That's not bad at all considering
7
GTI owner thinking of swapping to a Golf R
- Thread starter ATR
- Start date
For a lot of people, the fact that an R is the top of the Golf pecking order (at least in the USA) is a problem, because they'd rather have a lower end Audi or BMW because the marque is lot more prestigious. And on the street, face it, non-enthusiasts will see an R and say "cheap VW," and they'll see a base A4 and say "wow, a German luxury car!," even though the R is far more car whether you factor in the cost or not.
I get that; car choices tend to be quite personal and emotional. I mean, there's got to be some reason people buy Dodges, I suppose!
I get that; car choices tend to be quite personal and emotional. I mean, there's got to be some reason people buy Dodges, I suppose!
Gawernator
Go Kart Champion
- Location
- Fremont, CA
Just like non enthusiasts thought I was loaded because I had a very clean Porsche 944... not realizing it was only 4 grand lol
The newer BMW's are garbage compared to the older early to mid 2000's BMW's. They have become more luxurious than "The ultimate driving machine". I confirmed this by driving both a 328i and a 528i. Ride was garbage in the 3 series. Needlessly crashing over bumps. The 528i was better, however it still wasn't fun to drive like the older BMW's were. The best BMW's were the e46 m3, e39 m5, and e90 m3.
Want luxury and a look at me "badge" grab a MB.
Want under the radar luxury and a badge go for a Audi.
Want to simply fly in stealth mode? Get a VW.
You're 100% correct about it being personal decision. That's why we have so many different brands to choose from and so many colors to choose from.
Oh and to the dodge comment... Have you ever driven a current generation charger? Even with the base v6 it's pretty quick and rides great on the highway! I know this from having several for rental cars with my last job. From my understanding they shared their platform with the mid 2000s MB E-class.
Yep!
A co-worker actually owns a clean red one of those. Pretty sweet looking even though it now has a historic tag on it
Heh, I'm aware of the technical prowess (well, horsepower and acceleration at least) of current Dodges. It's a personal thing; my first car was a '76 Dodge Aspen, which was one of the worst pieces of junk ever foisted on the American public. I never had another Chrysler product, and never will. Irrational, but there it is.
Even if I wasn't irrationally prejudiced, though, all the Dodges are way too big and heavy for my taste, with interiors to match. They are made for a very different demographic than mine, which is cool. Just not for me.
I've got 2 dsg R's, drop in filter UM ecu/tcu tuned, and the more heavily modded one in my signature. Suburb stop n go, some freeway, a little city driving and see and average on both of 23.5-25 mpg, they are driven hard, when traffic allows and when on freeway usually around 85-90 mph, again when traffic allows. I'll see 30-32 at a steady 65 cruise, which I never do. They're better than what I'm used to but not the greatest hypermilers for sure, then again they're a hell of allot more fun
American cars, heck cars in general were rubbish from that era
But yeah, fair enough on the 'merica size of that car. Was a bit of a pain driving the charger around NYC. They simply aren't made with city life in mind.
Thanks for that info. Really seems to come down to how and where you drive. I'm sure that if you take the same car and give it to another person living elsewhere MPG could vary substantially.I've got 2 dsg R's, drop in filter UM ecu/tcu tuned, and the more heavily modded one in my signature. Suburb stop n go, some freeway, a little city driving and see and average on both of 23.5-25 mpg, they are driven hard, when traffic allows and when on freeway usually around 85-90 mph, again when traffic allows. I'll see 30-32 at a steady 65 cruise, which I never do. They're better than what I'm used to but not the greatest hypermilers for sure, then again they're a hell of allot more fun
I agree, first things first, the OP needs to try the GTi again with proper tires on it. You're driving a handicapped version of the car with the factory tires. I have absolutely no problem with traction at all in my GTi from the moment I swapped tires (I always change factory tires in the first two weeks or less).
Anyway, that said.....I wonder how many people would be so driven to 'upgrade' to the R.....if the Clubsport S were available (or competing trim). Since it is actually the fastest no contest version of the Golf platform, how many people would forget about the FWD 'limitations' in order to have the best Golf there is?
I've driven both the R and GTi, and I love them both, but I really don't know that I would change other than to do something 'different' because I like changing cars fairly often. The GTi feels a lot lighter and more more chuckable which I love (driven back to back both stock manual versions so apples to apples), and having no real limitations (other than understeer at the extreme limit) can be kinda boring to me. It's silly, but I almost feel like the guys who complain about DSG being not pure enough for them (I love DSG and have owned 2, and a lot of manual cars as well). AWD feels kinda like a bandaid or lack of engagement for me, even though I like it. It's the least fun of all of the drivetrain configurations for ME, even though I do like it still.
I may yet still buy an R next year, but I would never do it under the guise that the GTi isn't good enough. It's lighter (significantly), more chuckable, has better fuel economy, and can be had for a lot cheaper even with mods if that's your thing.
I think about it this way, how much of the time that you're driving, will you be using the strengths of the R.....3%, maybe 5%? How often will you be using your R in 'GTi mode' lol....almost all of the time.
Enjoy the R if you get it, enjoy the GTi if you keep it! (and put some damn tires on the car no matter WHICH one you choose!!!) [emoji111]️[emoji111]️
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American cars, heck cars in general were rubbish from that era
But yeah, fair enough on the 'merica size of that car. Was a bit of a pain driving the charger around NYC. They simply aren't made with city life in mind.
To be fair, when I was in my 20s, I'd have positively jumped on a Hellcat if I could have afforded one.
ketoi12345678
Ready to race!
- Location
- FL
what is your power goal? If you plan to 350whp, then you may want to look at the 4motion wagon or Alltrack. I was in your shoes a few months ago, test drove an R but 38k$ hold me back. You plan for GTI is turbo swap, so do the same for the Alltrack or 4motion wagon. With IS20 swap, it makes 280whp easily and 300whp with support mod. 350whp with IS38. You get an R with more space and under 30k$, MT or DSG both available. I do not try to move you away from the R, but just try to give you an affordable option. The only downside for my idea is you will loose warranty.
That is also a good option.what is your power goal? If you plan to 350whp, then you may want to look at the 4motion wagon or Alltrack. I was in your shoes a few months ago, test drove an R but 38k$ hold me back. You plan for GTI is turbo swap, so do the same for the Alltrack or 4motion wagon. With IS20 swap, it makes 280whp easily and 300whp with support mod. 350whp with IS38. You get an R with more space and under 30k$, MT or DSG both available. I do not try to move you away from the R, but just try to give you an affordable option. The only downside for my idea is you will loose warranty.
One that I think that MANY people forget about is.....the Audi A3. It's a diet R for all intents and purposes. Of you're looking for traction from AWD, but wanna save some money, and get a very nice interior. A3 is the jam.
Especially if you're the type to want to modify a car significantly, but not end up with something that's no longer fun to drive/road worthy. It's an AWD GTi sedan for the most part. Just needs a mod or two in order to be on the same level of sportiness (the handling is more relaxed as expected, but still very good).
I have also looked into one of these because they remind me of my mk6 GLi which I was in love with (still got rid of it cuz I like to change cars fairly often lol). It's like a small GLi with a snazzy interior.
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Shoot a scat pack is all ya need
If I go golf R 400AWHP would be my goal.what is your power goal? If you plan to 350whp, then you may want to look at the 4motion wagon or Alltrack. I was in your shoes a few months ago, test drove an R but 38k$ hold me back. You plan for GTI is turbo swap, so do the same for the Alltrack or 4motion wagon. With IS20 swap, it makes 280whp easily and 300whp with support mod. 350whp with IS38. You get an R with more space and under 30k$, MT or DSG both available. I do not try to move you away from the R, but just try to give you an affordable option. The only downside for my idea is you will loose warranty.
I would love to have a R wagon... But we don't get them stateside
I certainly do like the Alltrack, but I don't like the panoramic roof. And I'd have to get that with the lighting package
I gotta have a hatchback. The golf also has a higher roof which is better for me since I'm pretty tall.
ketoi12345678
Ready to race!
- Location
- FL
Shoot a scat pack is all ya need
If I go golf R 400AWHP would be my goal.
I would love to have a R wagon... But we don't get them stateside
I certainly do like the Alltrack, but I don't like the panoramic roof. And I'd have to get that with the lighting package
I gotta have a hatchback. The golf also has a higher roof which is better for me since I'm pretty tall.
So Golf R win, is38 1.8t get you 350 whp, push it more than that will require lot of money. Get S trim then buy Helix or ED light, like I did
There's much more to making a wagon a R wagon. With that much power it'd need brakes and suspension. Having DAP would be a great bonus too.
I've thought about building a AWD wagon to the power of a golf R and the numbers don't work. Alot would be involved with going that route.