Chad13762
Go Kart Champion
- Location
- Henderson NV
Congrats on the car. I'm in the process of trying to figure out what my next car will be. The GTI and R near the top of my list. My heart says R but my head (and basically every magazine article) says GTI.
I want the more adjustable seat with lumbar support for my back, but the only way to get that is on the Autobahn GTI or the R. At that point, the $ gap narrows... And I love the blue that is only available on the R...
As an owner of a '16 GTI and now an R, how do you feel about the R vs the GTI?
I can't totally answer that yet, since I haven't had the car very long. Especially since I haven't really hammered on it, autocrossed it, or even defeated traction control at this point.
As far as sane and normal driving, there is literally zero difference.
From the little bit of mild hooning I've done so far, it does have a bit more turbo lag, and I'll need to keep the revs up more than I'm used to with the GTI, but it definately pushes me back in the seat more than the GTI once it goes into boost. It's less understeering, and I can feel that I'll be able to get on power harder from a dead stop and earlier in the corners. But again I haven't really pushed the car hard or driven it enough to fully know the limits yet.
I don't think their's a night and day difference between the two. Its more about being able to go to 11, and having the next step up from a GTI.
For me, it was largely about finally having that "R" badge and the super subtle sleeper styling. More like walking softly and carrying a big stick.
I want the more adjustable seat with lumbar support for my back, but the only way to get that is on the Autobahn GTI or the R. At that point, the $ gap narrows.
FWIW... I know that there are dealerships out there willing to sell the R at invoice.One more thing to think about, if you are a member of SCCA, there is a program where you can purchase a GTI at dealer invoice. I used this when I puchased my GTI. It might be worth it to become a member just for that. Unfortunately, the R is excluded from the program:
https://www.scca.com/pages/member-benefits