2018 Golf TCR and dealer information ?

[dean5125]

So, am I going to change? That's the £17k question... I'm going to sleep on it...

Nice little review..... something tells me you won't be doing much sleeping though!! 

[Hertsman]

So today I've been back for a second look and a test drive of a 5 door Oryx white TCR. Even though the weather wasn't great and, considering it's on a main dealer forecourt, it's not really being presented as I would expect (it clearly hasn't had more than a cursory wash for some time), it still looked really good. Sounded good on start up, not as loud as I feared, and the Reifnitz really suit it (last time I saw it it was in a tight parking space so I couldn't stand back for a better view). The interior is great, especially with the extra light from the sunroof. Then we went out for a drive, as a passenger then driver. As a passenger it was very comfortable, rides very well and takes the bumps without crashing. Pulls well and goes through the gears quickly. First thing I noticed taking the wheel was how dead the go pedal was , pulling out of junctions was a bit of a pain and you don't want to give an unfamiliar car a heavy boot so if I go for it I think my pedalbox will be coming with me. I've read others saying to put it in sport to get it going but surely you shouldn't have to bugger about with all that? 1 up to a manual.. DSG was great on the move though and it was nice being back in an auto. With my preference for a 3 door I didn't think I'd consider a 5 door but it did look good and there's the added practicality I suppose, so not too big an issue.

We did some figures including a trade in on mine and it's about where I expected. The big thing though was how I'd feel getting back in my own car, older and manual, I have to say it's still great! I prefer the simplicity of the dials and the textured black trim rather than the gloss black. In fairness I didn't give the TCR a workout but mine gets down the road pretty sharpish, probably helped by the pedalbox giving that lively feel, and the manual gear change is really good.

So, am I going to change? That's the £17k question... I'm going to sleep on it...

The pedal response is much better than my previous R, and quite like its not too aggressive on the standard crawl around, but as others have said its much livelier in Sport as you would expect.

Another difference to the R was that Race in the R was pretty unusable, with overly long and annoying changes if just commuting about, where as the mapping in the TCR in Sport is perfectly usable and intuitive in regular traffic, in that if you back off the acceleration it will change up so not over revving, but if pushing on, it hangs onto that gear right through revs to next change up as you would want.

DSG is a separate subject really, some will always champion manual as the drivers choice, but for me I will never go back, its removed the stress out of my day to day, and now totally in tune with its characteristics I really get the best out of it, and you can go manual (make own decisions) to an extent with the paddles - Wife drove my previous and within a month we had traded her manual car in for an Stronic - I had drove autos previously in US and UK, sluggish and awful, but the DSG is an amazing piece of tech, and total convert

as for the decision, its always so personal and you need to be honest with self, personally I might just stick with the GTI PP as characteristics are obviously very similar, and save a ton of ££'s

My choice was much easier, always wanted a GTI from day they were introduced and this was perfect opportunity to finally get one

Really liked the styling, and liked that this version retained the near 300 BHP was used to in R

GTI owners have always stated that the GTI is the drivers car over the R, which must admit fell on deaf ears when ran an R, but having spent 3000 miles in the TCR now, there is definitely an added lightness and agility that the heavier and planted R does not give you feel of - thats no criticism of the R as I really enjoyed that aspect, but am also appreciating the difference for me in drive which you will not feel coming from a GTI PP

Exclusivity is a nice bonus, it looks great, nice n stealthy, and to this day not seen another on the road - Not sure if one you looked at was Akrapovic, but its starting to make some lovely sounds now bedded in.

Moving from a MK 7 > MK 7.5 also appreciate the Digital display (always an analogue guy, but its a great piece of tech and I am converted), the upgraded lights (love the auto high beam) and the improved media system, so much clearer not just for media use, but on reverse camera

Its a harder decision coming from a GTI PP and you really will have to see how feel about all the little above and extras that the TCR has, even the softer aspect of exclusivity - Oryx white is a really nice colour by the way, that will be a rare option

[clubsport]

Watts, you don't sound blown away by the TCR?

For comparison purposes, why don't you test drive a CS, you could switch for around 1/2 the cost, still plenty of low mileage cars around?

That may end up showing you how great the TCR & PP are, or not!?

[Watts]

something tells me you won't be doing much sleeping though!! 

It's definitely a tough choice

Hertsman - many thanks for taking the time to post all that, very useful and I think you have summarised the issue well in that there just isn't going to be an obvious big difference (other than the money...).

Watts, you don't sound blown away by the TCR?

For comparison purposes, why don't you test drive a CS, you could switch for around 1/2 the cost, still plenty of low mileage cars around?

That may end up showing you how great the TCR & PP are, or not!?

Definitely not blown away, it was a really good car and if I do change I'm sure I'll be very happy with it. Exonian talks about  all the little differences adding up and he's probably right, I'm not sure my driving environment will allow me to appreciate the differences though. My commute is 5.5 miles, nice and steady but no opportunities to explore a car's dynamics (I drive around the Heathrow perimeter road which is now 30mph with lots of cameras), my local roads are all slow and congested, when I go on holiday or visit family it is lots of motorway miles which are hardly exhilarating. I still enjoy driving, I just don't think I'll get much use of the extras a TCR offers.

I've got to go and get some dinner on now, time to get to grips with some smoked Tofu

[king monkey]

Interesting stuff from everyone. Hertsman, I wonder if the issue in your 7R was because of the older DSG box? I tried a few Rs and S3s pre-facelift and post-facelift. I had the same issue when in race or dynamic but not in facelifted cars.   

[mcmaddy]

I'm going from a 7 GTi pp manual to the TCR and it took me less than 5 minutes to decide I was changing. I haven't a clue where people think the accelerator pedal is dead because in every version I've driven including my own it just doesn't have a dead pedal, at all. The last dsg I had was the 7 speed one on the Tiguan diesel I had. Hated it with a passion but on a petrol it's completely different and on the 40 minute test drive didn't think once about the dsg. I'm at the point in my life now where I think f*** it, you never know what's round the corner. So I ordered the TCR 

[monkeyhanger]

Watts, you don't sound blown away by the TCR?

For comparison purposes, why don't you test drive a CS, you could switch for around 1/2 the cost, still plenty of low mileage cars around?

That may end up showing you how great the TCR & PP are, or not!?

I think the decision would be easier for Watts if you could get a 3 door manual TCR.

Thanks to VW's push to get all performance cars to DSG, I'm in a DSG Polo GTI+ , but I feel it would be far better as a manual. I just don't get the love for DSG at all. Advantage DSG if you live your life in gridlock, but the DSG will never be as smart as a switched on driver with a manual box. For some, those shortcomings annoy more than the upsides delight.

Sounds like Watts is a dyed in the wool manual fan who'll find the DSG a compromise rather than a plus point.

You can use the box in manual mode, but the stick is so unintuitive (if only it was reversed - pull for up shift and push for downshift!) and paddles are only good in a straight line.

At some point the manual enthusiasts are going to have to migrate to a car that gives you a manual option until all cars are electric and all you have is a single stop-start pedal.

An engaging drive is dying a death.

[Watts]

I haven't a clue where people think the accelerator pedal is dead because in every version I've driven including my own it just doesn't have a dead pedal, at all.

Good that we can all see things differently, I'm polar opposite, not sure that bees have knees but the pedalbox does it for me

I'm at the point in my life now where I think f*** it, you never know what's round the corner. So I ordered the TCR 

Now that's good advice!

I think the decision would be easier for Watts if you could get a 3 door manual TCR.

Thanks to VW's push to get all performance cars to DSG, I'm in a DSG Polo GTI+ , but I feel it would be far better as a manual. I just don't get the love for DSG at all. Advantage DSG if you live your life in gridlock, but the DSG will never be as smart as a switched on driver with a manual box. For some, those shortcomings annoy more than the upsides delight.

Sounds like Watts is a dyed in the wool manual fan who'll find the DSG a compromise rather than a plus point.

You can use the box in manual mode, but the stick is so unintuitive (if only it was reversed - pull for up shift and push for downshift!) and paddles are only good in a straight line.

At some point the manual enthusiasts are going to have to migrate to a car that gives you a manual option until all cars are electric and all you have is a single stop-start pedal.

An engaging drive is dying a death.

Actually I've had more years in autos, that's why I'm enjoying this car so much. But you might be right with my viewing DSG as a compromise, in autos I've tended to just stick them in D and go, plus an old auto is more like a manual in that instead of a sport mode, you just put your foot down! Why does 'progress' seem to make things so unnecessarily complicated?

[Zermatt]

Thanks for your thoughts on the test drive and as a Manual 3 door owner I share a lot of your thoughts on this, if a 3 door Manual TCR had been available  at launch I probably would have held of buying the PP last Feb.

Driving my PP Manual on my commute, 10 miles of Scottish B road this week I’m convinced the Manual is best suited for this road.

Everyone will have a different set of circumstances and driving conditions, if I had a motorway commute everyday then I’d probably go DSG.

[king monkey]

Thanks for your thoughts on the test drive and as a Manual 3 door owner I share a lot of your thoughts on this, if a 3 door Manual TCR had been available  at launch I probably would have held of buying the PP last Feb.

Driving my PP Manual on my commute, 10 miles of Scottish B road this week I’m convinced the Manual is best suited for this road.

Everyone will have a different set of circumstances and driving conditions, if I had a motorway commute everyday then I’d probably go DSG.

Think that’s spot on.