Perhaps it is just me, but I found your musings highly valuable. Firstly, from your previous posts I've gleaned that we're very much on the same page in terms of likes/dislikes. Secondly, you have a lot of experience with the 7/7.5 GTIs to draw upon in your comparative assessment of the mk8. Thirdly, I respect your opinions - you are not afraid to call out faults, nor go OTT for the latest shiny, new-fangled gimmicks.
I dread to think how much that experience of ownership has cost me in pounds, shillings and pence.
Still, it’s been my own money and therefore I’ll not hold back on my own thoughts be they good or bad.
************
Touching on the engine power thing. Maybe the cars run on slightly reduced power until they’re run in? My BMW definitely did.
I can confirm as a previous owner of remapped GTI’s the Clubsport can accelerate very rapidly as well as corner inspiringly.
The one thing it does do, unlike I’d imagine a Golf R, is move around a little under hard acceleration and cornering. Just enough to remind you that you’re not immortal but still giving you total faith in the chassis.
Maybe with ESP turned off for the driving gods amongst us it’ll get even more squirmy (an apt phrase borrowed from a review I watched) under power through bends.
One thing the 4WD über hatches do is remove the driver from the laws of physics which means by the time the tyres actually do let go you’re probably/possibly beyond recovering it unless very skilled/experienced.