Ok, here goes...

[Exonian]

Well, where do I start?

Or if you have the space buy a tank and fill it. I have nearly 4000 litres of diesel at the back of my garage.

That reply doesn't give the impression that you may possibly not be quite your average Joe at all.
A 4000 litre tank would be bigger than my entire garden.
A postage stamp is nearly bigger than my garden come to think of it. I'm not big on gardening by the way

It's an 8,000 litre thank actually but it is just under half full. You would be surprised how small the thank is compared to what you would think it would be.

I got the tank, full of diesel(not red in case anyone was thinking) in exchange for floor and wall tiles that cost me nothing because I got them almost free from my brother who is a tile importer.

It is all boxed in so you would never know it was even there.

A curious story! Unfortunately I'm not in a position to do deals like that but it must be pretty handy. I think 8000 litres would last me a good few years. It sure must beat hanging round draughty forecourts.

[GTI_Ant]

Well, where do I start?
I get to use the extra 116PS about 0.00% of my commute.
Probably about 1% of my entire annual driving.
I'm getting old, I can't be arsed to rev the engine hard anymore - I like zippy and fun without doing the big speeds.
The trouble with tuning boxes on the R is that the peak figures on the graphs look to be quite high in the range where as with a Diesel the power and torque is slap bang where you're going to use it.
The downside of a tuned Diesel is that it feels really powerful at first, like you're driving a big torquey V8 then all of a sudden you run out of revs!!! Is there a happy medium? Maybe I need a V8 in my life.

I respect my R but I don't love it. I love driving it though! It just feels like an extraordinary powerful but very normal Golf - which in itself is a massive testament to the engineering that tames the power (and indeed the power itself).
Maybe I just need a different hobby instead of playing around with cars? Knitting?

Most likely I'll end up keeping the R a few years and mapping it nearer the end of the warranty, possibly adding some retrofits along the way as a bit of a project.

You're not getting old, but maybe a bit lazy? Come on! you can still really enjoy the R, and love it.  Please don't go to the dark side.  Think about the pollution.  Most of the driving I do, a GTD would be more than adequate, but then so would a base model Golf.

[Exonian]

I just don't get chance to wring the neck of the car Ant.
I'm used to low revving luggers and get just as much enjoyment from a huge slug of torque at 2000rpm to blast out of bends with than I ever did with having to hit 6000rpm plus.
The GTI is a good compromise as it hits peak power and torque at low revs where the R needs to be worked a lot more. Ultimately "more rewarding" I'll grant you in a heartbeat, but quick point to point times living in the West Country and being mindful of traffic and speed limits then low speed torque suits me far better.
I'm good with lazy. I'm a time honoured insomniac so spend most of my life feeling jet lagged at best. My insides seem to be disintegrating too so energy levels tend to be quite low.

[kalimon]

I just don't get chance to wring the neck of the car Ant.
I'm used to low revving luggers and get just as much enjoyment from a huge slug of torque at 2000rpm to blast out of bends with than I ever did with having to hit 6000rpm plus.
The GTI is a good compromise as it hits peak power and torque at low revs where the R needs to be worked a lot more. Ultimately "more rewarding" I'll grant you in a heartbeat, but quick point to point times living in the West Country and being mindful of traffic and speed limits then low speed torque suits me far better.
I'm good with lazy. I'm a time honoured insomniac so spend most of my life feeling jet lagged at best. My insides seem to be disintegrating too so energy levels tend to be quite low.

You've just described me almost exactly!
Do you have the other half of my amulet by any chance ? 

[GTI_Ant]

I just don't get chance to wring the neck of the car Ant.
I'm used to low revving luggers and get just as much enjoyment from a huge slug of torque at 2000rpm to blast out of bends with than I ever did with having to hit 6000rpm plus.
The GTI is a good compromise as it hits peak power and torque at low revs where the R needs to be worked a lot more. Ultimately "more rewarding" I'll grant you in a heartbeat, but quick point to point times living in the West Country and being mindful of traffic and speed limits then low speed torque suits me far better.
I'm good with lazy. I'm a time honoured insomniac so spend most of my life feeling jet lagged at best. My insides seem to be disintegrating too so energy levels tend to be quite low.

I'm the same, I hate getting up in the morning, feel tired and stressed all day, but for me this makes it even more important knowing I will be looking forward to driving something that can put a smile on my face.

[wigit]

I sort of get where you are coming from Ex as my Scirocco had shed loads of low down oomph compared to the Pirelli with the K04 and you could easily get caught napping, it is a bit similar in the R but not to the same extent  as the 35/Pirelli

The irony with the Scirocco was i always felt short changed when it ran out of puff after 5K so never gave the sense of engagement when you rung its neck. This was what annoyed my on the 7 GTI I had on loan was it was so good I felt i was being robbed of tome end

My sensible head with the M2 coming was to have a GTD but I just can't let the R go and have come to the conclusion my Polo isn't exactly great on fuel around town

What you need to do is get up early on a Sunday, shove the DSG into manual and have a proper drive over some nice roads, I did on Saturday and had a huge grin

Next it will be pipe and slippers for Christmas

Maybe we need a Southerly R meet where we can all have a good hoon to get there

[Exonian]

I'm well ready for pipe and slippers.
Mind you I was just heading home from a trip to Cornwall the other evening when a slight slip of my accelerator saw me accidentally (honest your honour) fly off the line at a set of traffic lights, a couple of miles from my house, putting a rather overly eager young pretender back a couple of car lengths. I'll put it down to being in great need of a pee.
Anyway, I got home and by the time I'd unpacked my bags from the boot there was a text message from a friend saying "tut, tut, at your age Andrew, car sounded good though!"
Yep, I'd been spotted by a colleague heading home late in the evening - there's no privacy in this world!

As for the getting up early on a Sunday thing, I don't need to do that as I work shifts so tend to take the car for an occasional blast to clear out the pipes a bit. Even at 4AM on unrestricted roads I tend to keep it very sensible though hence why I often think I'd be better off with something where the power band is much lower in the rev range.
My Revo'd mk6 had all the power I'd ever need but was a little too eager to blow dump valves and spin wheels. I used to use a Bluefinned mk6 too that was much more civilised than the Revo car but sometimes just a little too civilised maybe? The mk7 GTI with tuning box was somewhere in between the two of those but again the power wasn't quite in the right place to make the most of it every day. Somewhere out there is the perfect blend.
The 7R has the grip but just needs more low end torque to really make it perfect for me.
Maybe I'm an RS3 type of guy at heart but I'd not pay north £40k for a small hatchback no matter how nice it sounds.
I just wish they'd do a 1.0 or 1.2 TSI UP! GT - charismatic 3 cylinder turbo, wheel at each corner and no weight...

[andrewparker]

As an ex GTD driver who currently has an R I think you'd be mad to go the other way. The GTD is a decent car and it is very good on the motorway, but for my day-to-day driving it proved to be rather frustrating. It lacks refinement and although it handles well it just never felt like a fun car to drive quickly, largely because of the diesel powertrain. If anything it encourages you to drive more sedately and with economy in mind.

For a while I tried to convince myself that these were good things, but in the end the lure of 300hp in a Golf was too much to resist. The R is a great car that is compromised by poor economy, whereas the GTD is a good car that in reality doesn't really excel in any area.

[Exonian]

Thanks for that Andrew, an excellent reply and interesting thoughts.
The only real answer I have to that is if I did get a GTD at any point the first thing i'd want to do to that Diesel power train would be to unleash another 40 or 50 lb ft of torque.
Yes, the R would be far quicker still when in full fat mode but the GTD would then have an element of fun that could be exploited at sensible speeds.

The standard R is just a bit too polished for it to be much fun unless you're really "on it".
If you're really "on it" you're doing illegal speeds within seconds.
I'm just a lover of low end torque so I can just rapidly waft!

[Booth11]

Bloody Hell Mr Ex!  Your recent posts have got me nearly sobbing in despair!  I'm pretty sure you are the same age as me, we are old but not that old. Forget your pipe and slippers, forget GTD, plenty of time for both of those later....much later.  Go and thrash your R, and I don't mean Fawlty Towers style.