see like a true Porsche owner, I parked in both the handicap AND fire lane. lol
05-03-2016, 07:45 AM
#63
Rennlist Member
I have driven both extensively as currently own the R and previously owned a GTI. In all honesty , as I stated earlier in this thread, if you don't need all wheel drive the GTI with performance pack is very close to the R. when you throw in the price differnce, I 'll go with GTi
Golf R base price around 36 k MT and it goes up and probably maximun discount you can get is 1 k
GTI with PP MT loaded probably low thirties, but people are reporting 20 % discount which will take it to mid twenties. I don't think the R is 10K plus better than GTI
Golf R base price around 36 k MT and it goes up and probably maximun discount you can get is 1 k
GTI with PP MT loaded probably low thirties, but people are reporting 20 % discount which will take it to mid twenties. I don't think the R is 10K plus better than GTI
05-04-2016, 08:54 PM
#64
Drifting
Some thoughts:
I had a '13 Golf R (manual) as a DD for just shy of 2 years and loved it. If they had offered the DSG in that generation though, I would have bought it. Ended up selling it because the rake of the drivers seat bottom was too steep (bad L5 disk). Short of that, it was awesome. I flashed mine and it was even better (same power as current gen).
Purchased an Audi S3 a few weeks ago as a DD and absolutely love it. It's essentially the same platform as the Golf R but with a much better interior and a trunk. Very low key and a little less boy racer than the Golf R. Great power, nice refinement; sticks like crazy even on stock rubber. It was a bit of a surprise to me just how good it is. Another good friend went with me for one of my test drives and bought one the next day. He feels pretty much the same way. Good discounts on them now too.
Some feel the premium of the S3 over the Golf R isn't worth it. I would disagree. I like the added refinement, better ergonomics and all the tech. Definitely worth a test drive.
I had a '13 Golf R (manual) as a DD for just shy of 2 years and loved it. If they had offered the DSG in that generation though, I would have bought it. Ended up selling it because the rake of the drivers seat bottom was too steep (bad L5 disk). Short of that, it was awesome. I flashed mine and it was even better (same power as current gen).
Purchased an Audi S3 a few weeks ago as a DD and absolutely love it. It's essentially the same platform as the Golf R but with a much better interior and a trunk. Very low key and a little less boy racer than the Golf R. Great power, nice refinement; sticks like crazy even on stock rubber. It was a bit of a surprise to me just how good it is. Another good friend went with me for one of my test drives and bought one the next day. He feels pretty much the same way. Good discounts on them now too.
Some feel the premium of the S3 over the Golf R isn't worth it. I would disagree. I like the added refinement, better ergonomics and all the tech. Definitely worth a test drive.
05-05-2016, 12:42 AM
#65
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Last week I picked up a golf R (dsg and technology pack) as a daily. Gt4 is a weekend and twisty road trip car. My observations so far. (Have been following break in, so haven't given her full beans or launch control)
- I no longer fear sloped driveways, it is nice to rip into a business or over a speed bump without worries. The steering is speed sensitive, variable ratio, so very easy to maneuver around parking lots at low speed.
- dsg is the transmission of choice according to vw vortex forums. The manuals clutch can't hold a stage 1 tune without slipping. Dsg performs great on up shifts, whether paddle shifted or left in auto mode. I do notice slight jerkiness when slowing to a stop and the dsg does the 3 to 2 and 2 to 1 downshifts. I haven't used the sport mode of the transmission yet, but have been downshifting using paddles for corner entry. In auto it does not agressivly downshift like a Porsche Pdk (in sports plus) when you are under brakes, instead it waits till you get on the power to give you a gear. Randy Pobst complained about that when they did testing for the best drivers car. Anyways, that is why I downshift manually before corner entry.
- for most of my driving I left lane assist on, and steering felt way better once I got that turned off. There seems to be a ghost steering the car with lane assist on. I do like adaptive cruise control though. Works right down to a stop with dsg.
- turns in nicely, as you add power at apex, transitions to under steer. Feels like a very competent fwd, with no wheel slip. Limits easily approachable. A twisty bit of road with a 50 km/h limit felt more fun in the r, due to being closer to the limit while staying at legal(ish) speeds. The gt4 was just too planted and composed. (On that particular piece of road) I love the tail out attitude I can get in gt4 coming out of corners and the hip wiggles trying to put the power down, and that is all missing in the r.
- seats in r feel comparable to Porsche sports plus seats. I am not best judge in this, as I have the cf buckets in gt4.
- fender stereo is way nicer than the one in my gt4
- fake engine noise is well done, a nice growl. It is overdone in the m235i.
- headlights are comparable to pdls plus, in both cars lights swivel into the corner. R also gets separate cornering lights, when you put the blinker on
- rear view camera and parking sensors are nice, wish the gt4 had that. I came in a bit hot into a parking stall and the sensors went nuts to warn me I was about to ding my front bumper
In conclusion, the R has everything I want and nothing I don't. Plenty of power, composed chassis, awd for winter and wet, plenty of tech. If I could change anything I would prefer a rear biased awd system (or rwd with en electronic diff) and a steering wheel that telescoped out a bit further.
- I no longer fear sloped driveways, it is nice to rip into a business or over a speed bump without worries. The steering is speed sensitive, variable ratio, so very easy to maneuver around parking lots at low speed.
- dsg is the transmission of choice according to vw vortex forums. The manuals clutch can't hold a stage 1 tune without slipping. Dsg performs great on up shifts, whether paddle shifted or left in auto mode. I do notice slight jerkiness when slowing to a stop and the dsg does the 3 to 2 and 2 to 1 downshifts. I haven't used the sport mode of the transmission yet, but have been downshifting using paddles for corner entry. In auto it does not agressivly downshift like a Porsche Pdk (in sports plus) when you are under brakes, instead it waits till you get on the power to give you a gear. Randy Pobst complained about that when they did testing for the best drivers car. Anyways, that is why I downshift manually before corner entry.
- for most of my driving I left lane assist on, and steering felt way better once I got that turned off. There seems to be a ghost steering the car with lane assist on. I do like adaptive cruise control though. Works right down to a stop with dsg.
- turns in nicely, as you add power at apex, transitions to under steer. Feels like a very competent fwd, with no wheel slip. Limits easily approachable. A twisty bit of road with a 50 km/h limit felt more fun in the r, due to being closer to the limit while staying at legal(ish) speeds. The gt4 was just too planted and composed. (On that particular piece of road) I love the tail out attitude I can get in gt4 coming out of corners and the hip wiggles trying to put the power down, and that is all missing in the r.
- seats in r feel comparable to Porsche sports plus seats. I am not best judge in this, as I have the cf buckets in gt4.
- fender stereo is way nicer than the one in my gt4
- fake engine noise is well done, a nice growl. It is overdone in the m235i.
- headlights are comparable to pdls plus, in both cars lights swivel into the corner. R also gets separate cornering lights, when you put the blinker on
- rear view camera and parking sensors are nice, wish the gt4 had that. I came in a bit hot into a parking stall and the sensors went nuts to warn me I was about to ding my front bumper
In conclusion, the R has everything I want and nothing I don't. Plenty of power, composed chassis, awd for winter and wet, plenty of tech. If I could change anything I would prefer a rear biased awd system (or rwd with en electronic diff) and a steering wheel that telescoped out a bit further.
05-05-2016, 01:28 AM
#66
Rennlist Member
Performance package with magnetic dampers. They magically transform roads in a manner very similar to the 991 GT3's albeit with less road feel. If you want cushy, you hit comfort and it adds a greater layer of smoothness. It's a fabulous DD.
05-05-2016, 03:08 PM
#67
Drifting
I made the mistake of NOT getting the performance package. There must be a huge difference in ride and handling vs. standard performance suspension. Oh well, live and learn..Glad you like yours
05-05-2016, 05:33 PM
#68
Rennlist Member
just done my first 100 km on my new golf r...
it's better than what i have expected.... it's funny, cool, comfortable and fast.... the dsg works very well and the dcc is fantastic!!!!
it's better than what i have expected.... it's funny, cool, comfortable and fast.... the dsg works very well and the dcc is fantastic!!!!
05-05-2016, 11:16 PM
#69
Why is it like pulling teeth for Audi to bring this over? 
05-05-2016, 11:20 PM
#70
05-06-2016, 12:25 AM
#71
Instructor
05-06-2016, 12:45 AM
#72
05-06-2016, 09:01 AM
#73
Wow didn't realize how many GT4 owners liked the GTI. I was looking for a new daily driver and I fell in love with the GTI especially for the price. I would currently take it over every bmw minus the M3 & M2 but those are way more expensive. In the end I think I am going to get a wrangler unlimited. Just trying to decide if I should wait for the next gen.
05-11-2016, 04:21 AM
#74
Rennlist Member
You had to bring this up, didn't you! I've had blue ***** for way too many years when it comes to RS Avants and being a forbidden fruit in our shores. I've written 3 letter to AofA (for each generation), all usually with the same lame pre-canned response...
One can only hope...
One can only hope...
05-11-2016, 10:01 PM
#75
Rennlist Member
Anyone here have a new Golf R?
I am thinking of getting one with a manual gearbox as a DD.
I test drove one and a GTI.
I think I like both cars but not in love with either. Hard to love any car for me anymore....
I don't DD my GT4 even though its not bad as such. I honestly dont like the attention it brings....I'd rather just enjoy it as a weekend/fun car and track toy.
I now DD my F150 but grow tired of it at times.
The Golf R seems like a decent compromise of practicality and fun at a decent price.
I am thinking of getting one with a manual gearbox as a DD.
I test drove one and a GTI.
I think I like both cars but not in love with either. Hard to love any car for me anymore....
I don't DD my GT4 even though its not bad as such. I honestly dont like the attention it brings....I'd rather just enjoy it as a weekend/fun car and track toy.
I now DD my F150 but grow tired of it at times.
The Golf R seems like a decent compromise of practicality and fun at a decent price.
Or you could wait for the Golf R400
Last edited by C4S/GT3; 05-11-2016 at 11:21 PM.