Golf R Observations and Questions

[PhillipAudiDealer]

Did 150km on my R today and have a few questions. I've read the owners manual front to back but it hasn't answered all my questions.

-I've seen people talking about V3 maps for the RNS510, how do I know what version I have?
-I didn't get any DVD of the maps with the car, should I have?
-Am I right in thinking voice control isn't fitted to my car? Does it come with the Bluetooth option or something?
-The 'workaround' I found on youtube to allow DVD's to be played while the car is moving (press voice control button followed by tone button) doesn't work on my car. Is there any other workaround that will allow me to have the DVD running while driving? (for the passenger of course).
-I have seen people mention new firmware versions for the MDI and RNS, should I be doing this?
-Every online review says it has a 55L fuel tank, the manual says 60L, can anyone confirm?
-I think I read that the DSG clutched are designed to last the life of the engine and shouldn't need replacing. Does this mean you can use launch control as much as you like without wearing anything out?

Now for my observations...

Overall awesome. Comparing to my previous cars, an MY03 and MY08 WRX.
Handling of the Golf is far superior. ACC is the best option ever, the comfort option makes it very 'relaxed' to drive round town, while sport mode is great for when you want to attack a few corners, nowhere near as much body roll as the WRX and far more grip. To anyone considering the R I wouldn't bother getting it without ACC if you're serious about your driving.
The steering is quite heavy and is taking some getting used to. There have been a few occasions when I have used my 'muscle memory' from the WRX to turn into a familiar corner and ended up not turning in anywhere near enough. I live in a highrise and my parking is 7 levels underground, my arms are tired by the time I get out of the carpark with all the turning involved. No doubt I will get used to it.
The DSG is both the best and worst feature of the car. In manual mode it is incredible, gear changes are just so smooth and quick, I still get blown away going up through the gears from a standing start (haven't used launch control yet, running it in a bit first). But drive and sport mode let it down.
Drive mode changes up way too early, 6th gear at 45kmh? really? It feels like the engine is laboring the whole time. If you actually want to accelerate you have to put your foot down a long long way. On the other hand I was impressed with D when I was going down a long downhill in an 80 zone. I dabbed the brake and it dropped to 5th, still going too fast I braked again and it dropped to 4th, it then held 4th even after I took my foot off the brake which gave me the engine braking I wanted, I had thought it would go back to 6th after I stopped braking.
Sport mode is the total opposite of Drive... It just never changed up gear!! It wont go from 3rd to 4th until 65-70kmh, at which point it in doing near 4000rpm. It will only go to 4th if you're not touching either pedal, as soon as you touch either the brake or accelerator it drops back to 3rd!!
Basically I want a mode inbetween the two!! I want something that doesn't sound like I'm revving the engine the entire time, but will actually give me some power when I want it. I want 4th gear in a 50 zone and 5th gear in a 60 zone, unfortunately the only options the auto modes give you are 6th or 3rd in both.

Voice control works on all Nav cars fitted after week46 last year.. As long as its a factory fitted option. Blutooth need not be installed to work as mic is already there in all Nav Fitted week 46 cars. (Golf , Passat , Eos , Tiguan , Jetta) . Does not allow for voice entered street directions because here in aus are maps are not as well programmed (whereis software) as say europe. Version 3 is availble now and its list price is 490 ish plus gst. All cars in the last 4 weeks should have had Version 3 put into. Please see your dealer for your disk if it is not in your glove box. Hope this helps all cheers.

[elisiX]

hmm.. I picked up my GTI 20th May - no CD in the glove box - no idea what version its running.

2010 built GTI obviously. I wonder if I should have V3 included or provided to me at this stage.

[Treza360]

With the R32s it was normal to have the front about 2PSI higher than the rear due to the nose heavy nature of them. With the R being much less so I'd be inclined to having the same PSI all the way around.
Cheers,
Trent

[HPSOV]

The little placard says 39 psi all round for normal weights. Up to 42/43 for a fully laden car. Just checked and mine are 36.5 all round as received from the dealer.

[Corey_R]

Thanks for the info on PSI's Treza and HPSOV

[Idle]

hmm.. I picked up my GTI 20th May - no CD in the glove box - no idea what version its running.

2010 built GTI obviously. I wonder if I should have V3 included or provided to me at this stage.

I think you should certainly have V3 installed — probably also the CD for it supplied (you should have received a CD with the car — did you?)

My TDI just had its first service and they upgraded the satnav to V3 when I grizzled about all the mapping errors I was finding — some of them are fixed in V3 but not all ( last Saturday it piloted me into the delivery area of a K-Mart store and wanted me to turn left through the brick wall of the shop — the street I should have been in was 100 metres away and once I got into the right street it knew where my destination street number was.)

Still doesn't include lots of country roads that our cheap portable device knows all about, either (and both units have maps from the same source (Sensis/Whereis) so you'd think they'd be identical.)

As the Yanks say, "go figure".

[HPSOV]

Voice control works on all Nav cars fitted after week46 last year..

Thanks for that. My voice control would always give me 'The currently selected language is not supported'. I went into the language setting and it was on 'English (male)', so I changed it to 'English' and voice control works now. But as you say it doesn't support voice control for Nav so its not of that much use.
I have emailed the dealer regarding the Nav DVD and version.


I'm getting more used to the DSG, todays hiccup was me thinking I was in manual, accelerating off the lights and pushing the gear lever forward for second. Unfortunately I was in D and ended up in Neutral with a revving engine and some funny looks.....
I have also found a major problem with the car that I'm not sure I can live with. The horn. It is the most pathetic, high pitched, wussy, girly horn I have ever heard!!!!!

[G-rig]

Isn't the horn like the GTI, 2 tone euro sounding?

That's easy enough to change anyway, I wouldn't sell the car lol.

[PhillipAudiDealer]

Thanks for that. My voice control would always give me 'The currently selected language is not supported'. I went into the language setting and it was on 'English (male)', so I changed it to 'English' and voice control works now. But as you say it doesn't support voice control for Nav so its not of that much use.
I have emailed the dealer regarding the Nav DVD and version.


I'm getting more used to the DSG, todays hiccup was me thinking I was in manual, accelerating off the lights and pushing the gear lever forward for second. Unfortunately I was in D and ended up in Neutral with a revving engine and some funny looks.....
I have also found a major problem with the car that I'm not sure I can live with. The horn. It is the most pathetic, high pitched, wussy, girly horn I have ever heard!!!!!

You can tell the Nav to turn map on and off though and change scale as well as change compass and also givee verbal radio functions like change station to gold fm.. Even screen off. Even track changes. . Not all bad news.. I have not tried Points of interest on the new version three like petrol stations or Canberra International airport. Try those things and let me know how you go.. All my cars with nav are still in transport mode so I can't try it.. The working one I have is in the showroom so it can't see the sky.. lol

[elisiX]

I've used Nav a few times to give me the best route home when I am somewhere random.

It's programmed to know my voice for "Navigation" and then.. "Home".. it takes me home as I saved my address.

[G-rig]

No, Not with Sport mode. Shifting the gear lever into Sport or into Tiptronic overrides the action of the paddles. The car will take its primary instructions from the location of the shift lever.

I just tested it on the way home, and you can definitely override D and S mode with the paddles, and also hold down the upshift paddle to get back to D and S auto modes...

[entice]

S Mode is brilliant....

For running the engine in.
I wouldnt want it to labour around at low revs at run in.


Dunno about you guys, But I found that the DSG pattern of change has altered since delivery of teh vehicle.. Or maybe I have...

[HPSOV]

I just discovered another feature of my car!
Despite having 18" wheels I have the black headlights! I only realised when I read on another forum that only the 19" wheels come with the wheel arch lips, but I thought hmmm I have the wheel arch lips. So straight to the garage and sure enough, black headlights, wheel arch lips and missing screws from the wheel arches.
When I picked the car up I did read something in the dealers paperwork that said 'wheel swap', I asked what that was and she just said it came with 19" wheels but they swapped them onto another car. I never put two and two together to realise that meant I got black headlights! I always thought my car looked better than the others

[G-rig]

Well depends what you wanted, there could be a fair bit of wheel swaping going on soon i feel.. not everyone wants 19" or black headlights.

[Corey_R]

Yeah - glad you like the black headlights... I'm not a fan, especially on the Rising Blue