OK I can put a spin on this thread by admitting I have owned four Type-R's prior to owning my current GTI PP. I will lay my cards down now and say the GTI PP is the best car I have ever owned by far. The last Type-R I owned was the Type-R Championship White with LSD, so I can fairly compare it to the GTI PP.
Performance: I would say it seems the Type-R has gained more power and is unable to use the full potential of the 310ps due to it being FWD. Although they have achieve a milestone of what is possible with FWD, the Golf R is far more capable and with 4WD and better torque figures it will wipe the floor with the Type-R. The torque of the Type-R looks like it has also gained a healthy boost at the lower end of its range but the GTI still has better pull at a lower range of rpm. I suspect the Type-R will scream when you get in to the 6000rpm range, as if it was anything like the ones I owned your power range is always not fully tapped until you hit over 6000rpm+.
Aesthetics: Although very OTT, I did like the look of the concept version of the latest Type-R, however Honda have done their usual of slapping in cheap non stylised part last minute before sale to cut costs and ruin the look of the car. The parts I am referring to are the front fog lights. The concept car had great angular slits for DRLs, but the Type-R on sale instead has these ugly cheap round fog lights slapped in to the front facia instead. There are other parts of the car like this which just do not scream buy me I am worth £30K.
On a side note the spoiler looks worse to see out the rear windows than the cars I owned. The spoiler on my last car sat perfectly in front of cars in your rear view mirror so you had no idea what was behind you, it just looked like empty road! The rear lights on the new Type-R also look like beacons they protrude so far out from the body of the car.
The styling of the Golf Mk7 GTI and R is far more grown up and premium. It's very much a case of less is more and what you do not initially see you are constantly noticing the finer details many months later. I am so much more a fan of the styling of the Golf MK7's than the new Type-R and I was originally planning on waiting to buy a Type-R before I bought the GTI at launch. So glad I did go the route of VW.
Interior Finish: Although the Type-R comes with Bucket Seats clad in alcantara standard and on initial look at the interior the Type-R will look great. However once in the car you will soon notice how fisher price the dash and interior really can be. There are large buttons and dials every where, the overall layout of the display is like a teenager has spewed it up out of his wild imagination with the two or in my Type-R three tier display layout. It really was quite a mess. The ease of access as to which button does what and where it might be when you are driving was also a major pain in the ass. To let you know I am a graphic designer and 3D modeller by trade so am used to remembering aand using complex key presses and but even I was maxed out by the vague layout of buttons and dials while driving. By this point you may feel I never liked my Type-R's, which is not true, it's just that one of the things which let them down was the finish of the dash and controls.
For the record the later 2 of my Type-R's did had dual zone climate control, auto wipers, auto headlights etc,. However if Honda have removed these as standard features then what were they thinking...
The finish and layout of my GTI is light years ahead. The materials used are far superior, the layout and design of the interior is also top notch when compared to my last Type-R (which I owned for 5 years so must have liked it).
Food for thought, the Nav screen in the Type-R is smaller than the Nav Pro in the Golf's and when the touch system comes in to the Golfs next year it will be even bigger at 13" for the screen.
Have you also noticed the Type-R has a thing called a 'Hand Brake'?
Overall this post would seem like I am slatting the Type-R. However going by past experience it will be a great car, but it will not be on the same level as the Golf Mk7 GTI or R in quality or finish. As for performance the Golf R will be better poised and able to use the full potential of it's 4 wheel drive system. The LSD in the Type-R I had was mechanical but the E-Diff in my GTI is far better and able to go much quicker around tight bends, I can vouch for this as I have tested it. I get at least 20 mph+ more around the same bend in the Golf E-Diff than I did from the Type-R LSD.
To summarise I will go and have a look at one, but will not be buying one. I am instead looking at the Golf GTI ED40 or if I am able to afford it Golf R400.
Hope this does not bore you guys too senseless
