Conversely I had a mad moment and part exchanged mine for a TCR last October
How does it compare?
I would search Exonian’s previous posts, he’s written several claptrap comparison reviews but his view may be different to yours. Based on the specification you want my advice is go for the TCR; for only a few thousand more you’ll get a more recent car, perhaps close to 3 years newer, more equipment some of which was not standard or even available on the ED40. All the benefits of the Facelift model, perhaps even Akrapovic exhaust.
If you want a car to mollycoddle, pamper and you only do a few miles buy the ED40. If you do average mileage and your car will be a workhorse buy a TCR. There’s plenty of choice at the moment. Plus you’ll get a manufacturers warranty.
Each to their own.
You’ve summed up my exact thoughts there Paul70
Although a CS40 makes a fantastic daily driver being as user friendly as any other Golf (excluding CSS which has a slight cabin disadvantage/advantage) coupled with a feeling of “this car is a bit special even though it’s just another Golf underneath it all” due to its well executed details.
In my first post in what turned into a rather lengthy thread back in 2017 I said the Clubsport has an air of sense of occasion about it, and in the two years and six months I owned it that opinion didn’t diminish one iota.
I bought the CS because I had another utilitarian car for work and trips to the dump which made every trip out in the Ed40 feel a bit of an event. Silly as that sounds as at the end of the day it is just another Golf, but it has something about it that other Golfs just don’t possess.
For a start, to a semi-educated eye, the CS & CSS look unique from all angles and there’s that smug knowledge that the bumper and wing are genuine aero items which have car anorak kudos (due to the ‘Ring record) but maybe don’t really have a massive effect on the local ring road...
If you want bucket seats then prepare to dig deep as these cars command a premium and I doubt all of them have been sympathetically driven, although most will be cherished cars as they only really appealed to a small band of enthusiasts.
Indeed for a few grand more you can get a TCR with around 2 years warranty on it and is just as rare as a Clubsport Ed40.
The TCR is fully loaded with just about everything if you secure one with a 19” wheel package.
As SR says, beware the original list price! My advice would be to either get one of the first released when the list price was a bit lower and didn’t have the fancy exhaust (the non Akra exhaust still has a unique sound and provides quite a rasp under load or on the overrun but is fairly quiet when cruising), or get one of the last that has 18” wheels and no DCC as these still ride fine and alloys can be changed at any time (although the Belvederes look beautiful in their own right and suit the TCR better than the Ed40 IMO).
The TCR still has the sense of occasion feeling but I don’t think it’ll ever be as sought after as a CS40 which has buckets.
I marginally prefer the TCR to the Ed40, most enthusiasts would say the opposite I reckon, and the enthusiast market is a fickle thing.
