Golf R -v- Golf GTI

[worx]

so much GTI love, well.. if an R owner wants to swap - send a PM.. il take it lol.

Swap for FWD and smaller turbo. No way.

[Vaku]

Swap for FWD and smaller turbo. No way.

Obviously no one would take up the offer..

[AdamD]

Where I found the R much better was in the power available on tap. Corner to corner acceleration was superior to the GTi and the main straight saw me traveling at 197km/hr... Could've hit 200+ but got told to brake

Good insights mate, thanks for sharing!

There's no question, that K04 has the beans on the track. An extra 15km/h terminal speed is pretty huge.

[sabloke]

Don't know about you guys but I haven't bought my car for commuting. Instead, my criteria was "best handling-fun-grip-sound-feel bang for buck" for Adelaide Hills roads driving on the weekend. If I was to buy a car to commute in I'd put my money on a small turbo diesel like the Fiesta or the Polo.

[AdamD]

Don't know about you guys but I haven't bought my car for commuting. Instead, my criteria was "best handling-fun-grip-sound-feel bang for buck" for Adelaide Hills roads driving on the weekend. If I was to buy a car to commute in I'd put my money on a small turbo diesel like the Fiesta or the Polo.

I do quite a bit of commuting in my Golf, but not much of it is peak-hour traffic. I reckon it's close to the perfect commuter: extremely comfortable, very tractable, economical, roomy and fairly quiet, and with a great sound system. Best of all, when I feel like commuting a little quicker, it happily obliges and is a hoot. Greenhill Rd, Corkscrew Rd... just brilliant.

That's what the GTI and the R are all about. They both play those dual roles superbly - for those of us who need to commute, and can only manage/justify one car.

[worx]

Obviously no one would take up the offer..

Maybe if the GTI had a R body kit

[Sammy125TDi]

Combine what sabloke and Maverick said and you have why the GTI is "better" than the R in the daily commute.
They're practically the same car (from an interior point of view) so they're both as comfortable and as pleasant to be in as one another. But the GTI has lower fuel consumption and is more responsive at low RPMs. The qualities which would normally make the R better than the GTI cannot be used when you're surrounded by traffic.

So whilst I'm a R owner, I can completely admit that when we're stuck at 50km/h in day to day traffic, the GTI has a few advantages
Get out onto the open road or race track in the wet, and we've got another story to be told

Having driven both, the GTI is probably a better 'daily' than the R... its lighter, better off boost and lighter on fuel. The R does get up and move, but you really need to lean on it, and generally by that time you are moving at a serious rate.

I chose to modify my GTI to exceed the power levels of the R, and aside from traction issues, its really the best of both worlds.. nothing makes you giggle like the traction control lighting up in 4th gear.

[dave_r]

I’ve driven two R’s with 235/35 tyres and one R with 225/40 tyres. The wider 235/35 feels as if it has more side-wall tyre flex around than the 225/40 (18” and 19”) when pressing on in corners, reducing the steering response and vehicle alacrity in short and sharp directional changes.

Were they the same brand of tyres? What tyre pressure? I can't see the average bloke being able to tell the difference here really?

I don't think it's a case of the R not being "good" at the daily commute. Just the GTI (K03) probably being a better option as it's lighter, considerably more fuel efficient, and also much more responsive within the rev range that you typically spend all your time in traffic in, especially in a DSG - i.e. <2500rpm.

0.5L/100km better maybe? blah! And response doesn't really count for **** if you're stuck in peak hour traffic. If you're not, then the R's higher rpm figure doesn't matter anyway

[Corey_R]

nah - we're talking a few to several litres

I'm currently running at an average of ~2L/100km more than I used to get with my Stage 2 MKV GTI. There have been economy improvements with the MK6 GTI due to its new engine (R has an upgraded MKV GTI engine + K04 turbo), so I'd say that it would be even more.

I know a lot of you guys came over from Subies and Falcons and Commodores and are so impressed with the R's fuel economy. But having come from other VW's, I'm of the "meh" to disappointed scale with it.

[dave_r]

Hehe I was being sarcastic but yeh I don't subscribe to the A-B method of economical transport!

The fact it can do 12-14L/100 and still be hammered around is just a bonus. I've had cars with much worse (ave 20 in XR6T) and much better (ave 8 in some honda pos) but I just see it as altering the time difference between servo visits. It really shouldn't have a bearing on why an R or GTI is better than the other.

[SilvrFoxX]

I know a lot of you guys came over from Subies and Falcons and Commodores and are so impressed with the R's fuel economy.

You can say that again.. the Subie drinks like a fish

[Finance_Analyst]

surprised no one has brought up the AWD running costs issue - it costs more to maintain over the long term due to more moving parts, different running gear, even the wheel alignment is more expensive. Most suby owners notice this cost and cringe.... (Like myself when I had a 2.5L Liberty). Factor in that you also lose some space with the AWD setup...

As a daily run about, the GTI is a far more cost effective car from fuel consumption and servicing plus depreciation in the long run - but as I am a chartered accountant by trade, I really do look at the $$$ and all.......

[Corey_R]

It really shouldn't have a bearing on why an R or GTI is better than the other.

Well, not getting into recent articles which state that fuel consumption is now the first thing car purchasers are looking at (cause I kinda disagree with them), but note that I was talking about "daily commuter", and not "overall" best.

[mebius9]

Golf R doesn't seem all that much faster then GTI... I know the numbers suggest otherwise but that's how I felt.

Though R seemed to have a lot more grip through the corners.

[dave_r]

surprised no one has brought up the AWD running costs issue

Ignorance is bliss on that front and I'm sure my accountant (sister) will correct that, damn you bean counters

Well, not getting into recent articles which state that fuel consumption is now the first thing car purchasers are looking at (cause I kinda disagree with them)

Not everyone is an enthusiast or enjoys driving, so not that surprising really.