Golf R Observations and Questions

[Corey_R]

Cool video! Looks like awesome fun!

[DDTW]

Nice! Only one exhaust tip for the R?

[Fab_R]

Nice! Only one exhaust tip for the R?

yeah they ran out of time to make it twin outlet.

its almost a full straight thru system with one muffler.

[Ryan_R]

Looks cool - I don't know who has the harder job, though (driving or navigating all those turns)
If I could I'd have the sat nav in there

[shakespeare]

Looks cool - I don't know who has the harder job, though (driving or navigating all those turns)
If I could I'd have the sat nav in there

I can imaging the sat nav soft slowly spoken female voice, "in 300metres make a left turn....." but since you were going at 160kph plus you miss your turn, "if possible make a U-turn and avoid crashing into the next competitor..." :p

[Ryan_R]

Hehe - nah I wouldn't have the voice enabled - just to see the turns coming up similar to how most racing games have some sort of map on screen.

[Big_Dave]

How are you guys finding the car in the wet?

First real wet day in Brisbane today since getting the car.

Wow, geez it handles well, in the old car i had to watch it going round corners, not in the R.
just driven down the bruce highway in pelting rain, and it was totaly stress free.
Very safe feeling car.

Sorry for the rant, but really surprised me.

[shakespeare]

How are you guys finding the car in the wet?

First real wet day in Brisbane today since getting the car.

Wow, geez it handles well, in the old car i had to watch it going round corners, not in the R.
just driven down the bruce highway in pelting rain, and it was totaly stress free.
Very safe feeling car.

Sorry for the rant, but really surprised me.

Not a rant at all mate! I love AWD in the wet, especially when there is a turbo attached FYI My MPS6 had immense grip and I'm pleased to note the R is just as good if not better, enjoy mate!

[Mr_Bob]

it's definately a well planted car, always feels sure footed.
Subarus give you the same confidence in the wet

Unfortunately it can lull you into a false sense of security, and when something lets go, it really lets go.
ultimately, if conditions are poor it's wise to be cautious

[Ideo]

The Haldex system in the R is a lot more confidence inspiring in the wet than in the S3. Still not as good as permanent AWD though.

[SilvrFoxX]

it's definately a well planted car, always feels sure footed.
Subarus give you the same confidence in the wet

Unfortunately it can lull you into a false sense of security, and when something lets go, it really lets go.
ultimately, if conditions are poor it's wise to be cautious

QFT.. I love my Liberty in the wet, feels like it is in the dry and everyone is just in the way

[SilvrFoxX]

Just came back from the dealership, had to drop my son off at a party close by so thought it might be good to go and have a look as I havn't been in an R for 6 months.

The Dealership had 2 on display a Black 5 door DSG with cloth seats and a United grey with Leather Manual. The Black had 19" black Teles and the Grey silver 18s. Willy for the record the black on black looks really good, I know I tease but damn it looks the shiz, must be because it was a 5 door .

Being this far from the giddy emotion of signing a contract yet so close to taking delivery it gave me a chance to review the car in a different light. Coming from the Liberty I was a little concerned about interior space and boot capacity, well really no need the back seats are fine, they sit higher that the Lib but more than enough leg room.

Cloth seats.. personal choice but having a chance to sit in both the cloth items are just more padded and more comfortable. I guess those with leather would say they wear in. I really do like the sliver perforated pattern and slashes in the seat as it lightens the cabin moreso than the black leather. I had wanted leather and compromised because of price, however very happy with the outcome.

The telescopic, adjustable steering wheel is great, you can get such a nice driving position, those paddles are for midgets or children, probably going to have look at getting the aftermarket item. Manual v DSG.. meh I think the drive in the manual would be fun , just old and lazy so as happy with my choice.

Fold down seats, what a treat, the Subaru only had a centre fold down so it was good for skis and that was it. This makes the back just so versatile. I guess the AWD draws on some space in the boot area but as I am the only one in the car it is not a big issue. I think I would have preferred some storage compartments on the side or under the rear floor well to put things like jumper leads and such but it looks like VW have optimised what is there already.

The rear privacy cover looks a bit flimsy, I noticed on both display models the string/cord was broken which doesn't bode well. I checked the internals of the door pockets and they are all carpeted, I thought these were just going to be plastic, the rear one just serves no purpose whatsoever.

19s over 18s, $1500 for an inch.. the black items on the black version looked full in the wheel arch, the silver ones on the Grey looked more than adequate. Again still happy with the choice though can understand why folk want the larger ones.

All in all the doubts about the car that swirl around your head when waiting such a long time can be eased with a simple vists. 20 minutes and my fix complete I should be right for another 6-7 weeks before I pick mine up.. but I know it will be a better experience because it is the best colour of all.. Rising Blue

[age100]

Our Golf R now has 3000km on it and is getting quicker as it loosens up. It is amazingly quick on tight winding mountain roads and is far quicker than the big bikes one finds on these roads! The cornering power is like araldite on plywood. It sticks like cement. All systems and controls work perfectly and the car has no faults for any warranty claims. It has no rattles or squeaks and is very comfortable. Just a fantastic car with amazing performance and handling. We are very happy customers of VW Australia.

l bikes Vs cars can be fun in the twisties, but my KTM (950sm) would suck the mirrors from my R as it goes by the launch out of the corners is awesome. I’m way quicker on the bike but then I'm Ex bike racer and only consider ok driver. Perhaps a session on the track is what I need...any suggestions?Age

[Corey_R]

Even the most expensive and fastest bikes in the world are nothing against some of the cheapest cars in the world....

Just check the Eastern Creek lap records if you don't believe me
500cc Grand Prix bike, 1.30.360
Superkart, 1:28.7243

[alexp]

on an unrelated topic,I found my factory fitted parking sensors on the Golf R annoyingly loud.
Went to a nearby service centre .
They plugged in the diagnostic unit.
There are approx 10 different adjustable settings including pitch and volume for front and back individually and sensitivity.
My settings from the factory was a volume of 8 out of a max of 9.
I had them turned down to a volume of 4/9 so a lot more bearable.
This was done free of charge.