Golf R... Why buy a Golf GTI?

[scanesare]

On the road the 4 wheel drive R feels much more solid and planted - it is heavier - and saying goodbye to the PPs front tramp on a spirited getaway is a blessing.  The extra grip round corners inspires so much more confidence in the R.

Finally my R was over 15 seconds a lap faster round Bedford under the same sort of weather conditions than my PP-

Just a note, you don't need either more weight or AWD to generate more grip. AWD is great for traction (ie. launching or accelerating out of a corner) but nothing to do with actual grip or carrying more speed around bends. In fact, the way the 4Motion works (no center diff between fronts and rears, no lsd) all is good until you drive at or past the "limit". Then it will at best be slower (just braking the spinning wheel) or even dangerous if wrong assumptions are made (ie. try to correct with more throttle) compared to a 2WD car. It's more of a "point and shoot / slow in - fast out" than "throw it around as fast as you dare" car. Great for every day driving but not the ideal/quickest solution for a track. That been said, the difference between GTI and R on a track is primarily down to a tighter suspension and stronger engine (in the R) than to the 4Motion.

See how a properly set-up and equally powerful FWD like the Clubsport (or the Cupra) are more planted and take corners even faster than an R. A tighter suspension set-up, quicker steering, better dynamics with "neutralized" behaviour (almost 0 understeer) and of-course the e-lsd are what actually make a car go faster/drive better under normal conditions (drag-racing excluded obviously).

[Talk-torque]

If VW introduce a GTD - Bi Turbo 4 Motion next time out imagine be straight onto that

I think you would have a lot of company! Can't see a reason why this car hasn't happened.

[cosmos]

I was interested in both, I'd always wanted a GTI since I was 17 but never had the opportunity until 15 years later. I looked at the R and was interested but ultimately I preferred the GTI due to:

• Cost. The GTI is cheaper to buy outright, the VED is lower, the fuel economy is better and it's cheaper to insure. The GTI obviously isn't cheap but adding the options I would have wanted as well as the extra running costs meant I couldn't justify the extra cost of an R
• Looks. The R is very stylish but the red accents on the GTI give it a bit extra and internally I much prefer the standard plaid seats - I'd have had to pay for leather seats if I'd gone for the R as I don't like the standard ones and that would have upped the cost even further. I also prefer the front end with the fog lights. The R has a very understated look which I like but I just prefer the all round look of the GTI
• Exclusivity! Not massively important but I see lots of Rs and GTDs and very few GTIs. I think in 3 months of owning mine I have actually seen more GTEs than GTIs.

The R is no doubt a fab car and I would like one in the future, just wasn't the right car for me this time.

[Damion]

Had a Mk6 and Mk7 GTD, both fantastic cars and not a bad word to say about them.
Went for a R this year and have to say its superb, its a simple choice, high miles, GTD, low miles (or more money to spend on fuel) the R.
I skipped the GTI not for being a bad car but for not a lot more you get 4wd and an extra 70bhp.
Isn't it great VW got the model range right, none are bad, far from it, and two special editions to boot.
Could be worse.....

[Daz Auto]

... saying goodbye to the PPs front tramp on a spirited getaway is a blessing.  The extra grip round corners inspires so much more confidence in the R.

Finally my R was over 15 seconds a lap faster round Bedford under the same sort of weather conditions than my PP-

What tyres did you have on the GTI? I had tramping on my GTD until I changed from the original Bridgestones to Goodyear AS2s.

What tyres were you using around the race track?

Grip is provided by the tyres. That grip has 3 functions - acceleration, cornering and braking. 4 wheel drive helps with acceleration. Especially at slower speeds where the acceleration grip is an issue with front wheel drive cars.

On fastlaps.com - Bedford Autodrome West Circuit 1.8m - Mk6 GTI at 1:33.90 and a Mk7 R at 1:26.10

I'm sure the Mk7 GTI PP would be a few seconds faster than the Mk6. So the difference on that 1.8 mile track is more likely to be 5 or 6 seconds.

On the 12.9 mile Nurburgring the times are 8:14 for the R and 8:29 for the GTI. So a 15 second difference.

[andykram]

I loved my Mk6 GTi and the R we have now is awesome. Do I love it though as much as the Mk6? I'm not sure I do, purely because it looks too mundane to me. Nobody really knows I'm driving a 300bhp, 4 wheel drive beast. At least the GTi looks fast, even if it isn't and I sort of want my fast Golf to look fast.
I'm going to be a bit controversial here. I'd now have a Focus RS over a Golf R - I just think it looks awesome.
I'll be even more controversial. I think I'd even have a Mustang. I pass one every morning and that's an awesome looking thing too.

Sorry - just my opinion.

[Daz Auto]

See how a properly set-up and equally powerful FWD like the Clubsport (or the Cupra) are more planted and take corners even faster than an R. A tighter suspension set-up, quicker steering, better dynamics with "neutralized" behaviour (almost 0 understeer) and of-course the e-lsd are what actually make a car go faster/drive better under normal conditions (drag-racing excluded obviously).

There is a Cupra Sub 8 which will do the Nurburgring in 7:58. As mentioned above the Golf R has a time of 8:14.

[Watts]

I loved my Mk6 GTi and the R we have now is awesome. Do I love it though as much as the Mk6? I'm not sure I do, purely because it looks too mundane to me. Nobody really knows I'm driving a 300bhp, 4 wheel drive beast. At least the GTi looks fast, even if it isn't and I sort of want my fast Golf to look fast.
I'm going to be a bit controversial here. I'd now have a Focus RS over a Golf R - I just think it looks awesome.
I'll be even more controversial. I think I'd even have a Mustang. I pass one every morning and that's an awesome looking thing too.

Sorry - just my opinion.

The GTI is a fast car, it's just not as fast as cars that are faster. The same can be said for the R.

[Jackie Treehorn]

Finally my R was over 15 seconds a lap faster round Bedford under the same sort of weather conditions than my PP-

15sec is a lot, it's less than a sec at Blyton  park 1.6 mile circuit. Taking the larger Bedford GT circuit 3miles and adding eagerness in the claim still doesn't bring you to 15sec. As others have said it's only 15 sec on the Ring, which is 20km.  Perhaps your substantial difference is due to seat time at the track? Which is normally greater than bhp I find

[kalimon]

I'm probably in the minority in that I'm not that arsed how fast my car is.
Where can you drive fast these days unless you do track days?
I just like the look, inside and out, of my GTI