If I were to swap I'd probably go and look at a … [insert all sorts of different things] before probably ending up with another Golf.
That, in a nutshell, sums up my entire adult life.
Right. Down to business.
The 7.5 GTI (especially the Performance model) is pretty much the perfect GTI.
But for many decades the standard GTI was a hugely competent base for enthusiasts to add a little more to.
It’s easy to modify the GTI, it always has been, but it’s nice when the factory builds cars that have that extra bit of power, style and even handling fully warranted as a different model in the lineup.
The TCR was the epitome of that in the mk7. Yes, the Ed40 was a bit more special in that unfathomable enthusiast hierarchy but the TCR was actually a better, brawnier car. Been there and owned both. The Ed40 steals the emotion, the TCR does everything else a little better. (Disclaimer: if I did trackdays or car shows the Ed40 Clubsport would possibly get my vote in manual transmission form)
Would I pay £10k more for a TCR over and above my perfectly good 7.5 GTI? Hell no.
I’d go for either option 1: Lightly modify my 7.5 GTI. (add TCR brakes, TCR splitter and skirts, Oettinger diffuser, stage 1 remap, possibly change the wheels)
Or option 2: Find a low mileage, fairly sensibly priced mk8 Clubsport.
Bear with me, you might think you hate the mk8 but you won’t. Been there and done it.
Why the Clubsport? Personal opinion from a 30 odd year veteran of Golf GTI’s but I think it’s the best mk8 which admittedly isn’t saying much.
The mk8 standard GTI isn’t a looker unless it’s wearing Adelaides and won’t add anything to the driving experience above a standard 7.5 GTI. You’d just focus on the interior and feel short changed until you got used to it and realised it’s not that bad at all.
The R is too spec sensitive and you need to spend a LOT of extra ££££€€€€ to make it what it needs to be.
Minus the Performance pack the front bumper and side skirts look too bulbous and the styling looks all out of balance. Inside it doesn’t look like a near £50k car at that point so you need another £2k plus on leather…
When the R 20 year edition (godawful long winded name) was announced rececely I figured, assuming the spec is the same as in the promo bumph, that it would likely cost me £20k on top of my 18 month old Clubsport to get behind the wheel. I know the world has gone mad in so many ways but seriously, for that I’d want at least an Audi or Merc badge and 400bhp under the bonnet.
That leaves the Clubsport. To my eyes it’s the best looking mk8 (R-Line arguably runs it close) by a margin, but that’s just the start of it. It just drives so well. The power delivery is bang on for road use, the brakes are superb and the handling is sublime (ok, it’s fairly heavy and moves about a bit on its springs but that doesn’t detract, just part of the character) yet in can be so docile and tractable with reasonable comfort when you’re just pootling along behind Doris in her i10.
Doris will help you get 40mpg too.
I’ve always said the TCR was the beta model for the mk8 Clubsport and it still feels that way. The 8CS just feeling that bit sharper. Not a lot in it mind.
Would I pay £xxxx to change from a TCR to an 8CS? Absolutely not. The TCR feels like a ‘special’ car where the 8CS feels like the car a normal old skool GTI enthusiast would have built themselves starting with a base GTI. An honest basic GTI honed to drive significantly sharper without looking too showy. So in fact pretty true to the Clubsport ethos minus any weight saving bits (which the Ed40 also lacked).
Inside, it’s actually nice when you get used to it. Yes, the door handles look cheap but they wear well and the rest of it really grows on you. Personally I don’t spend ages looking at interior door handles when on the move. The steering wheel is lovely to use and there is no clutter, just functional minimalism.
The Ed40 owners slate the 8CS for not being special enough and I’ll grant them that. But there’s more to GTI’s than limited edition bits of trim. The 8CS is a GTI for traditional GTI lovers in its simplest format.
It’s a grower.
I’ll discount the Ed45 for this thread due to the sheer expense to move from a 7.5 GTI to the Ed45. Special Edition GTI enthusiasts are a seperate sub-breed! 😁
If you hate BMW’s then you’ll never miss the fact the 1 series (F40) is a better stab at building a Golf than VW currently muster. They’re seriously good and utterly solid build wise. It seems like instead of looking at the mk7 Golf to base their FWD 1 series on they just copied the dimensions and then got a mk2 Golf to base the interior solidity on.
BMW specialise in making big cars and you can tell by the sheer quality of the interior of the 1er plus all the body reinforcing struts.
Mercedes specialise in big cars too but unfortunately used Renault as their basis for small hatches. Oops.
Still, doesn’t seem to do their sales any harm.
In conclusion, the mk8 isn’t as bad as you think by any means but go for option 1 and keep the 7.5.
