« Reply #21 on: 01 May 2020, 15:17 »
I have much respect for Chris Harris. I wish I could perform donuts in supercars on a disused runway whilst chatting to a go-pro and raking in millions for the pleasure!
Aside from the obvious differences in skill-sets and the fact I wouldn’t know how to do a donut even if I had to, plus I have far too much mechanical sympathy to even try, the plain truth of it is there is a dead inch of travel on mk7 and 7.5 Golf throttle pedals that can be cheaply avoided making the prodigious standard torque more accessible without hoofing the throttle. That in turn makes the car feel more responsive and quicker (placebo or not) in day to day driving.
Like a remap, it’s all about enjoyment of the car.
Without the pedalbox my Golfs felt less responsive than the variety of Diesel works vans I do get to drive (but alas not perform donuts in) if I feel like taking one out. With the pedalbox I can feel every one of those 280 lb ft of torque and can waft along briskly and quite happily barely moving my ankle. That alone gives me much pleasure. Slightly more pressure on the throttle and the car is off like a scolded cat. Perfect. That’s what hot hatches are about to me. No Chris Harris skills needed.
Believe a little less what motoring journalists write and a little more about what demanding owners who pay for their own cars think, do some research and come to your own conclusions. Journalists get an impression of a car compared to whatever else they’ve been paid to drive that week. Some of us have slightly different requirements to put the icing on an otherwise fantastic but mass produced (mass market) cake.

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‘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