Collecting my second Clubsport S 4 years after selling the first

[volkswizard]

Welcome back to the fold Andrew. You're only a few numbers apart from mine although our colours are proverbially night and day.

I think I would have made it a condition of sale to remove those wind deflectors! 

Interesting to hear your plans. Inspired by a thread on Pistonheads (I think st33ly is on here too), I've drafted up a programme of improvements and have undertaken some of the minor but the pandemic got in the way of the more substantial items and I've not gotten round to sorting them out. The two main items I'm adding to mine are Racing Line's catch can and carbon ceramic discs to reduce unsprung mass. I've been debating Surface Transforms but the configuration has been a 'voyage of discovery'.

So much YouTube car content is utter drivel, I'd pay the monthly subscription if it gave me a 'block function' to never see hide nor hair of certain channels so look forward to something more in depth or interesting. Mr Beast employs seven people to create thumbnails so playing the algorithms is not just content.

Never understood the 'hate' for CS2 tyres, they're on all my cars. I've never removed them from my CSS in winter but I drive for the conditions nor do I drive like a senior citizen. Knowing their operating window and warming them up helps but I've never felt sufficiently uncomfortable or unsafe to change them. Different folks, different strokes I guess.

Thanks AGB, it's great to be back!

Don't worry the wind deflectors are off - I wanted to remove them myself to make sure it's done carefully. I was pleased to find whoever fitted them didn't use the metal clips which can scratch the glass.

Wow that's pretty hardcore to fit ceramics but I can see the appeal.

Agreed re YouTube and the general quality of car content but at least there is enough good stuff to choose from (and failing that there is always old Top Gears from the 1990s!).

With regards to PS2s, evo magazine during a period when they had a very good relationship with Michelin called them 'dicey in cold and wet conditions'.  Sure you can drive around on them perfectly fine if you drive slowly when conditions are not ideal, especially in heavy rain when semi-slicks like to aquaplane but you'll be overtaken by lorries in a cloud burst (more common in summer) and other drivers who can't actually see where they are going which is not a nice experience.  Also if you have to perform an emergency maneuver they may not respond as well as a normal tyre and in braking in cold conditions you might mind the ABS triggers more which increases stopping distance compared to a grippier normal tyre which doesn't trigger ABS.
If you do like to push hard all year around (I do) the Cup 2s won't be anywhere near their operating window in cold conditions and therefore how they behave at the limit of grip could possibly be more abrupt and unpredictable compared to a normal high performance road tyre.
And finally (sorry) another issue with semi-slicks on the road is that they can flick more stones up which batters the wheel arches and on Golf 7 GTI the exposed lower sill section (above the gloss black extension piece). 
 

[Hertsman]

Around the boom time of car reviews, and cars that were interesting to me, the MK7/7.5 GTI and R, S3/RS3 and M1351 and latterly the 128Ti (which now drive) used to watch all the known names pretty regularly but there is a tipping point where you lose interest a bit and switch off from some personalities, and admit to now only watching all your content, Mat from Carwow, Thomas at Autogefuel, and bit of Joe Achilles as assessed the worthiness of selecting a 128Ti and everyone else has pretty much faded away.

Think your biggest USP is that your history and experience support the thinking that everything do is a genuine and honest review, and that everything you do, is likely a question we would all ask ourselves on a certain car or element of the car. Basically you are seen as one of us, where many out there are talking at us.

Your reviews on the TCR is what swayed me away from just getting another R at the time, and selecting that TCR proved to be a very good decision, truly loved it, and was sad to see it go.

After this 128Ti, my run of some pretty decent company cars will come to an end, and will not be buying new and its likely that will go back to a MK 7 something and though could never get a car without rear seats, the standard MK 7 Clubsport does appeal, so will be going back over old reviews such as your TCR vs CS and seeing if heart will dictate next ride in about 12-18 months.

But just keep following doing what enjoy doing

Not sure I am worthy of being mentioned amongst those guys but not complaining

128Ti is a car I'd like to try but it's getting harder to get cars off manufacturers, even VW and SEAT don't answer my emails and I'd need it for a week to get a feel for it.

I guess one benefit of being old is experience! It's funny you should mention honesty, I've always tried to be a straight as possible but this doesn't do you any favours when it comes to profitability neither in the motor trade nor as it happens on YouTube.  When you are a small channel that manufacturers don't have to invite to events or loan cars to, if you dare to be critical of their cars, however fair and reasonably, they will basically blank you and next thing you know you see non-critical content from fatuous influencers (often with far less reach) who have taken your place on events that in the past you'd have been invited to.

Glad we concur on TCR - that car was an eye-opener.  However if the perfect spec CS Ed40 came along I'd probably take that (buckets, DCC, Prets, 3 door, manual) I'd probably go for that now (if one actually exists!) as the CSS has reminded me how much effort VW went to with the aerodynamics which is kind of cool.

The problem with that attitude from manufacturers is that many buyers are quite savvy and can tell if someone is just singing from the provided hymn sheet, and them type of reviews and reviewers are ones switched off from a long time ago, if there is no element of honesty its just a manufacturers advertisement and a pointless watch.

So think you do the best to be fair and reasonable and push the fact that's what folk actually want and have an understanding that no cars perfect, and to point out some of them areas still for improvement is not a bad thing.

The 128Ti was something a little apprehensive of, but think BMW have done a really good job at their own version of the GTI, the driving position is really different and was disconcerting at first, but now used to it, driving it around in completely same manner as the TCR, the cabin is a really nice place to be, and the media system is second to none, dials, shortcuts, touch, wireless, super quick and intuitive O/S.

Gear box has a different character, you really do not feel the changes, its just a smooth linear delivery, and so the self imposed speed limit 'bong' comes far quicker than expecting. Feels no less in pace than the TCR, you do not feel that 265BHP to 290BHP gap.

The one 'issue' which is not really an issue, is the torque steer when really floor it, its very real, and disconcerting or character? leaning to the later, the car is livelier than expected, but now in tune with the 128Ti, am driving it freely and fluidly and its very GTI like with some added BMW lustre as a summary

This is more of an extended test drive for me, likely be handing it back in 12-18mths, and will be on market for second hand at circa £20-25k and be looking at Golf R, GTI TCR, GTI ED40 M135i XDrive and could genuinely be any of them, be the best car see at the time.

And this is where will look at reviews again, just to assure myself of knowledge, and so reviews do not always have to be new, enjoy your revisit reviews and bought our second car 4 month ago, 3 Door, GTI, White, Glendale, with your in depth review of a 2012 ED35 being one of main convincers. https://www.golfgtiforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=289110.0

In the financial crisis, with higher costs to buy new where, £700 p/m + is not unheard of, can see many looking at nearly new, like me in future, so revisiting the nearly new for content is not worst idea, as you can now talk about its 3-5 year history as a car also.

[AGB]

With regards to PS2s, evo magazine during a period when they had a very good relationship with Michelin called them 'dicey in cold and wet conditions'.  Sure you can drive around on them perfectly fine if you drive slowly when conditions are not ideal, especially in heavy rain when semi-slicks like to aquaplane but you'll be overtaken by lorries in a cloud burst (more common in summer) and other drivers who can't actually see where they are going which is not a nice experience.  Also if you have to perform an emergency maneuver they may not respond as well as a normal tyre and in braking in cold conditions you might mind the ABS triggers more which increases stopping distance compared to a grippier normal tyre which doesn't trigger ABS.
If you do like to push hard all year around (I do) the Cup 2s won't be anywhere near their operating window in cold conditions and therefore how they behave at the limit of grip could possibly be more abrupt and unpredictable compared to a normal high performance road tyre.
And finally (sorry) another issue with semi-slicks on the road is that they can flick more stones up which batters the wheel arches and on Golf 7 GTI the exposed lower sill section (above the gloss black extension piece).

Evo have a duty of care one would argue to not inspire overconfidence or feelings of invincibility on the part of their readers. I don't disagree with any of your points, they're all really valid but comments on the tyres are a bit overwrought in general and quite often, give the impression that they're like trying to run in stilettos on ice up a hill. Applied common sense as always does wonders.

Where I live, the potholes and mud on the roads temper enthusiasm more than confidence in my ability to deal with a code brown moment. That and the concern over an SUV coming the opposite way, convinced that they're invincible and that physics missed their bus.

Anyway, look forward to seeing your CSS centred content in due course.