Got the car back from my detailer today and it looks superb. I've taken a few photographs on the iPhone but will take some proper photographs when I take the cars out on a longer drive. Someone messaged me for a photograph of the back seats hence the slightly random inclusion. 
The CSS has been in and out of London this week and with the good weather, the front end is splattered with 180 miles of suicidal insects and is rather dirty so it's not quite fair to photograph it next to the freshly detailed TCR so don't judge me for that!
Having driven the two cars back to back and on a 15 mile stretch of my own 'EVO triangle', I'm really pleased with handling and performance. It has a lot in common with the CSS and I drove it as I would the CSS. It's every bit as confidence inspiring. I didn't undertake a comparison with any amount of scientific endeavour, simply ran it in race mode with the DSG set to manual on a route I use as a benchmark. I figured that if I didn't get on with the most aggressive configuration, I would dial it back or make adjustments to individual settings. The route has a combination of fast, open sections, lots of technical corners, adverse camber, some hairpins, a switch back and some rough, pitted surfacing. It's an excellent test of a car's dynamics.
I was reminded of my complaint with (most) road cars equipped with paddles and that's the fact that they're not fixed to the steering column and on a couple of stretches where I know the exact gears I wanted, I found myself scrabbling around the wheel (exiting corners) for the shifter and the car was slightly unsettled as a result. It was actually easier to use the gearstick. Don't start me on +/- direction of shift! The DSG is much the same as on the 7.5PP/R and not having driven them recently, am going on memory. Perhaps there are nuances in the mapping which more seat time will reveal. The DSG box was keen to push me into a higher gear. In fairness, I was watching my revs given the car has done less than 30 miles but there were a couple of stretches where I drove 'normally'. I think I need to get used to driving a semi-automatic box again. It's not as good as Porsche's PDK-S where I actually trust the car to select the right gears.
I think the damping on the car is superb and I only ran in race mode which is intolerable in the CSS. I'm used to firm cars and I am probably not the last word in judging pliancy but there is a notable difference between the two cars. I leave the CSS in individual with everything set to race except the dampers which are on comfort and it's perfect. I think I'd probably spend more time changing modes in the TCR based on what I was doing than with the CSS. For fun, I suspect I'd be in Sport with no adjustments. I think the adjustability, particularly given my wife and I want entirely different things from the TCR make it a perfect shared car. I was expecting to need to swap the car to 18" wheels but I don't think it needs it. I've not tried comfort mode yet!
The car feels quick, much like the CSS, quicker than the 0-60 time on paper. The brakes are superb and similar to the CSS but they feel slightly over servoed - the pads are not bedded in and everything is new so it's probably too early to pass judgement. Braking has more linearity on the CSS I feel.
Anyway, better get on with the run in process! Those of you waiting for cars, you're not going to be disappointed.
Morning
Good read with my Monday breakfast before do the work thing
To back another comment think we all prefer the personal view and feeling to anything scientific and given you have a CSS also your immediate comparisons obviously carry a lot of weight.
It was not a quick and easy decision to not stay with the R, the 300 BHP coupled to AWD is a compelling argument.
I would not have looked that the GTI PP as have got used to the pace of the R and so when the TCR turned up with a close enough BHP to the R the thinking was that I would in the real world of UK roads not feel any loss in pace.
Understood there would be a trade off to the AWD and that argument was balanced by the drop in weight, the increased agility and the VAQ differential.
Also, though the TCR is not a CSS, its quite aligned, and I did look at many a review on the CSS and there was not anything in them to dissuade me
The commonality with all that is the decision was made on supposition, and so its nice to have even more assurance from your drive and CSS comparison, like said a great morning read and even though driving around in an R, October seems a long way away this morning
Also looks great sitting there
but that be no consolation if drive was compromised in some way but thats now fully ticked.
My R definitely improved as went past the 1000 miles and then more mile were added, in fact I would say its running the best its ever been at the moment, and no reason not to expect the TCR to follow that path as the mechanicals bed in and you yourself get used to the DSG again
Never used DSG before the MK7 but now into my 6th year of use, so its quite natural for me, I use D when commuting around and use Race/Paddles any other time (as find the gearbox holds onto gears too long) and as its so innate to me, you do not get into wrong gear and with the immediate changes keep the pace seamlessly - Once you have got used to the TCR own DSG personality, sure you be the same.
One question, the R has a little bit of pedal travel to get moving (hence some use pedal boxes) which I have got so used to I naturally compensate to offset, so what is the TCR behaviour? you never mentioned it so maybe its mapped out? (maybe something to answer after the 1000 miles)
