Golf R Observations and Questions

[Corey_R]

Aaah nice shots! And best of all, they're all 3 door models

[REXman]

Damn they look nice! The 3 door def looks better. Shame I was a sensible ****er and bought the 5dr

Even the White with silvers look great!!

[G-rig]

Agree they do look a bit better in 3dr but you lose some functionality so have to get what suits you.

Not sure if they look better with sunroof or not. A painted/vinyl black roof would look pretty hot too.

[Corey_R]

If you have a Candy White R, get both! The sunroof AND the roof painted black!

[dave_r]

LOL, sounds like you're ready for you R Dave... Should be worth the wait.

Agree, need more pics. Here are a few i found on the net in the mean time:

LOL that's why I said the owners here had to start posting, I already have every R photo from the net in a folder on my desktop

I'd like to see some more blue R's locally in 3dr and some sunlight. I think the reason I disliked it so much was because I still haven't seen one on a nice day, only overcast and to me it was rather dull. But some of the photos from O/S in full sunlight make it look great.

(yes this is what happens when you are forced to wait so long, the brain starts thinking of other options and combos....)

[Corey_R]

I personally like the R32's blue better, but blue is my favourite colour, so I'd have gone with Rising Blue almost no matter what!

Here's photos I took of the R at Eastern Creek on a cold winter's day a few weeks ago. Sky was pretty clear though, and I took these with a Canon IXUS 990 point-and-click...

[Muppet]

Deffo think the 3dr looks the best and will probably be my choice when I get one.

May be a daft question, but all this talk of APR upgrades, this would no doubt ruin your warranty no?

[G-rig]

The MK6 R does look better in 3dr whereas the MK5 R32 looked good in either 3 or 5dr IMO.

Also not sold on the blue compared to Deep Blue Pearl.

[Prodigy]

I personally like the R32's blue better, but blue is my favourite colour, so I'd have gone with Rising Blue almost no matter what!

Here's photos I took of the R at Eastern Creek on a cold winter's day a few weeks ago. Sky was pretty clear though, and I took these with a Canon IXUS 990 point-and-click...

I agree, prefer the R32 blue over the R but alas i love blue cars (this would be my 3rd out of the last 4 i owned) hence why i went blue again. I think even in one of my early posts on here i even stated i was going to pick the white over the blue when i ordered one..

Looking at those pictures of the R i am sooo glad i picked 19" rims as an option, those 18" look tiny, especially side on..

[AdamD]

(Yet) Another R Opinion, from a MkVI GTI driver

I called by my dealership today, and my salesman threw me the keys to their demo R (silver 5dr DSG, black 19s, ACC). I figured I'd post my observations, particularly with regard to some recent points of contention on the forums, and from the perspective of (yet another) new MkVI GTI owner.

I didn't notice any difference between the GTI and the R with respect to the DSG clutch/1st gear engagement delay on take-off, and I was paying close attention. Both are excellent in this regard, when compared to my recollections of the MkV GTI. There is a minor hesitation, but it's minimised when you're harder on the throttle (which, incidentally, speeds up the shifts on both cars).

The exhaust note (at suburban speeds) is just right - meaty and properly sporty, without drawing too much attention. As much as I love the exhaust in my GTI, the R really improves on it.

The brake feel and performance is quite different: the pedal feel is firmer and without the initial soft sponginess in the travel I've noticed on my car. The brake strength is also excellent - amazingly confidence inspiring. I see the brakes as one of the best points of difference between the GTI and the R.

The ride, even on the 19s, is impressive. In Comfort mode it rides more comfortably than my non-ACC GTI on 17s, and in Normal mode it is certainly no worse. There's less firmness transmitted over short sharp bumps, and less bodyroll on power turn-in. Interestingly, pitch under brakes felt about the same.

Power on-boost is about what I'd expect. Strong, without being scary or laugh-out-loud fast. A stage 1, on the other hand, may well have me in fits of laughter.

Now to the few negatives. The lag is significant. One of the best attributes of the GTI is its eagerness just about anywhere in the rev range, even from a standstill on a light throttle. This is missing from the R, and when you're cruising at a fixed speed off-boost, the car feels much more docile. During (relatively) normal acceleration this R was fairly revvy even in drive, so it felt fine once above 25km/h or so - it may be that the standard shift points for the R are intentionally more aggressive (to suit the car's characteristics and also the target owner's preferences), but I can't really draw any conclusions about that from a demo that is almost certainly thrashed day in day out.

The R also feels less playful in slow, tight and darty corners than the GTI. It's certainly fast, and I believe it understeers less too, but I couldn't get the back end to move much at all, despite provocation, under heavy braking or under power. It's hugely impressive, and that handling performance is very accessible; I'm not sure it's any more fun.

And that, for me, is really the crux of the matter. The R is fast and addictive when you're having a go, but is just that little bit less than I'd hoped for when you're not. For this reason it's tempting to push harder than you otherwise might in a GTI. I walked away feeling I'd be bound to lose points pretty quickly if I bought an R, whereas I'm always smiling under the limit in my car.

I think the R is well priced in comparison to a GTI (and I think both are relative bargains for what they offer). What I don't think is that the R can be simply classified as better or offering more of everything - it's a different car, that suits different driving conditions and driving styles. I wouldn't say it's the automatic choice for a GTI buyer with more cash. I would say it's a fantastic car and I loved driving it. I wouldn't say I'd choose it over a GTI for all drives, but for some I would, no question.

(From what I've read, the APR stage 1 flash for the R may well reduce lag and improve driveability below 2500rpm. If this is the case, I'd say it's a must-have for anyone who does regular suburban commuting, even if it added nothing to the top end - and it clearly does.)

[Corey_R]

Nice observations AdamD. I agree, I don't think that any GTI owner should feel bad for the choice that they're made, it's a fine car, especially for every day driving. I also agree that a Stage I flash should be factored in as part of the R purchase for any enthusiast (and that was very much in mind during my test drive). I had already driven an Audi S3 and a GTI Pirelli in the past, so the lag in the R was neither a surprise or a concern to me

[AdamD]

Nice observations AdamD. I agree, I don't think that any GTI owner should feel bad for the choice that they're made, it's a fine car, especially for every day driving. I also agree that a Stage I flash should be factored in as part of the R purchase for any enthusiast (and that was very much in mind during my test drive). I had already driven an Audi S3 and a GTI Pirelli in the past, so the lag in the R was neither a surprise or a concern to me

Thanks coreying! I certainly didn't want to engage in any GTI or R bashing, and think both models are fantastic at what they do, for different reasons. No-one who drives both and chooses one will be disappointed with their choice!

Your R will be a cracking drive with the Stage I (or II, or III)!

[Corey_R]

I'm definitely thinking Stage II with the associated "recommended parts" is the way to go with the R. The R's intercooler appears to be either the same as the MK6 GTI or the MKV Pirelli, making it quite a bit smaller than the S3's intercooler. So the APR Intercooler will be quite a good upgrade. The downpipe & hi-flow cat abd Carbonio intake are also great upgrades for obvious reasons. Since I was always budgeting for R32 prices, the fact that the R came in under the R32 in price (even after factoring in the leather), it basically covers the cost to go from Stage I to II


To be fair, if I had purchased the GTI, I would've done the same upgrades anyway (but definitely gone the full RSC exhaust rather than just the downpipe)

[G-rig]

Great review Adam. 100% agree that the R isn't automatically better in every way just because it costs more. Around town and everyday driving the GTI could well be better.

Just went for a blast in the mountains and not sure i want to sell the GTI now!! The turbo spools up very fast and feels instant from any gear. The Stage 1 retune makes the GTI lot more fun.

Hopefully the retune does help some of the lag issues with the R but as people have said it could be somewhat limited by the hardware.

If you are intending on doing a lot of track work the R could be worth it, giving it some space to get into its power band with the higher speeds involved. May also save you upgrading the brakes and suspension but a lot of people upgrade those things anyway.

To be fair, if I had purchased the GTI, I would've done the same upgrades anyway (but definitely gone the full RSC exhaust rather than just the downpipe)

Those are the upgrades I'd get, full RSC and intake.. Would be a nice package and damn tempted to do it if i hold on to the car.

[shakespeare]

I agree, prefer the R32 blue over the R but alas i love blue cars (this would be my 3rd out of the last 4 i owned) hence why i went blue again. I think even in one of my early posts on here i even stated i was going to pick the white over the blue when i ordered one..

Looking at those pictures of the R i am sooo glad i picked 19" rims as an option, those 18" look tiny, especially side on..

Me too mate, this was exactly my thoughts when I looked at side on pics and when I sat in the showroom looking at the R with 18's

Thanks also Adam, great write up (need a Thanks button here guys - vBulletin has this feature)