Al_in_Philly
Autocross Newbie
- Location
- Philadelphia USA
Many on this forum either already own a Mk7 R or are planning on purchasing one. Why?
There are plenty of small hatchbacks (especially outside of the NA market), and even some which have far more performance than can be used legally on public roads; and many, many, more cars which offer more than adequate performance if you are open to other configurations beyond just hatchbacks. But you are willing to pay $40K (and even more in non-US markets) for a version of the VW Golf.
This is something I've had to explain to friends who I've told about being in on the pre-order for the 2015 R. For me to buy any car, it has to meet some strict criteria. First, I look for a car which can handle really well and has enough power to put a grin on my face. Fortunately, the past few years auto makers have been building a fair number of performance models. But a car also has to look good to me. Mazda produces some really good performance bargains, but unfortunately their design team needs to check into a rehab clinic before I'd even consider buying one. I'm also drawn to machines of all sorts which exude a sense of being well put together, in this case a car which feels solid--something you find in most German cars and few American ones (sorry Detroit, but it's still often true). I'm also looking for a do-it-all car: a car which I can cruise comfortably on the interstate, schlep home a table saw from the Home Depot , as well as insanely careen around back road corners on a Sunday afternoon. And, as I live in a city with crowded, narrow, streets, big is far from better; I need something which I can fit into a small parking place. But maybe most importantly, I want a car in which I will find myself experiencing a sense of "flow" almost as soon as I get behind the wheel.
For all but the last criteria, I know that the Golf R meets every test, and although I'm yet to drive the Mk7 R I have a sneaking suspicion that driving it will build a sense of man/machine/movement that is unlike anything you might experience driving a Chevy Impala. And honestly, no other car available in the US today does as well in my personal criteria as the R. Obviously, being so similar, the GTI meets every mark as well, and for less dosh, but in so many ways whatever the GTI can do, the R can do even better. So here I am, writing on this forum on a winter afternoon as I await for the spring US delivery of R #113.
What about the rest of you? What makes you so smitten with the Mk7 Golf R that you'd pay, or have already paid, an eyebrow raising price for this version of the VW Golf?
There are plenty of small hatchbacks (especially outside of the NA market), and even some which have far more performance than can be used legally on public roads; and many, many, more cars which offer more than adequate performance if you are open to other configurations beyond just hatchbacks. But you are willing to pay $40K (and even more in non-US markets) for a version of the VW Golf.
This is something I've had to explain to friends who I've told about being in on the pre-order for the 2015 R. For me to buy any car, it has to meet some strict criteria. First, I look for a car which can handle really well and has enough power to put a grin on my face. Fortunately, the past few years auto makers have been building a fair number of performance models. But a car also has to look good to me. Mazda produces some really good performance bargains, but unfortunately their design team needs to check into a rehab clinic before I'd even consider buying one. I'm also drawn to machines of all sorts which exude a sense of being well put together, in this case a car which feels solid--something you find in most German cars and few American ones (sorry Detroit, but it's still often true). I'm also looking for a do-it-all car: a car which I can cruise comfortably on the interstate, schlep home a table saw from the Home Depot , as well as insanely careen around back road corners on a Sunday afternoon. And, as I live in a city with crowded, narrow, streets, big is far from better; I need something which I can fit into a small parking place. But maybe most importantly, I want a car in which I will find myself experiencing a sense of "flow" almost as soon as I get behind the wheel.
For all but the last criteria, I know that the Golf R meets every test, and although I'm yet to drive the Mk7 R I have a sneaking suspicion that driving it will build a sense of man/machine/movement that is unlike anything you might experience driving a Chevy Impala. And honestly, no other car available in the US today does as well in my personal criteria as the R. Obviously, being so similar, the GTI meets every mark as well, and for less dosh, but in so many ways whatever the GTI can do, the R can do even better. So here I am, writing on this forum on a winter afternoon as I await for the spring US delivery of R #113.
What about the rest of you? What makes you so smitten with the Mk7 Golf R that you'd pay, or have already paid, an eyebrow raising price for this version of the VW Golf?
Honestly, $40k was my limit, and I am glad it met that.
