Quote:
Originally Posted by radiofrequency
The only hatchback I would currently consider is the Golf R. AWD, 300+ HP, high quality interior, superb handling - you get the picture. Though I do think that the final design of the Golf R was sent to VW's accounting department for final approval, and those folks decided to rework the design to make it as bland as possible. Although that does make it stealthy, unless you are a car guy, you really wouldn't know a Golf R from the base model Golf. So I am leaning toward the Golf R when what I really want is the M140i xDrive. I love the sweet silkiness of a BMW straight six; the effortless power of that motor is what caused me to buy my first BMW more than 25 years ago and currently has me driving my 8th BMW.
|
Unless you live in Canada or somewhere you have so much snow and sludge most of the year, you really do not need AWD.
After owning a brand new 2018 golf r, i have some things to report. It is a good car, really good car. It is quiet and can be practical, good on fuel when you are not driving it like you stole it, very slick looking.
Downsides, it is still a 4 cylinder turbo, there is no way around it. It is not smooth, you can feel it, refined maybe but not smooth (if that makes sense). Sounds like any other 4 cylinder turbo car (which we have plenty of).
It snowed very heavily here in Bavaria, i went for a drive in a BMW 340i and we had no issues at all in thick snow (granted correct tires/wheels matter). Drove the R on that exact road, same feeling.
The sound actuator (that silly hockey puck under the windscreen) failed twice, once at 1,500kms and once again at 2,000kms. It was replaced under warranty but when it failed again i just disconnected it. My dealership has a 3 week booking, so i did not bother waiting 3 weeks to sit for 2 hours to have them replace it.
As far as handling goes, mine came with horrible conti tires, body roll is a lot and on certain corners i did not feel confident at all. Other people that got the car with PSS are super happy, but i was not ready to spend €800+ on new tires on a new car which already had new tires.
The manual is horrible, no difference when shifting in a golf R, GTi or TDI, they all feel the same. The clutch is funky, till now it has an undecided bite, meaning sometimes i barely lift off the clutch and it bites, sometimes i lift a lot to get it to bite, very inconsistent (some users have deleted that check valve or remove a spring to get more direct feeling/response).
Interior is top notch, looks modern and classy at the same time, no complaints. However, i could not for the life of me, get my driver's seat just the way i want it. I am constantly moving slightly forward or backwards, side bolsters are not as supportive as i thought. Pedals have a weird spacing and heel and toe is more like side foot and toe, which is great on the street i guess, but when you need to stomp those brakes hard, it does not really work. This R really is designed for the DSG, you can feel it when driving. The electric steering (though good) is like i am playing a sim racing game with no forced feed back, just gets heavy and that's all (i can not believe chris harris said that steering feels good, maybe those press cars are calibrated differently or i got a lemon lol). The exhaust drone in race mode...it is really really bad, anywhere in the rev range and really loud.
Since this is my first brand new car, and costing me €50,000 after options, insurance, winter wheels/tires, registration etc, i decided to lease it just incase something happens. I am so glad i did, because since delivery day with 7kms on the car second gear was acting up. Every month i was at the dealership diagnosing the issue, and they confirmed that second gear synchro was faulty. They contacted VW in Wolfsburg and they asked me (yes me not the dealer) to send them a video showing them the issue.
I recorded a very clear 15 minute video and sent it to them. Two weeks later they replied "this is normal, all manual golf r vehicles shift like that". The dealership and myself could not believe their reply, so i filled out a reclamation forum to return the car, it is going back on the 29th of this month.
As i said, it is a very good car, but with the headache of my dealer, VW and the issues i had, it is my first and last VW. I am sure that i am a rare case, but we have owned numerous BMWs from new and even touch 370,000kms+ on one of them and not even the head gasket was replaced (granted the car was mainly driven by my mother and i was generally making sure all fluids/oils were topped as well as tires pressure every 2 week or so). I am sure you can get more/less the same on any other well maintained car, but that service center of mine....just hate to go back in there again.
Do you really need AWD? Ask locally about your VW dealer, most likely you will have a warranty on a used R if you choose, see what the customers are saying about them, The R will definitely use a bit more fuel than say a 300hp FWD GTI due to the heavier AWD/Haldex system, not by much but just giving you a heads up.
I apologize for the long post, but i am giving you my actual real world experience with my car, issues and dealership, hope this helps.