Having just bought a new 77TSi and being my first VW vehicle, I note there are a lot of GTi and R owners in this forum. The question poked in the back of my head when I saw the R on display at the dealer was the following:

For $65k driveaway, the R is equal to 2x Golf 77 TSi (end of year model) + $15k spare change.

Assuming an end of year 77 TSi being $25k - all I can see the difference between the 77 TSi and the R is as follows:

* Different front bumper w/fog and/or daylight lights
* Extra side skirts
* Different rear bumper with twin exhausts
* Bigger engine w/bigger turbo
* Adaptive chassis
* 4 motion, 4 wheel drive
* Leather seats
* Upgraded audio system + bluetooth
* Cruise Control
* Alloy wheels
* Electric Sunroof (factory option?)
* Climate air conditioning
* Leather wrapped steering wheel
* Leather cover on DSG shifter
* LED tail lights
* 6-speed DSG

Ignoring the cosmetic differences, ie. leather seats, steering wheel, lights, bumpers, climate aircond, etc - the difference in power I assume is only the engine+turbo, 4 wheel drive, adaptive chassis and the 6-speed gearbox - would I be correct?

I find it hard to wrap my head around spending an extra $40k will get you in a Golf. I can only presume the body panels are the same, the sound proofing is the same, same plastic parts in the car, similar dash and so on.

I am happy with my Golf as fuel consumption is crucial for me when I drive 40k+ km every year. Is it even possible to upgrade the 77TSI with the engine, transmission, adaptive chassis and gearbox to become essentially an R for much less than $40k? As a bonus, you can sell the new 77TSI parts for some extra money.

Interested to see your thoughts =)