« Reply #14 on: 28 January 2014, 16:47 »
Hmmmm, I think most people in the market for a GTI will look towards the R and wonder…
Wigit went to see the R in the flesh in Germany when it was launched so can share his thoughts on the styling more accurately than most of us. I think the front bumper is very similar to the German R Line spec with added vents so will be quite beefy in the flesh but still very understated.
The GTI has real presence and my car gets loads of approving comments, and a mate was sat in work looking at used GTIs (older ones) but mk7's came up in the search and I looked at the price of some of them.
Nearly £40k for some used GTI's!!! C'mon!
So what we have here is VW know that people will buy a GTI because its a GTI and will spec it highly as they can afford to. They might not have the desire for an R as to them it's overkill.
I think an R will appeal to a different buyer in general and will generally be bought by very discerning buyers who just want the ultimate model no matter whether they have the use for the extra performance or not.
Would I rather have 300 bhp and 4wd as standard? Yes
Can I afford an R? Yes, probably, don't see why not as it's not hugely more expensive than a GTI PP.
Will I look at getting an R to replace my GTI in a few years? I don't owe anything on my GTI so it all depends on the deal BUT at the end of the day I'm more than happy with the GTI.
I prefer the looks, I can make it as quick as an R in theory (ignoring the 4wd traction) and for me lighter body weight is far more important than extra BHP.
The most fun cars I've ever owned or had use of weren't that powerful - Polo G40, Lupo GTI (6speed) and 205 GTI 1.9 so it's not all about big numbers on congested roads.
Horses for courses.
Logged
‘23 8R, ‘20 8CS, ‘19 135iX, ‘19 TCR, ‘17 Ed40, ‘17 GTD, ‘15 7R, ‘13 GTI PP, ‘11 GTI, ‘09 GTI, ‘98 Ibiza Cupra, ‘05 GTI, ‘06 Polo GTI, ‘04 GT TDI, ‘05 Fabia vRS, ‘02 GTI T, ‘03 Ibiza TDI 130, ‘01 Leon 180, ‘89 mk2 16v, ‘99 Ibiza TDI, ‘96 VR6, ‘98 Ibiza TDI, ‘92 VR6, ‘88 mk2 8v, ‘92 Polo G40, ‘91 mk2 8v, ‘89 mk2 8v, 205 GTI 1.9, ‘83 mk1 GTI, ‘80 Scirocco GTI, plus some others I’ve forgotten
