I already drove an R and to be honest I prefer the all round appeal of the GTi. No matter what the hardware underneath,paying 26-27 for a gti is my limit, I just have a problem paying 30k + for a golf or in fact anything with a 4 cyl engine under the bonnet !!
I can see the appeal in the R but it doesn't do it for me. I actually see far more R's than GTi's on the road and I think that makes the GTi more desirable as a daily driver at least, plus I need to keep the running costs sensible as it isn't the only car..
The gti would be my daily drive, I have the BMW 330ci for weekend which, like it or not, makes a sound and goes with effortless grunt that no 4 cyl engine can ever hope to replicate regardless of power outputs !!