« Reply #34 on: 01 September 2015, 19:30 »
Thinking about this some more, I definitely see a lot more Rs than GTIs. GTD is only marginally more common than the R around here I would say, and GTI definitely the rarest.
Probably the same with the 1-series if you think about it. M135i very popular (partly due to cheap lease deals), 125d quite common but 125i rare.
A lot of that has to do with the huge (on paper) power difference between the R and the GTI and the closeness of the list price at launch, plus taking into consideration the lease deals as a massive contributing fact too it's hardly surprising that the GTI is a rare-ish sight on UK roads. I reckon with the improved spec and better deals on the GTI the numbers may increase somewhat but the GTD still looks a more attractive package for many buyers.
I don't think the mk6 GTI sold in huge numbers either and you see far more mk6 GTD's about which probably kind of sums up the average buyer in the UK of that size of car - they rely on their company car benefits in the main and that spells Diesel cars whose on road performance isn't massively behind, especially if you spend most of your life cruising A roads and motorways.
The mk5 GTI was a big seller and I think the mk7 R has taken over its mantle as the more sought after model with petrol buying enthusiasts.
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‘25 8.5R, ‘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
