Golf R -v- Golf GTI

[sabloke]

He he, I find this VW fundamentalism absolutely hilarious! Chill people Why do you keep bringing Renaults into the discussion when the thread is R vs GTI? It just happens I'm on Team GTI's side. That's because 1. Can't see the point of a T4 R (love the V6...) and 2. R's AWD fails to prove its advantage over good FWD cars, test after test and review after review. So stop bagging the GTI as if it is a lesser R or something when in fact it really is the smart man's fast Golf buy. That is my opinion, ful stop.
To be fair, if you want the fastest Golf there is, R's the way to go. Having said that, I still think GTI is a better deal overall.

@dave_r: funny to see you don't read my words even when you quoted me. Try read it first and reply after that.

@Justin Fox: I don't really care what you have to say about Renault or any other brand, really. I do believe that a true car enthusiast is not judging a car by looks alone. Am I wrong?

@REXman: imagine a world where there's only one Golf on the streets, the R. You'd like that, wouldn't you? Come on, admit it... People like me won't mix a 1.6 vanilla with the AWD beast then!

[Justin Fox]

@Justin Fox: I don't really care what you have to say about Renault or any other brand, really. I do believe that a true car enthusiast is not judging a car by looks alone. Am I wrong?

In my opinion, yes you are completely wrong. A car enthusiast can surely decide for themselves how much value they want to put into form or function. If a person is absolutely obsessed with an FD RX7's shape, maybe because it reminds him of a female body, and he chooses to put 100% of his value into it's form and negate it's function entirely, then who are you to say he is not a true car enthusiast?

[walbjj]

My brother is a huge ford mustang nuthugger. He has owned a 69 Mach 1, 97 Saleen gt convertible, and has an 01 cobra vert. He has just put money down on a 2011 Shelby gt500 vert. 3 month wait for it. He fully acknowledges it's downsides, poor handling, suspect build quality, etc. But he keeps rattling on about how a mustang enthusiast ignores all that just to own and drive a mustang
Plus it goes awesome in a straight line and cruises great

[Corey_R]

I know that Shelby has the name, but Roush builds the best Mustangs. They fix up those handling issues and give it practically as much power as the Shelby

[triode12]

Sabloke should have used 'driving enthusiast' instead of 'car enthusiast'. The term 'car enthusiast' is too broad and can encompass those who place more emphasis on looks of the car over performance and handling.

One could say that the Renaults are designed and built for driving enthusiasts in mind.

[sabloke]

Totally agree with you guys, totally agree. My bad, I meant driving enthusiast, not car enthusiast. I actually admire people that restore and look after classics, despite their infinite shortcomings regarding comfort, handling and reliability
If you're a driving enthusiast, judging a car by its looks alone is like saying you're an intellectual that devours books while selecting them by their cover. Or dismissing books just because were written by a French author and you don't like the French at all

[dave_r]

As a practical* driving enthusiast, I can acknowledge the great performance of many cars out there. But the point is, if the looks don't work for me, then I wouldn't spend my money buying one that I have to live with every day.

An RX-8 is probably a great drivers car once you get out in the twisties but it looks like a giant cock IMO. Things like Megane and Focus RS defy traditional FWD abilities with their trick setups but I don't like either anywhere near enough to spend any money on them. Didn't say they were crap, or their owners are retards but it doesn't make me any less of a driving enthusiast!

*I say practical because for most of us, having multiple cars to avoid compromise is prohibited for one reason or another.

[Corey_R]

Yep - I'm with you there dave_r. I know there better "drivers" cars than the Golf R - but I don't care because it's not an option for me. I need 1 car, and that is the R. The Clio and Megane could cost $10 for all I care - I'd still buy the R

[Fab_R]

Yep - I'm with you there dave_r. I know there better "drivers" cars than the Golf R - but I don't care because it's not an option for me. I need 1 car, and that is the R. The Clio and Megane could cost $10 for all I care - I'd still buy the R

Now thats passion right there for the R!!!

[bwen]

The Clio and Megane could cost $10 for all I care - I'd still buy the R

$10 is pretty cheap though, I would probably end up buying one

[sabloke]

Looks like Wheels rated the R higher than its GTI cousin in their latest hot hatch shootout (3rd and 6th of 11). Still not good enough to beat the RS250 though... Oh well, yet another review that disadvantaged the R then. Why? Why?

[Danny]

I'd definitely buy a Golf R for $10 Corey. In fact I'd buy a lot of cars for $10. Very cheap, and it would mean I'd have a Megane and a Golf R, and one of them cost a tad more than a Wheels Mag! Great idea.

[Beena]

Yep - I'm with you there dave_r. I know there better "drivers" cars than the Golf R - but I don't care because it's not an option for me. I need 1 car, and that is the R. The Clio and Megane could cost $10 for all I care - I'd still buy the R

My reasons for an R too!

I have had "the ultimate drivers car", a Lotus Elise, for 3 years but wanted something to be my one and only car - as fun as the Lotus on weekends, as practical as the Ute. The R was the only car that came close for a reasonable amount of money.

The Megane interior doesn't do it for me (neither does FWD...), the Evo and STI have awful interiors and agricultural construction for more money than the R, and the Focus is a blend of all 3 - horrible interior, FWD and expensive!

I drove a Megane, the STi and an Evo (couldn't even consider the. focus after seeing that interior...) and even though the Megane was fun, I'm sorry, but FWD is still a limitation when driven hard on slippery, bumpy streets. I just don't like the feel.

The R is certainly no Lotus and does feel a bit 'dead' at times, but it's comfy, really fast, practical, safe, and has heaps of toys inside!

[Corey_R]

Looks like Wheels rated the R higher than its GTI cousin in their latest hot hatch shootout (3rd and 6th of 11). Still not good enough to beat the RS250 though... Oh well, yet another review that disadvantaged the R then. Why? Why?

Alright sabloke, I think you've commented enough on the Renault, time for you to move along and the discussion of this thread to return to Golf R vs Golf GTI. Thanks for your input.

[Souljak]

Changing tracks here .. does anyone know if there is a difference in exhaust notes between the R and GTI? Youtube's not givin me any love