Golf R / R wagon vs GTI vs Skoda Octavia RS - purchase decision

[woofy]

Someone has obviously seen too many adverts like that for the Cruze where the kid spills everything in the back of his dad's car while bemoaning he is not allowed in this uncle's 'cool' Cruze. Or the X-trail ad where it goes 'off-road' while the kids are eating and drinking in the back.
I think we may be talking parenting skills not driving skills?

I cannot really see any case for a 2WD SUV and my only criticism of a Scout (which I would love) is the lack of real ground clearance.
Would have to consider an Outback at current pricing if more mild off-road driving was in the mix.
I have done the whole 'high, wide and handsome' bit and have far more satisfaction and utility driving my Octavia.
SUVs are a fad and fads will pass, like flared trousers did

Cannot agree more about the parenting bit, but SUVs have a psychology that comes with them. Women love them for the extra height despite the parking hell they cause. They also drive more agressively in them. I do like the height being tall myself, its helped my back a tonne having the loading height higher. Also getting in and out, but I have another RS one order, this time a wagon.

[Nolte]

Hi guys,

I was in the same position as OP and went with the Golf R Wagon. I based my decision on a few things:

1. I love driving, so if I'm going to buy a new car that I'm going to drive every other day, then why not buy the one I really want to own and will enjoy driving.
2. Having kids is part of life and I didn't want to let that weigh too heavily on my selection, as long as the car ticked all the boxes ie. practicality, size, performance, aesthetics, enjoyment factor (not in that particular order. I also live around the city, so parking was also a consideration.
3. The Golf wagon swallows anything I need to throw into it for a growing family - or worst case, I'll put it on the roof. The Golf looks great with a capsule or bike racks up top.
3. I could have made any number of arguments for settling with the Octavia, but ultimately it came down to whether or not the driving performance, aesthetics and the VW badge was important enough to spend the extra $15-20k. For me it was.

This may all be for nought, because you might be hard pressed to find a Golf R Wagon.

Hope this helps.

[woofy]

If Skoda put the AWD as an option in the petrol RS, it would make a world of difference but I doubt VW would want them to do that. Since the Golf wagon appeared things are even less likely now.

[Martin]

SUVs have a psychology that comes with them. Women love them for the extra height despite the parking hell they cause. They also drive more agressively in them.

Yeah! Last Thursday I had a shocking day - due to 5 mom's in SUV's
Three of them cut the corner coming towards me, they made no attempt to alleviate the situation, I had to perform avoiding reactions
One drove into the trailer I was towing, she didn't even stop, just drove off as if nothing had happened
Finally, driving into the petrol station, a mom in a SUV quickly entered via the exit (so her car is facing me) and stole the pump position I was driving into, I had to wait for her to fill and pay and return (I'm in a 2 ton van with a trailer and not many options on the forecourt), then she gestured for me to reverse so she could depart via the entrance - it was the end of a frustrating day and she got 1 finger in response

[Gerrycan]

If you are going to have a car with a powerful engine then it should have AWD to put that power down effectively and if you need versatility then it has to be a wagon and I think the price of the Golf R and what it provides is quite reasonable. That one thing that impacts on that logic is the available budget.

Another selection factor is your driving environment.
~85% of my driving time is in urban environs and ~30% of my driving mileage is on long straight speed restricted single highways in/out of Adelaide. Neither of which places any real demands on the handling or available power of my 1.4tsi wagon. So it suits my requirements.
Of course if I lived in the Adelaide Hills then I would love a bit more power, AWD and better handling.

[shakespeare]

I have a Golf R wagon and love it, practical, quick, fun etc.

We have children but they're no longer babies so the Wagon is good for hauling all their gear around (12 and 14 year olds school and sports bags and other stuff fill up the boot pretty quickly)

When my Son was born we had a 1994 Honda Civic sedan which we didn't want to replace so we actually purchased our pram and baby equipment with the boot dimensions in mind - opening space etc. this suited us really well until the 2nd child came along and ended up getting a 2003 Mazda 6 hatch which was great for swallowing all the extra gear - double pram etc.

My advice is get (or keep) the car you really want, and don't overburden yourself with kid's paraphernalia the less you have the easier it is to be mobile and do stuff outdoors with your new bub! Congrats btw.

[woofy]

We had a 323 sedan that had a reasonable boot, but being a sedan had the lip you had to make sure the pram fitted under. We bought seats and prams to fit the car not really the other way around. And then we got a Mazda 6 and everything was awesome, Same with the hatch/sedan Octavia RS.

[afterdarker]

Yeah! Last Thursday I had a shocking day - due to 5 mom's in SUV's
Three of them cut the corner coming towards me, they made no attempt to alleviate the situation, I had to perform avoiding reactions
One drove into the trailer I was towing, she didn't even stop, just drove off as if nothing had happened
Finally, driving into the petrol station, a mom in a SUV quickly entered via the exit (so her car is facing me) and stole the pump position I was driving into, I had to wait for her to fill and pay and return (I'm in a 2 ton van with a trailer and not many options on the forecourt), then she gestured for me to reverse so she could depart via the entrance - it was the end of a frustrating day and she got 1 finger in response

Have to agree. Moms in SUVs are especially scary when you are on a motorbike. With a car full of kids they get distracted and drive erratically or poorly and also often aggressively in their bloody SUVs, they often exercise poor judgement and useless spatial sense and just don't look. We have a child care centre near my workplace and some of the mothers coming and going especially when rushed (which is mostly) you would hardly believe - some are dead set killers on the road. I guess men can be just as bad, but a Mum with kids on board... you expect better driving, but you seldom see it.

I really hate the Aussie obsession with these SUV **** urban vehicles. I just came back from a trip to Scandinavia and a country like Finland, there are SFA SUVs on the road compared to here, and yet it snows 6 months of the year just about over there! Also just spent a week in Taiwan I don't think I saw one of the **** things. What is it with the SUV love here??

[sillyboy]

Yeah! Last Thursday I had a shocking day - due to 5 mom's in SUV's
Three of them cut the corner coming towards me, they made no attempt to alleviate the situation, I had to perform avoiding reactions
One drove into the trailer I was towing, she didn't even stop, just drove off as if nothing had happened
Finally, driving into the petrol station, a mom in a SUV quickly entered via the exit (so her car is facing me) and stole the pump position I was driving into, I had to wait for her to fill and pay and return (I'm in a 2 ton van with a trailer and not many options on the forecourt), then she gestured for me to reverse so she could depart via the entrance - it was the end of a frustrating day and she got 1 finger in response

You sir have the patience of a saint! Moms in SUVs think they are invincible, They drive like the own the road, or heavily distracted while they are driving.

Back to the topic itself, I'd say go test drive both the RS and the R wagon(probably very hard to find one now), major differences between the 2 is the Haldex, AWD meaning you can trash it abit when it's wet, and win some traffic light grand pix, wet and dry. In gear accelerations feel similar between the 2, as torque figure are similar, R has 30nm extra torque that comes in slightly later than the RS, but R wagon is heavier. Extra room in the RS wagon probably won't make too much differences in your everyday life. Fit and finish are also similar inside, R wagon might be slightly more up market, but they are pretty much the same thing(centre consoles are exactly the same, I actually like the RS's seats more than the R's).

So ultimately, it would be to save $20k or to have all weather traction(AWD). Pick one and don't look back.

As someone mentioned earlier, it would be much easier if Octavia can offer a 162 TSI with Haldex.

[brad]

That's some solid confirmation bias lads.

We've had the lot - wagons (all sizes), sedans, hatches, SUVs (5 & 7 seat) and several people movers.

As a family truckster the people mover wins.

[ReeceR]

Hi guys,

I was in the same position as OP and went with the Golf R Wagon. I based my decision on a few things:

1. I love driving, so if I'm going to buy a new car that I'm going to drive every other day, then why not buy the one I really want to own and will enjoy driving.
2. Having kids is part of life and I didn't want to let that weigh too heavily on my selection, as long as the car ticked all the boxes ie. practicality, size, performance, aesthetics, enjoyment factor (not in that particular order. I also live around the city, so parking was also a consideration.
3. The Golf wagon swallows anything I need to throw into it for a growing family - or worst case, I'll put it on the roof. The Golf looks great with a capsule or bike racks up top.
3. I could have made any number of arguments for settling with the Octavia, but ultimately it came down to whether or not the driving performance, aesthetics and the VW badge was important enough to spend the extra $15-20k. For me it was.

This may all be for nought, because you might be hard pressed to find a Golf R Wagon.

Hope this helps.

Nolte, what did you end up paying for yours? I've been quoted 68k for a white one including sunroof.

[tigger73]

Nolte, what did you end up paying for yours? I've been quoted 68k for a white one including sunroof.

These are pretty much going for the RRP + extras + dealer delivery. Different dealers will charge slightly more or less for the dealer delivery and this is about the only thing that is negotiable on the car.

If you wanted to talk them down on the dealer delivery I'd be asking them what the cost is for delivery on a Golf 92TSI manual and what extra you'd be getting for your Golf for the additional charge.

I know some dealers were charging a serious premium on the dealer delivery on these cars due to the high demand. They can't legally charge more than the RRP so this is how they were gouging the customer.

[Mcsteve]

To respond with my own bias, get a RS. badge cred and awd at a premium of $20k simply isn't needed for a brilliant car when a RS wagon can be had at $45k.
Forget the suv crowd, they drive like buses and lack any practical space. If you've got money to burn, grab the wolfsburg, brilliant, but pricey for a gulf.


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[Aztech]

Just having a read through this and thought I'd chime in as an owner of both a Stage 1 147tsi Tiguan and Stage 1 147tsi Octavia RS hatch. My girlfriend drives the Tig most of the time and the RS is my daily driver. I had them both around 12 months now and driven the tig about 10,000 and the RS about 25,000 so have a good feel for each. I find when I drive one for a while I get in the other and love the way it drives, both have different pro's and con's. Here's my opinion of each one compared to the other:

Tiguan 147TSI Stage 1 - 7 speed auto

Pros:
- nice ride comfort, great in traffic being up higher
- with the stage 1 its surprising quick for an SUV, particularly love the torque in the mid range, recently did a run down the coast road in northern NSW, passing slow vehicles going up hill from 80kmh and got to 120-130 in a matter of seconds, bloke in the x3 diesel behind me couldn't come close
- AWD is great when taking off, even in the wet I can floor it and very confidently stays on the road, barely notice the difference from a dry road
- easily go over gutters and rough terrain etc
- gear box is very smooth and engages the moment you take your foot off the brake

Cons:
- not a lot of luggage space
- a fair amount of body roll around corners
- fuel economy uses around 40% more than the RS with the same motor
- occasionally I find myself on a hill where the car doesnt change down to first at low speed and the car makes a terrible sound, I even find I need to manually change down, if driving up a steep mountain road I will usually use sports mode to avoid this and keep the revs up a bit nicer

Octavia 147TSI Stage 1 - 6 speed auto

Pros:
- performance, handling
- practicality, even in hatch mode absolutely owns the tiguan for storage, moved house recently surprised everyone that was helping at how much we fitted it in
- sound system, I have aftermarket systems in both and the acoustics in the octavia are better to my ears by far
- fuel economy, i do around 50/50 street/highway now, the RS sits around 6.8L/100, the tig about 9.1, when I lived in the city the RS averaged 8.8 and the tig around 12.3
- excellent gear box always seems to select the right gear, flappy paddles are fun but hardly ever use them

Cons:
- much rougher ride, feel every little bump
- low clearance means more care taken in car parks etc
- front wheels drive, hard to get the power down taking off especially in the wet
- gear box has a slight delay engaging when taking foot off the brake, can cause a shudder when not use to it if you give it too much throttle

Overall my recommendation for the kids would be the RS Wagon if you're happy with the firm ride. I find it fine when I drive but does bother me if I'm a passenger.

[tigger73]

Nice review Aztech - pretty much sums it up.

Stick a rear sway bar in your Tig and it'll solve 90% of your body roll issues. Agree on the fuel usage but that is the penalty for running an AWD system and a car that punches through the air like a brick. A DSG tune will fix the gear selection issues and make it a lot more pleasant to drive.

I went for a short test drive in an RS Octavia when I was looking at replacing my daily driver earlier in the year but I've also driven the Mk7 GTI, GTI PP and Scirocco R on VW Driving Experience days. I have to say that the thing I disliked about all these cars is the axle tramp off the line. Now I know you get used to it and have to moderate the application of your right foot, however it's the problem of powerful FWD cars that they just can't get the power to the ground as well as an AWD.

I drive my wife's stock 155TSI Tiguan on VW cruises through the Adelaide hills and people are genuinely surprised at how much get up and go that the car has. The extra weight is offset by the fact that you can get the power down a whole lot better out of the corners. My old stage 2 Tig would leave a lot of FWD cars scrambling to catch up. If you add in a damp road, corner and a bit of an incline and you leave them for dead...

In conclusion it sounds like you need to get yourself a supercharged Audi RS4 Avant with a non-res exhaust

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