I came from a MK5 GTI. I love my car, but I liked my GTI a little bit more. For sure the R is a lot quicker than the GTI, but for me there is a trade off. The ride is hard and when in D the car can feel really slow and it drinks fuel like you would not believe. On the plus point in this wet weather that seems to be the norm now the traction is great, 4wd in the wet from standstill is awesome campared with the GTI. It depends what you want from your car and how much you want to pay.