Clubsport or R, your choice?

[Brenbo]

I would be happy to own either the Clubsport or Golf R MK8.  Currently drive a MK7 Golf R and has been the best car I have ever owned/driven.  Due to recent circumstances I am considering the Golf R Mk8 Estate as feel the boot and rear leg room in the hatchback may not be large enough for the day to day but still want to own a performance Golf.  But may still consider the MK8 Golf R Hatchback in the end, but the Estate at present might be a real contender when it is released. 

[king monkey]

I presume the rear leg room is the same in hatch or estate. I don’t actually know though. 

[ub7rm]

Having owned both I can confirm there is no difference between mk7 hatch and estate in terms of cabin space. Just the boot. I would imagine it’s the same for the 8.

[Guzzle]

Seem to recall the Mk8 Golf estate uses the Octavia version of the MQB platform, so it should have more rear legroom than the Golf hatchback.

[Wide]

In Sweden the CS is a Bargain!, is like 10 000 Euro cheaper than the R..

A bargain or is the R just horrifically expensive? Is price based on emissions with the R falling into a higher group?

CS might well appeal more to a gti/Vw fan whereas the R has a bit of a different audience if the mk7 is anything to go by. That probably doesn’t make any sense!

Yes that makes perfect sense and I agree.

I'm not sure I see the mk 8 CS as niche? It is a more powerful Gti option as we first saw when VW bought out the 16V mk2 in 1986 to sell alongside the 8V.

This time, I think VW have worked hard on the mk8 R, they have seen how well the mk7 R has sold and importantly, they realise there is now a market where a £40-50k hot hatch is actually something the consumer will buy, who would have thought?

As this "super", " uber" hatch market is there, VW have upped the game on the R, it seems to dominate road tests in this sector.

Of course it will all come down to the monthly's once production and demand is somewhat back to what normal now is on a post covid world.

I am unlikely to buy either a CS or R as I don't need a dsg car, but the R package looks very impressive, if you like that sort of thing?

Yeah, I do think the Clubsport will be pretty niche as it’s reasonably close in price to the R and the latter will be the main focus for most people.
It’s understandable that these 4WD über hatches are a big market now as they’ll often be bought as a second household car to the now semi-ubiquitous SUV or a sole car for the downsizers who are seeing their V6/V8 saloons getting either stratospherically expensive or losing the huge power plants to high powered 4 cylinder motors with supposedly greener credentials.
These hyper hatches have a decent power to weight ratio, all the modern must have toys can be specced as extras, they have a good image and have the right badges on their noses for those that have £50k budgets. 

VW have thrown a lot into the new R because they had to, this is their bread and butter market and the R badge will be the brand image builder that carries us into the electric age where a GTI will mean nothing. It’s not like the R badge has no heritage as it’s been around a good while now and isn’t linked to a 2wd 4cyl hatch only set up like the GTI has been kept as (post Jetta).

For GTI’s maybe we are seeing the end of the line now.

No the CS is like 39k Euro and the R like 47k Euro... 

[Brenbo]

Having owned both I can confirm there is no difference between mk7 hatch and estate in terms of cabin space. Just the boot. I would imagine it’s the same for the 8.

  I think the wheel base was the same on both Golf Mk7 Hatch and Estate so space in the rear of hte car would most likely have been the same.  But the wheel base on the MK8 Golf Estate is wider by something like 30 or 40 centimeters I think than the MK8 Golf Hatch. I think I read as a result there was something like 4cm more leg room in the rear of the MK8 golf Estate compared to the Hatch, which is hardly anything, but going by the cramped space in the back of my Golf when I have the drivers seat fully back to allow myself at 6'3" to fit in the front of the car comfortably.  Anything is better than nothing.  Also considered the Tiguan R but might too rich for my wallet? Will keep an eye out and decide later in the year.  But Clubsport, Golf R Hatch or Estate would all be great to own.

[Yusee]

As exciting as the performance figures appear, the ownership proposition may depend on the area you live and where you use the car?

^^^
( drop the question mark)
For most buyers, the only reason to buy the faster car is to impress your mates by launching to ridiculous  speeds in urban areas.
I’d buy the R if I lived in the highlands.

[Exonian]

Personally having owned a few GTi' over the years, starting with my mk1 Campaign BRM152

That was the car I always wanted when I was young.
Unfortunately I always had too many financial commitments at the time to afford the high price of the BRMotorsport conversion. For me that high torque 2.0 was far more of a fast road car than the standard cammy mk2 1.8 16v.
I did have a 1983 mk1 (not a campaign though) which I gradually took to more or less that spec using Tim Stiles in Bridgwater to supply the uprated parts and getting my local Bosch dealer to fit it and set it up. Unfortunately despite the TSR lads being great guys the engineering wasn’t close to Brian Ricketts standard.

[Snoopy]

BRM180 was what I alway wanted but never had the funds. Still remember the reviewed car. Silver Campaign, Audi multispoke 15s, with uniroyal tyres, satch suspension, eibatch antiroll bars, etc.
I got someway to the dream,  just never had the funds for the engine conversion.

[clubsport]

Personally having owned a few GTi' over the years, starting with my mk1 Campaign BRM152

That was the car I always wanted when I was young.
Unfortunately I always had too many financial commitments at the time to afford the high price of the BRMotorsport conversion. For me that high torque 2.0 was far more of a fast road car than the standard cammy mk2 1.8 16v.
I did have a 1983 mk1 (not a campaign though) which I gradually took to more or less that spec using Tim Stiles in Bridgwater to supply the uprated parts and getting my local Bosch dealer to fit it and set it up. Unfortunately despite the TSR lads being great guys the engineering wasn’t close to Brian Ricketts standard.

It was a great car, I had GTi mk2 onward from the '80's, but missed out on a mk1. I bought this on a wet January evening in 2009 on ebay with few bidders for just over £2k with 60k  miles on the clock!   
The conversion alone cost £8k from the invoices!
I sold it as it was a beast, it felt more than 152bhp, in a light car.
The guy who bought it turned up in a Subaru RA, he couldn't believe how the Golf went and paid asking price.
When i say it was a beast it was more like a rapid terrier, it wanted to go fast, far more likely to get you in trouble than the real 911RS it sat next to in the garage.
I should have kept that one!