There’s a huge gulf of difference between the modern GTI’s and R’s when looking back at the 2.8 V6’s.
The handling and performance is in a different league. Build quality possibly less so but the mk7 isn’t plagued with serious issues.
REVO and APR are the big names in the UK for VW tuning with a decent network of dealers and good support. They both do significant testing on models before releasing software.
If VW find you’ve got modified software your warranty is goosed.
https://www.vwroc.com/forums/topic/8351-bulletin-posted-to-audi-dealers-this-morning/
There are literally hundreds, of not thousands of modified under warranty GTI’s and R’s running tunes and I’ve not seen too many horror stories.
Others use similar devices to the Abt plug in unit at a fraction of the cost.
Mcmaddy’s favourites, DTUK supply a lot of plug in tuning boxes or there’s the JB1 and JB4 boxes from Burger Motorsport. I’ve used both of these companies myself.
Personally I actually prefer the Clubsport and R in standard tune as it’s a great engine but with the addition of a “PedalBox” to liven up the tardy throttle response. Have a search on here if you’re not familiar with the pedal box.
There are plenty of other tuners that deal with mk7 Golfs, post up here if you have any questions, there’s a vast wealth of experience.
That’s great cheers for your reply I’ve had a look around at Revo etc seems plenty good reviews see what I decide on
