Golf GTI Performance or Golf R

[GTEYE]

I was fortunate enough to have a Golf GTi Mk7.5 Performance Pack DSG as a rental car in Germany last weekend and was mighty impressed - plenty quick enough on the autobahn, sounded good, well trimmed and a generally decent steer.

I was quite tempted.

The question is having not tried a Golf R (the more popular choice in the UK), is the R the default first choice as (at RRP) the R is only £1,800 more and obviously has more power, 4WD etc....but I would guess in most respects much the same.

Which would you choose?

[CocoPops]

I made this choice... I have a GTI-PP DSG due in a couple of weeks

For me, the gti was the better package, lower price, lower insurance, less theft risk.

[Ahbefive]

R No question.

[andrewparker]

R, no question.

[anonymous-user]

You don't need Haldex (which is not proper 4WD) in the UK, it's very unnecessary, the Gti PP will be perfect (all OMO ofcourse)

[Ahbefive]

FWD is just so crap when pulling out of a junction quickly in the wet though.

Also the R has more power. Personally I do think that it is a massive advantage having awd in the UK, maybe less so in Australia.

[andrewparker]

AlrightYouns said:

You don't need Haldex (which is not proper 4WD) in the UK, it's very unnecessary, the Gti PP will be perfect (all OMO ofcourse)

I disagree. There are at least four months of the year when traction from a FWD car isn’t much fun. I’ve owned GTIs for nearly 20 years, but now have two Rs. Wouldn’t even consider going for FWD again.

[neil-1323bolts]

Drive both cars I did , I went for the R , more grip and more power , I definitely made the right choice wet slippy roads right now , the R is just perfect at getting the power down , very impressive

[Juicetin1]

I went from a Mk7 GTI PP to an R. The R feels miles quicker and more planted and sounds a lot better.
I do miss the lightness of the GTI, however and would be interested in driving a Clubsport Edition 40 to see how that compares.

[marcosgt]

The day my R arrived (early June) we had a torrential downpour in the evening, when I finally got the chance to go for a drive.

I was very impressed by the traction from the 4WD, even with deep standing water - Anyone who tells you it drives 'just' like a FWD Golf has only been to the shops in one!

M

[SuperchargedVR6]

AlrightYouns said:

You don't need Haldex (which is not proper 4WD) in the UK, it's very unnecessary, the Gti PP will be perfect (all OMO ofcourse)

4WD is 4WD. Only a certain subset of car enthusiasts class Haldex as improper 4WD, and FWD as wrong wheel drive.

That said, I would go with the PP personally. The benefits of 4WD are exaggerated, especially compared to the PP with it's LSD.

If you live on a snowy Alpine pass.....definitely the R. In the south east of England? lol. That Haldex coupling is dead weight 90% of the year.

[anonymous-user]

SuperchargedVR6 said:

AlrightYouns said:

You don't need Haldex (which is not proper 4WD) in the UK, it's very unnecessary, the Gti PP will be perfect (all OMO ofcourse)

4WD is 4WD. Only a certain subset of car enthusiasts class Haldex as improper 4WD, and FWD as wrong wheel drive.

That said, I would go with the PP personally. The benefits of 4WD are exaggerated, especially compared to the PP with it's LSD.

If you live on a snowy Alpine pass.....definitely the R. In the south east of England? lol. That Haldex coupling is dead weight 90% of the year.

I never said FWD was wrong wheel drive so your cliché is dead right there, although I stand by Haldex not being proper permanent 4WD because it isn't.

Anyone who think it's permanent 4WD needs there head examining because it isn't.


Agree with Haldex being dead weight in this country though.

[Ahbefive]

Very few cars are permanent AWD, it doesn't stop them being AWD though as power will go to the back wheels when needed.

The 100kgs or ao weight penalty is well worth it when it rains 50% of the time imo.

[jbaddeley]

I've got this dilemma. Edition 40 or R. Ran an R for 2 yrs on one of the early lease deals a was very impressed. It's going to be my wife's daily and family hack at weekends with a view to keeping long term. I expect the edition 40 will be cheaper to maintain long term and there are a lot of Rs about. However, the extra 40-50 bhp and fun I had in the snow with it is still swaying me to the R. Probably cheaper to buy too.

[paul789]

Either way, it’s only got half an engine.

[Marvtec]

The R has been fantastic in the snow and ice , we had a foot of snow here and its far exceeded my expectations. So much I went looking for snowy lanes.

[ghost83]

I had same dilemma but went with a loaded up gti pp and I'm so happy I did the car goes well and handles well and is 100kg better off than the R due to not carrying the 4wd around

There's a reason the clubsport is quicker and better handling!

I also think the gti is better looking less chav since it doesn't have the 4 exhausts less nickable and has that gti heritage

The only car I'm thinking of replacing mine with is the RS3 or a macan but I've had a lot of fun in my gti

[Ahbefive]

ghost83 said:

I went with a loaded up gti pp and I'm so happy I did the car goes well and handles well and is 100kg better off than the R due to not carrying the 4wd around. There's a reason the clubsport is quicker and better handling!

I'm thinking of replacing mine with is the RS3 or a macan

Does not compute.

[Andy OH]

Ahbefive said:

ghost83 said:

I went with a loaded up gti pp and I'm so happy I did the car goes well and handles well and is 100kg better off than the R due to not carrying the 4wd around. There's a reason the clubsport is quicker and better handling!

I'm thinking of replacing mine with is the RS3 or a macan

Does not compute.

What doesn't compute is how you've snipped ghost83's comment. His comment made perfect sense, albeit the sentence mentioning a Clubsport needed a little more explanation.

The RS3 is a very different car to a Golf R. You could argue the Golf R is better value for money but it doesn't have that very nice 5 cylinder engine the RS3 has and the RS3 is a better place to be in.

Edited by Andy OH on Friday 15th December 13:49

[andrewparker]

paul789 said:

Either way, it’s only got half an engine.

Can't think of too many 4.0L V8 hatchbacks...