You don’t fancy an 8R?

[Snoopy]

Agreed Fred, the R and its immediate rivals from Mercedes-AMG and BMW are a fair attempt at a performance car version of homeostasis. 
However golfdave does offer a slant on it for those that don’t need the space but want the 4x4 driving thrills without throwing nearly £50k into a shopping car.
I’m still waiting for snoopy’s review of his compared to his GTI’s (hint hint)

The 8R is many things to many people but by god it’s expensive when specced properly and the electronics can be pants. Which was kind of the whole purpose of this thread (that was only started for a laugh).

I will get round to it. I just did a brief one and lost it. Fun but no allrounder imo.
Basically it cannot replace my golf as a daily use car. It's too compromised on practicality, (boot size is tiny and low in height, rear seat hit head if over 5ft6) and parts prices are scary. Brakes are more expensive than GTRs for example and forged wheels 1500+ each, service every 6k and as brakes don't have ware sensors theres a safety check every 6 month.
I do disagree with what some others have said about it on here in the past though. It does tootling and is refined doing so. Far more than I ever expected. Some road surfaces do,upset it though due to the bushing. My 80yr old mother prefers to be a passenger in it than the mk6 fir tootling somewhere    that says alot about its split personality to me.
In comparison It is bonkers how it can go round corners but it can get scary light on the rear sometimes were a golf will be inert. I prefer the mk6s steering feel and weight though.
I don't see it as a golf rival. The GR corolla will be and I look forward to seeing it and fingers crossed they make an estate version. Others have said it won't have the quality of VW I guess it depends what you class as quality. It will work and be functional.
The new civic type R when it comes if they also make a version without the wing as they do the current bat mobile version then that you could interest me as a daily golf type replacement.

[Snoopy]

@Fredgroves it's nice to think of the yaris still as a tiny shoe box sized car now, but they really aren't when you see them in person, similar to that of comparing a mk8 and mk4 golf together. They've really packed on the pounds over the years.

it's wide and tall but not that long. It's about 6 inch wider than my mk6 but about the length a mk2 GTI

[Yusee]

@snoopy, thanks- interesting review.

Particularly interested in your comment on steering feel. Some reviewers have praised it, I didn’t find it any better than my golf- on my brief test drive

[Exonian]

Thanks for posting up Snoopy that was a really interesting read covering the bits the journos miss.
Always great to get the lowdown from real owners that aren’t just self promoting 

[golfdave]

Agreed Fred, the R and its immediate rivals from Mercedes-AMG and BMW are a fair attempt at a performance car version of homeostasis. 
However golfdave does offer a slant on it for those that don’t need the space but want the 4x4 driving thrills without throwing nearly £50k into a shopping car.
I’m still waiting for snoopy’s review of his compared to his GTI’s (hint hint)

The 8R is many things to many people but by god it’s expensive when specced properly and the electronics can be pants. Which was kind of the whole purpose of this thread (that was only started for a laugh).

This is the point....its more a drivers car & as many have said it has more in common with the older homologation specials in the 1990's...


I think size wise its more a replacement for the Audi AWD S1....& probably more fun as the Audi still has open diffs front & rear if I remember correctly.

[Exonian]

Polo GTI anyone?

To my eyes it offers loads better value than a Golf GTI and loses not much.

https://youtu.be/oOftlZbyksE

[willni]

Polo GTI anyone?

To my eyes it offers loads better value than a Golf GTI and loses not much.

https://youtu.be/oOftlZbyksE

Having previously owned a previous generation Polo, I can firmly say I'd only go back if I were doing under 7k miles a year. Small cars just don't offer the same comfort doing longer journeys.

If you seek value over a Golf GTI the Skoda Octavia VRS & Cupra Leon are the best bet, Skoda if you want to look like a taxi driver or the Cupra if you want a more powerful golf with questionable styling (maybe it's the same then?).

A BMW 228i (4cyl) or 235i (6cyl) seems a better choice, subtle looks, nice power bands, great interior & great sound.

[SRGTD]

Polo GTI anyone?

To my eyes it offers loads better value than a Golf GTI and loses not much.

https://youtu.be/oOftlZbyksE

It works for me as I don’t need a Golf sized car. I’m on my second Polo GTI (current one is a 2020 GTI+; the current shape Polo but the pre-facelift model). It’s considered to be a small car, but like most cars, it’s grown in size over the generations and externally, the current Polo is virtually the same size as a mk4 Golf. Forum member @Monkeyhanger has owned mk7 Golfs and the current model Polo GTi+ (two of them) and his view was that cabin space-wise, there’s not that much in it between the mk7 Golf and the current Polo (the Polo’s boot is smaller though).

Good performance, economy and handling, roomy for a ‘B’ segment car, comfortable and with mine being the ‘Plus’ model it has plenty of kit. Granted, it has hard plastic door cards, but then VW has downgraded some of the interior plastics in the mk8 Golf compared to the mk7 so IMHO the gap in interior quality isn’t huge.

I’m happy with mine .

[Exonian]

Hmm, I’d disagree with much of that Will.

I owned one of the first 9N3 Polo GTI 1.8t’s back in the day and at the time would have labelled it two thirds of the mk5 GTI for two thirds of the price.

Having had semi-regular use of my son’s MQB platform Ibiza at the same time I owned my mk7 Clubsport there’s very little in it size and comfort wise. The Polo GTI having plusher Golf steering wheel and a few other bits over the Ibiza lifts it into nine tenths of a Golf nowadays, just a few bits of cheaper trim here and there and a slightly lighter feeling in the construction. I’d argue that for A and B road use in the British Isles the Polo GTI would be there or thereabouts in handling and performance too. The Golf GTI would win in certain areas but at considerably more cost.

Nope, I’m sticking to my guns here, I reckon as a fun car on UK roads (which to me is what a GTI is) the Polo GTI would be right up there even against the £50k Golf R in the thread title as benchmark. I might even try one out back to back with my Clubsport over some B roads if the local dealers get a demo in.

[SRGTD]

Hmm, I’d disagree with much of that Will.

I owned one of the first 9N3 Polo GTI 1.8t’s back in the day and at the time would have labelled it two thirds of the mk5 GTI for two thirds of the price.

Having had semi-regular use of my son’s MQB platform Ibiza at the same time I owned my mk7 Clubsport there’s very little in it size and comfort wise. The Polo GTI having plusher Golf steering wheel and a few other bits over the Ibiza lifts it into nine tenths of a Golf nowadays, just a few bits of cheaper trim here and there and a slightly lighter feeling in the construction. I’d argue that for A and B road use in the British Isles the Polo GTI would be there or thereabouts in handling and performance too. The Golf GTI would win in certain areas but at considerably more cost.

Nope, I’m sticking to my guns here, I reckon as a fun car on UK roads (which to me is what a GTI is) the Polo GTI would be right up there even against the £50k Golf R in the thread title as benchmark. I might even try one out back to back with my Clubsport over some B roads if the local dealers get a demo in.

Agree @Exonian, although I might be slightly biased .