Golf R estate
 

300bhp
4x4
DSG box
family estate car

http://www.carmagazine.co.uk/car-rev...e-2015-review/

What's not to like?

I've seen these on a very good lease deal and got me wondering just what their performance is really like as my first thought was that should make my old scoob feel slow and blow it away.

My last scoob (several years ago now) was a classic with full decat at about 240bhp so nothing spectacular but had literally no lag due to the full decat so the near on 300bhp in these family size cars are they going to make my old scoob feel slow or despite having 50+bhp more actually won't give the same sort of kick you get from a fully decatted classic?

300bhp sounds monstrous in a Golf but i'm thinking modern cars are all about refinement and although it being a lot more powerful it won't give that same sort of raw power you got in a modified classic?

I'm not getting one it just got me thinking are modern cars now just making our once fastish scoobs seem like nothing special.

I drive a Pathfinder and have done for 5 years now so anything is going to feel fast compared to that but I still hanker after something quick, I don't think that will ever go.

What's not to like?

Souless engine, crap VW build quality, naff quad pipes, everyone has one on lease, DSG is rubbish.

That's what's not to like.

Doesn't the Subaru have similar naff pipes ?

Yes but smaller and more subtle.

What were the lease deals you seen?

http://www.freedomcontracts.com/Volk...nal-Lease/2225

I was looking at the personal lease of 10k miles for £280 per month and £1600 up front. I'm not getting one but thought it was a good deal.

:lol1: well as it's not a BMW 135i I wouldn't have expected you to say anything else.

Well I like the STI, the GTI, the Fiesta ST, the Cooper JCW, the A45 and more.

Just not the Golf R; having just sold a far more valuable VW that was a total PITA, I'm more qualified than most to comment.

That's called personal experience, it doesn't mean it applies to everyone else. I've had a Passat estate 130 sport and an Octavia VRS so both from the VAG group and both were absolutely faultless and great cars.

Anyway if you think your ownership of a VW camper van gives you more authority than most to comment on a brand new Golf R estate then you carry on.

It was supposedly a top end VW; it was terribly built. As we're all endless courtesy cars we had.

Post 2008, VW stopped bothering with build quality.

It's a tarted up white goods car with a white goods engine and fun destroying Haldex faux 4wd.

Check the forums too; all sorts of issues.

But for the serial car renters, the numbers make sense.

I'll never buy a VW again. Or if I do, it'll be after a very long time (many years)

My last VW (Mk7 Golf GTI) was an awful experience. Nothing but trouble with the manual gearbox (not selecting 5th) and an Audio system that mostly works, but sometimes didn't. Decided to randomly swap from Radio, Ipod, & CD when I started the car up. Dealers didn't give a Sh!t, and more shockingly, neither did VW themselves. Not interested, that's what warranties are for. That after not actually having the car for 2 out of the 11 months I owned it. 2 months sat in dealers.

Yet...... bought an Audi S3 (essentially the same as the Golf GTI/R) yet it's perfect. Not one problem. Gearbox works every time. Audio system works every time.

Wonder why VW never use the tag line "If only everything was as reliable as a VW?"
That because they're not!

So £8320 to borrow a car for 2 years then give it back... Not including insurance.
Sounds like a great deal mate :wonder: :smug:

How much Would it be worth after two years if you bought it...

:facepalm:

Had the golf r hatchback for a few months now and done c.6k miles.

Got it as my company car as i wanted something petrol and different to the 335d xdrive we have. I was restricted on emissions so some cars were not available ...the bmw 135 and Merc etc

We wanted it as a town car to some extent leaving the Bmw for longer distance journey's.

Pros
Nippy enough
Handles ok
Decent kit as standard
I get 30+ mpg on a motorway run.....usually 35 mpg on a typically fast run

Cons
Some interior bits look cheap. Interior is pretty good overall but some bits are poor
Dsg lags in normal mode and is poor compared to our BMW. It's good in sports mode though
Sound actuator thing is horrible
Paint quality is poor
my sat nav needs fixing and its loses location a lot at the start of a trip. I've had no other problems though

Haven't commented on looks as i like the fact its under stated but appreciated some don't.

Interestingly we use the Golf far more than BMW and both prefer it for short and long drives.

Matteeboy – I've been following threads recently that have featured your comments quite a bit and sorry, but your partisanship has got rather tedious, even if I occasionally agree with you.

Many of us on here have preferred manufacturers but we also respect two facts:
(1) that other manufacturers make great cars even if we don't like them or have had bad experiences with them;
(2) that different kinds of car appeal to different people.

So, please try not to be quite so predictable – and that includes the kind of reply you like to post: I shan't be answering. Cheers!

Thanks, that's what I was hoping for, comments from someone who has a Golf R or has driven them. Out of interest when you say nippy enough does it not feel like a 300bhp car?

I'd hazard a guess that your old Classic was somewhere in the region of nigh on 250kg lighter than this new Golf estate, based on the Classic being almost 200kg lighter than Newage Impreza's, so even with a measly 240bhp there'd probably be very little in it in the real world.

Quick google puts the Golf @ circa 1500kg and the UK Classic @ circa 1220kg so a little worse than I first thought, 280kg is a lot to give away with only a 50 odd bhp advantage, I think the Golf would struggle tbh.

Another quick google 280kg is 44 stone :eek: like having a couple of seriously fat munters in the car. :lol1:

Looks like you'll be fine for everything other than medium length drives. :wonder:

:lol1: Cheers, never considered checking the weights, that does explain a lot. I'd love another classic, both the two I had were faultless and never cost me a penny in repairs. I bet a good one is like hens teeth now.

Oh god not another "I'm not interested in your posts but errmmm, actually I'm a little obsessed with you" stalker freak.

1) I have owned MANY VWs, three of them fast Golfs.
2) We've just sold a top end VW costing far more than a Golf R - during the time it was broken (non stop) we had almost every model of VW in current production as courtesy cars.
3) My comments were based on EXPERIENCE. I have used DSG is four types of vehicle - I hate it. WE had a high end VW - it was poorly made. I have run many four pot petrols (and currently have one) - they are dull.
4) I am someone that can afford any VW if I wanted one - I don't and despite being a previous fan, won't buy one again.

And so on and so on.

So post your pathetic little comments if you feel you must, misuse the English language in an attempt at looking clever, pretend you aren't bothered but actually are then come back and pretend to ignore me again.

The wife has one , 5dr DSG, and I have to say I'm quite smitten. It replaced a MK5 R32 DSG and in all respects, bar engine noise, it's a superior vehicle.
Does the day to day stuff like a golf.
Drives like a GTI but with more power and no tedious wheelspin/traction control intervention. The chassis is light years ahead of the R32, with proper wheel travel and damping. DSG box seems far more intelligent than the one in the MK5.
Fake cabin noise I don't love but can live with and it's only going to become more prolific in new cars as emissions and noise regs are tightened.
In terms of comparison with Subarus, classic or newage, it's a less organic car but much easier to live with. In performance terms I think you'd need at least as much, if not more, power to match the performance. The weight differences ditchymyster mentioned would, imo, be comfortably offset by the greater torque range and shift speed of the twin clutch setup.
I also think looking at standard chassis setups the Golf has the edge. I've yet to experience any understeer; can't say the same for a Subaru without ARB mods.

Last point, 300bhp in a refined modern car is never going to feel like 300bhp in a classic :)

Edit to add, no mechanical issues with the R yet and none in 6/7 years ownership of the R32. Be wary of internet horror stories, those who are happy with their cars don't tend to go on about it on forums.

Based on the fact that they appear to be the lease car of choice at the moment, I imagine that the market will be flooded with the things in 2-3 years time.

Build quality & DSG is superb. Probably agree with the rest though.

Do you really see that many Ricky? Only a few around me. Too many tailpipes though. I've stopped cleaning them so they're less obvious.

Only spotted about 4 in 9 months ownership.
Absolutely love the car I have to say, cant fault it on any level for what it is & costs.
At Spa circuit two weeks ago & a lad from Manchester was doing some seriously fast laps in his white Mk 7 Golf R. (All be it he had been there twice before). On the straights he definitely had the legs over my 320bhp Ver9 JDM Sti.

I owned an STi PPP 2003 model and the golf feels similar to that. The DSG box helps with the gear changes but it feels more civilised than the Scoob. It may weigh more but has loads of kit and feels more solid.

The Golf R and the 335D Xdrive we have are very similar in straight line performance.

I did test drive the M135 twice as it was an option at the time we bought the 335D. I liked it but was a little small for what we wanted. Performance wise there is very little between it and the Golf.

Thanks for your reports, Madisonmonkey, CupraT, and Rickya.

After 11 trouble-free years of great fun owning 2 Scoobies, it's going to be hard to say goodbye. Never thought I'd think of a Golf, but it's looking more and more likely that we'll be getting an R. Have to say though, I didn't like the DSG on the one I test drove so it'll have to be a manual, and I could lose a couple of the exhaust pipes.

Have you test drove the new STi MY15? Brilliant car and worth a look.

No, I haven't, I admit. I've followed quite a few reviews, including a decent number of comparisons (the latest report in EVO seems regrettably typical) but one thing rules it out straightaway and that is that it's not available as a hatch. Other things are the relatively high fuel economy and emissions of the Scoob. I've also got a few concerns in the back of my mind about the engine. I'm really sorry about this and wish it were a more attractive purchase to me.

But, if they were to make the Shootingbrake BRZ that they presented at one of the car shows last year, I could be seriously tempted. As it stands, the BRZ is too small!

One thing's for sure, if we do get an R, I'll mourn the Scooby burble, and will have to turn the sound synthesiser off!