Clubsport Edition 40 and Clubsport S build numbers (and car photos)

[Bullfinch]

https://usedcars.volkswagen.co.uk/en/used-cars/volkswagen/golf/20-tsi-gti-clubsport-edition-40-dsg-5-dr-hmbbgll

It must be an age thing but this car has everything except the heated seats.  It's a long story but I once bought a brand new mk2 TT in 2008 specced it in silver with red leather, 18 inch alloys but I forgot to get heated seats - my better half never forgave me.  At the time she preferred going out in my Corrado VR6 Storm as that had heated seats.  My GTi PP has them so she's happy 

[jjgreenwood]

https://usedcars.volkswagen.co.uk/en/used-cars/volkswagen/golf/20-tsi-gti-clubsport-edition-40-dsg-5-dr-hmbbgll

It must be an age thing but this car has everything except the heated seats.  It's a long story but I once bought a brand new mk2 TT in 2008 specced it in silver with red leather, 18 inch alloys but I forgot to get heated seats - my better half never forgave me.  At the time she preferred going out in my Corrado VR6 Storm as that had heated seats.  My GTi PP has them so she's happy 

I never realised standard clubsport never got a winter pack, learn something new every day.

[davegixer]

Do either of these models have heated seats?  I assume the CSS with it's super-duper buckets doesn't but what about the Edition 40?

My CS has heated seats. 

[rwleigh]

https://usedcars.volkswagen.co.uk/en/used-cars/volkswagen/golf/20-tsi-gti-clubsport-edition-40-dsg-5-dr-hmbbgll

It must be an age thing but this car has everything except the heated seats.  It's a long story but I once bought a brand new mk2 TT in 2008 specced it in silver with red leather, 18 inch alloys but I forgot to get heated seats - my better half never forgave me.  At the time she preferred going out in my Corrado VR6 Storm as that had heated seats.  My GTi PP has them so she's happy 

I never realised standard clubsport never got a winter pack, learn something new every day.

So how come mine's got a winter pack then?

[TurboTrev]

As I understand it, CS with leather or buckets got heated seats, standard CS seats didn't.

[LRWmotorsport]

Mrs LRW's has a winter pack too.

[clubsport]

There are a couple of CS I had my eye on, many seem to be fairly low spec. Quite a few 5 door with regular seats seem to come without heated seats, keyless start and obviously lack red door & cill lighting.

They are slightly lower spec than the regular 2016 Gti and hardly "lighweight" with 5 doors & nav etc... making them quite a hard sell?

[Exonian]

There are a couple of CS I had my eye on, many seem to be fairly low spec. Quite a few 5 door with regular seats seem to come without heated seats, keyless start and obviously lack red door & cill lighting.

They are slightly lower spec than the regular 2016 Gti and hardly "lighweight" with 5 doors & nav etc... making them quite a hard sell?

Judging by the fact nearly 25% of them are still up for sale then "near impossible to sell" is quite likely!

Too many people judge the car on the spec sheets alone but the Clubsport is a car that needs to be driven to appreciate where it sits in the range. Or sat in the range.

The car was a bit of a misnomer really and the CSS should have been called the Clubsport and the CS should have been just labelled the ED40 but hey ho.

Ignore the fact it doesn't have quite the luxurious spec of the other last of line mk7 Performance models and go out for a drive in one.
Heated cloth seats in the UK (aside from the north of Scotland maybe)? Nah! I really don't think so. It's a hot hatch not a limousine.
Push button start? Total gimmick.
Ambient lighting? Go for the leather and get both that and a nice warm bum.

The Edition 40 is all about the looks and the driving dynamics.
I'm still not 100% sold on some of the looks but the driving dynamics are really quite something. A real case of "the whole car is greater than the sum of its parts"

Spec them up and they come in at bloody expensive 2wd GTI's but keep the spec fairly basic like most of the ones still sat on forecourts and you have a really good driving machine that's quite a bit more focussed than a normal GTI and more more lively to drive than an R at a more reasonable price. A GTI type price rather than an R type price if you will.

The standard seats look good and don't squeak like a lot of reports I've read on the buckets on the German forums.
You've got everything you need as standard.

Hardly lightweight for sure (apart from in spec) but quite rare and bloody good fun to drive. And that's what a GTI should be about rather than how many expensive option toys you can put in it.
GTI's are for driving, Exec saloons are for loading with toys and cruising about in. If you drive a GTI how it should be driven you don't have time to piss about with gadgets! 

[clubsport]

I do like the CS, but to me it is an enhanced Gti in some respects as the Gti is an enhanced Golf.

I have More focussed driving machines which make the GTi feel like a dopey Lexus in the driving stakes, that is not the main reason for considering one.

What I do want from the Gti is a sensible car that can be fun when required and blends in, the appeal of the CS is near enough an R engine in a 2wd format, when you are spending close to £30k, personally I am less impressed that it has a few features missing from the regular Gti.

I really do like the 18" CS wheels, but have yet to see one come on anything but those bl***y Bridgestones!

[Exonian]

I do like the CS, but to me it is an enhanced Gti in some respects as the Gti is an enhanced Golf.

I have More focussed driving machines which make the GTi feel like a dopey Lexus in the driving stakes, that is not the main reason for considering one.

What I do want from the Gti is a sensible car that can be fun when required and blends in, the appeal of the CS is near enough an R engine in a 2wd format, when you are spending close to £30k, personally I am less impressed that it has a few features missing from the regular Gti.

I really do like the 18" CS wheels, but have yet to see one come on anything but those bl***y Bridgestones!

There was an interview with the Porsche guy who did the chassis work where he said the something about the chassis being set up around the Bridgestones (or something like that). He obviously rates them higher than forum members here, but then again the set up was probably done on track where they get up to temp better.

The GTI appeals to all sorts of people. Rich people buy them as cheap runabouts to go with their other collection of cars and poor people like me aspire to them, that's the enduring appeal of the GTI and why they still exist when other manufacturers have had to rebrand their sporty hatches around whether they're in current vogue or not. The GTI is a brand within itself a bit like a Mini Cooper.

I won't recommend a Clubsport to you on your basis, a normal GTI does plenty enough for normal road use and you have a lot more options to pick from unlike an awful lot of GTI buyers. I was commenting solely on why VW can't shift the things as they're too close to the R in price and unless someone has had experience of the driving dynamics alongside an R then they'd most likely go for the better on paper spec and all round ability of the R.
It's nice to have the choice.
I only ended up buying a Clubsport GTI as I was intrigued as to why various sales execs were raving about them in a most passionate way which is pretty rare for VW sales execs. It wasn't a planned purchase and I'd previously been quite negative towards the model.