How are people justifying their R's

[Snoopy]

I drove the S3 more or less back to back with the mk6 GTI (went from one dealer to the other, 1/4 mile up the road) and the steering feel was so much better on the GTI. I just could not live with the S3s steering.

but thats just me.

[Chins]

^ Thats one of the reason ours does too. It also meen if we need to keep them abit longer for any reason its not a problem.

I still think all you private 'R' orders are mad, I would never buy something i had not tried.

We also get the chance to change them earlier if we like - something I like to do when I have a car through my company. Keep changing from company to private.

I wouldnt normally agree about driving before buying. Ive bought many cars without driving them and usually my hunch has been backed up by a good time driving the car and the ability to change out without too much of a financial penalty. I made a bit of a mistake with the S3, but the price I paid meant the hit I took when I sold it wasnt huge. That car a couple of years ago cost me £26k. The jump to well north of the £30K doesnt seem like value to me.

Looking around for the same price you can buy a brand new S4 with the same spec as the R. Doesnt seem to be right.

i was really looking forward to the R, but as you can see I'm a bit unsure here

[Booski]

Chins it looks like the R isn't for you...
Nobody should need to convince you, I know I want it, it ticks all the boxes.
Good luck 

[Tailpipe]

Have you driven the Golf R then Tailpipe ?  Or do you mean Golf R is on another planet pricewise? I await reviews eagerly and  a testdrive myself hoping it is not like a S3 as i and many others prefer a mk6 gti or a mk5 R32 to a S3. Hence why i havent ordered yet

Hi Carl1, no I haven't driven the R yet. But I know a man* who has and i trust his judgement. He says that the R has been finessed to a level not equalled by similar Audi offerings. The rife comfort and roadholding balance shames cars costing 3x as much. So I am confident that the R will be pretty special. Overall, I doubt whether the R will get rated as highly by the UK motoring press as the GTI. The Mk VI GTI does just about everything you need for £25,000. The R will be not notably faster in a straight line, but will also be able to put its power down more quickly when exiting corners due to its AWD. The 0-60 time is more than a second quicker, and hot laps on most circuits will show a notably faster time in the R. Yes, the R is heavier, but the extra weight it carries is well compensated by the extra power. Perhaps the real reason to have an R over a GTI is whether AWD is important to you. It is to me, because it means that its performance is usable all year round and it offers an extra degree of security. If you travel across Europe in Winter, as I do often, AWD, and winter tyres are fairly essential. A properly shod Golf runs rings around other cars.

* man = trustworthy motoring journalist who writes for highly respected UK magazine.

[Chins]

So which motoring magazine is trustworthy?

Autocar and What Car have rated the R as ordinary. EVO and Performance Car are very impartial!!!, so I guess he works for CAR?

My wife used to work for a major manufacturer and worked in PR/Press, so understand how it works.

[Chins]

Chins it looks like the R isn't for you...
Nobody should need to convince you, I know I want it, it ticks all the boxes.
Good luck 

I am trying. Want to use company money rather than my own. Just feel the R woud be a massive step backwards from where I am today for a small financialsaving.
 
What are your boxes?

[Tailpipe]

So which motoring magazine is trustworthy?

Autocar and What Car have rated the R as ordinary. EVO and Performance Car are very impartial!!!, so I guess he works for CAR?

My wife used to work for a major manufacturer and worked in PR/Press, so understand how it works.

Cars are not tested by just one journalist on a magazine. Often two or three writers will attend a launch and all write different pieces. Ultimately, the editor will decide what the party line is and the hacks will simply write their copy accordingly. Autocar will not write anything that compromises their relationship with BMW.

[Chins]

Your right there. I have been to a couple of car launches and you will be amazed at the gifts that the journos get left in their room. We have had  a few in our house.

You will find Performance Car far too BMW biased.