Observations of a New R Owner

[champignon]

Very reasonable feedback, as for Mercedes, I use them often when traveling (car hire) and I’m not exaggerating when I say the C class interior is mostly plastic and of very poor quality.

I’ve owned a number of BMW’s and have to agree with you.

Since I have 4 BMWs, and up until now have used the dealer for service, I have a chance to drive multiple loaners every year. Usually this will only be for oil changes and maintenance, but with the recent Takata Airbag recalls, and a couple of car issues, I'm in a BMW loaner well more than 4X a year. Usually I get a 3 or 5 series car, but one time I got a 230i, and I've had the i3 and X3 and X1 also. I have not driven a current M3, but then they don't give those out as loaners.

The current crop of "regular" cars that BMW sells are an embarrassment to the marque. This added to the fact that BMWs are not cheap to own or maintain, would have me looking at many other brands before I would buy a car that competes with their main line vehicles.

 

[vj123]

I didn't "move" to VAG, after owning multiple BMWs. I still own 4 BMWs, 3 of which date from 2000 through 2013, the 4th is a new 6MT M2. The M2 is the only car that BMW currently makes that I would even consider buying, otherwise I would just abandon the brand altogether.

I would agree with your comments regarding the current gen BMWs / M2s, they have come a long way from their roots.

I would rather drive any of these 4 cars than the Golf R, in most any condition other than a blizzard, or going out somewhere 30 miles from civilization on dirt roads, with no cell signal. This would be because I have the spare tire mod in the R, plus if I trashed the R I'd get over it really quickly.

There is no contradiction in my statements; my R is my "practical utility car." It has 4 doors and a hatch, hence is filling a niche that my other cars can't. Most of the time I do not need a car that is practical, as I am not hauling a whole bunch of stuff (or people), nor am I driving in conditions that benefit from AWD. The fact that you can buy it with a manual transmission, and that it has decent power, and is small, are all pluses to me. It is somewhat fun to drive, however the EPS is not good. As an alternative to owning the Golf R, I could just get rid of it and then rent something practical on those occasions when I need it. And, I have seriously considered that option.

But if I couldn't get the car in a MT, I would give up some of the power and just get something entirely practical, because this is not a car that I drive out of choice, generally, it is a car that circumstances and road conditions force me to use it in.

It's a compromise car, that's all I was saying.

For many people here GTIs / Rs are every day fun car and for others its a track weapon. Its totally dependent on how it is being used. In my case, i found my GTI to be a "perfect daily" without any compromise.

There was a argument in the past that unless otherwise you own a vehicle with NA engine, you are not an enthusiast and currently i can see the same thing with the automatics. In a decade, I am not sure what will be the argument of those people who swear by manuals. DSG is far better than the traditional automatics in the market. I didn have much options other an a GTI with this kind of fun / price factor when i had a to buy an automatic a couple of years back.
PS: I have owned manual cars all my life and never thought of owning an automatic all my life.

 

[champignon]

I would agree with your comments regarding the current gen BMWs / M2s, they have come a long way from their roots.



For many people here GTIs / Rs are every day fun car and for others its a track weapon. Its totally dependent on how it is being used. In my case, i found my GTI to be a "perfect daily" without any compromise.

There was a argument in the past that unless otherwise you own a vehicle with NA engine, you are not an enthusiast and currently i can see the same thing with the automatics. In a decade, I am not sure what will be the argument of those people who swear by manuals. DSG is far better than the traditional automatics in the market. I didn have much options other an a GTI with this kind of fun / price factor when i had a to buy an automatic a couple of years back.
PS: I have owned manual cars all my life and never thought of owning an automatic all my life.

I don't have any issue with other people owning DSGs or whatever sort of automatic they have. I don't think that the Golf R 6MT is even a particularly good manual transmission, at least not in its stock form, and I have no interest in modifying this car other than for the obvious stuff like a new shift knob, the center console storage unlocking, and the spare tire mod. So I put up with a mediocre manual transmission because I personally prefer a mediocre manual to a good automatic. Also, since I drive the car in the snow and the AWD usage in the snow was a major selling point to me, I find a manual, even a mediocre manual, to be advantageous in the snow.

But that is just me and I can certainly see where someone else would say that the manual is mediocre and the DSG is good, so take the DSG. No problem with that reasoning on my part if someone is buying the car for reasons other than that it is available with 6MT.

 

[PLF8593]

I don't have any issue with other people owning DSGs or whatever sort of automatic they have. I don't think that the Golf R 6MT is even a particularly good manual transmission, at least not in its stock form, and I have no interest in modifying this car other than for the obvious stuff like a new shift knob, the center console storage unlocking, and the spare tire mod. So I put up with a mediocre manual transmission because I personally prefer a mediocre manual to a good automatic. Also, since I drive the car in the snow and the AWD usage in the snow was a major selling point to me, I find a manual, even a mediocre manual, to be advantageous in the snow.

But that is just me and I can certainly see where someone else would say that the manual is mediocre and the DSG is good, so take the DSG. No problem with that reasoning on my part if someone is buying the car for reasons other than that it is available with 6MT.

I think you would enjoy your MT R a lot more if you did the delay valve delete, return spring delete, and threw in a dogbone insert and a clutch stop. Makes a huge difference. You could also go dieselgeek sigma 6 for the shifter.

All in, everything above is less than $300, and it makes your MT the way a MT is ~supposed~ to be.

Or, you can just maintain your "I have no interest in doing anything to this piece of shit hatchback" attitude, and enjoy hating it

 

[champignon]

I think you would enjoy your MT R a lot more if you did the delay valve delete, return spring delete, and threw in a dogbone insert and a clutch stop. Makes a huge difference. You could also go dieselgeek sigma 6 for the shifter.

All in, everything above is less than $300, and it makes your MT the way a MT is ~supposed~ to be.

Or, you can just maintain your "I have no interest in doing anything to this piece of shit hatchback" attitude, and enjoy hating it

I think it is more "inertia" than that. I have 6 cars, and if I had time to do all of the things I would like to do with all of them, then I would do what you suggest. Now that winter is basically over, I expect to drive the car a few times this summer going to remote hiking spots, otherwise it is just going to sit on a lift in my garage. I may end up trading the car in within the next 6-12 months, or selling it and just renting something when the need arises since owning 6 cars honestly is a major pain the ass, independent of what it costs me

Thanks for the suggestions, though!

 

[FauVeeFan]

Could you tell us what are the RPMs at 100 km/h in 6-th gear? I am all for MT but the gears seem to be too short and the engine revs are to high fo highway cruising speeds. The revs for the Golf mk VII, 5-speed MT, at 100 kmh are 1800 in 5-th..

 

[tknj99]

Could you tell us what are the RPMs at 100 km/h in 6-th gear? I am all for MT but the gears seem to be too short and the engine revs are to high fo highway cruising speeds. The revs for the Golf mk VII, 5-speed MT, at 100 kmh are 1800 in 5-th..

Not sure the rpm's but i rarely engage 6th gear unless i will be cruising at least 70mph with no hilly terrain on the horizon

 

[heiney9]

http://performancedrive.com.au/bmw-m235i-vs-volkswagen-golf-r-comparison-review-video-0209/

 

[copperbeech]

Could you tell us what are the RPMs at 100 km/h in 6-th gear?

Just checked this morning...

- approx, 2375 rpm for 100 km/h

(- approx. 3000 rpm at 126 km/h)

 

[Bvstp]

I wonder if this is a common theme on sports cars forums of MT guys vs Auto guys arguing daily lol

No, it’s on many other forums. Especially on YouTube video comments. There is a lot of hate from Honda owners against VW. It’s so bad that I stopped reading any comments and only watch the videos. There are also comments on the MT vs DSG. I only wanted the manual and don’t regret it. I don’t care if the DSG is about. 1/2 second faster. I have fun driving it and that’s all I care about. If I want to be lazy and drive an auto, I’ll hop in my SUV.


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[JC_451]

If I want to be lazy and drive an auto, I’ll hop in my SUV.

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Bro, how dare you say that.

 

[Bvstp]

Well I picked up my new 2018 Indium Grey MT R on Friday the 16th from a western Toronto dealer. After a total of 150 KMS I have some observations:



Delivery



The car was spotless inside and out. The paint appeared to be in excellent condition, no swirls or scratches. The person handling the delivery knew very little about the car except how to get in to and start the car when the key fob battery is dead. A common problem?. Keys have the proper R emblems. The car was delivered with a Golf Sportswagon manual and a previous generation nav brochure. Not very helpful. The salesperson from whom I purchased the car said he would replace them.



Driving



I was convinced before delivery that I would be able to resist an aftermarket horsepower increase. I thought the car was quick and fast enough as is. Within 5 minutes off the lot I knew I needed more--JB4 here we come. Id like more but have leased the car and don't want to void the warranty.



Under really hard cornering there is a little movement from the rear of the car. An aftermarket stabilizer bar and bushings to be installed next Tuesday will solve this problem.





I drive almost exclusively in Race mode. Even on Toronto's bad roads, most of the time I don't find Race mode to be too stiff. I like the weight of the steering in Race mode. The sound is nice too although I am installing a high flow air induction system next Tuesday as well as the sway bar. More noise. I also may disable the Soundaktor as I'm not sure about the artificial sound it makes.







I currently have also a 1972 Alfa Spider and a chipped Volvo V70R, both manual transmission and have never in 43 years of driving owned an automatic transmission car. The manual in the Golf R is the best and easiest to use manual I have ever had. A real joy. Smooth up and downshifts and really easy rev matching. Allow me to add my voice to those that say if you are on the fence between the DSG and the manual, get the manual. At the risk of being flammed, the DSG is for lazy young guys who don't know how to drive and don't want to risk embarrassing themselves because they can't shift properly. I drove the DSG and it is to be blunt a boring automatic transmission. Unless you are on the track or drag racing the faster shifts are completely irrelevant to anything. My 62-year-old wife who has also only ever owned manual transmission cars and drives mostly in the city agrees totally.



The brakes are good. Thankfully. Front assist is useful too.



The digital dash takes some figuring out. I like the nav in the center of the dash.



All in all the car is an incredible bang for the buck. My 50 year old single female neighbour, after one 2 minute drive around the block is going Saturday to buy an R. There will be three on our street. All manual transmissions.

I enjoyed your take on the R and I agree with you. Too bad your dealership didn’t have its act together when they delivered the car. Mine was in perfect condition with all the right stuff from my CT dealer. It’s not how VW trains its salesman.


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[Bvstp]

Bro, how dare you say that.

I know, but there’s days I’m forced to drive it and not my R! [emoji17]


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