Originally Posted by benjmin
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Perhaps the Golf R –v- Golf GTI review should be put within a certain context. The best way to do this is to rehash my final comments to Gerald Slaven Volkswagen, Canberra - Sales Manager Phil Fairhall:
Basically looking for a vehicle with performance consummate with a Ford XR6 or Holden SV6 six cylinder with the fuel economy similar to a Toyota Corolla. Not considering any performance tuning on the ECU or motor and certainly not looking to be the fastest to 100kph. The vehicle will be used for a combination of some city use, and frequent longer distance trips from Sydney to Canberra & Sydney to Queensland with a combination of freeway – highway – B-grade roadway – tourist - routes. Not interested in doing any track days or heading out to the drag strip.“Phil. I’m not concerned with the extra speed or the raw acceleration of the new Golf R. It would not concern me if the Golf R had the same motor as the GTI and was half a second slower to 100kph. I like this vehicle for its new generation AWD feeling and its fine chassis balance front to rear making for a very fluid handling & drive experience. It also rides a lot better than I expected. Not concerned with features like launch control as I’d never use them. Really enjoyed the more balance chassis feeling over the front heavy Golf GTI, which makes a tourist drive a greater pleasure.”
My preference for the low end punch & usability of the Mark 6 GTI - Tiguan - EA888 motor mated to the AWD drive train & chassis balance of the Golf R is a clear indication of the strengths and weaknesses of each vehicle within the above context. In other words: I rate them as about even. Not looking to race this vehicle, but rather drive the vehicle. Perhaps this has been overlooked by readers of this review – faster is not necessarily better when it comes to my purchase decision – driveability – handling – ride - is certainly an important factor that I place a great weight on when choosing a new vehicle. Outright acceleration is only one aspect of the total drive experience.
The comments made about the Volkswagen Tiguan 125TSI are valid in that the Tiguan is the best value AWD Volkswagen on the market due to: its AWD system – EA888 motor – price. There will also be another VAG competitor with this type of drive-train combination in early 2012; albeit in a hatchback variant: The Audi A3 Quattro (AWD).
The Audi should not have a KO4 turbo or associated lag that comes with a larger turbo, which will aid usability & driveability. No big brakes either – these are not likely to be missed as my old MKV GTI vehicle’s brake pads were only half done prior to sale at 3.5 years / 47,000km. Not missing the EA113 belt driven motor with the cam follower & fuel metering issues - EA113 motor is likely to be seen for the last time in the Golf R prior to being put to rest ... period. The Audi A3 Quattro AWD will offer the same or a similar chassis balance to the Golf R – making for a nice fluid drive and high grip levels. Alternatively: Not sure I’d buy an Audi as my workmates would expect to me shout at the pub all the time – it’s that brand image thing I guess.
Grip Levels:
Having covered 3,500km in 3.5 weeks in the new Mark 6 Golf GTI with 95% of driving on highway – freeway – B-grade country roadways – tourist routes – mountain climbs – in all types of weather conditions, not once have I seen the stability ESC light flash up on the dash display. Even on the tight damp 15kph corners ascending up the Macquarie Pass of Kangaroo Valley, NSW. Of course, running in the GTI, I have not gone out of my way to provoke wheel slip – but I have driven off the beaten track in damp / wet / foggy conditions with warning signs indicating ‘caution – black ice on roadway’. Some of the B-grade mountain passes had 20kph corners with 100kph speed limits coupled with damp roadway conditions.
In contrast: my old Mark V GTI with 5-6K spent on improving the suspension & wheel/tyre combination to provide the best possible grip that the MKV GTI could deliver (upgraded suspension is a good form of traction control) on std power. The old MKV GTI would have had ESC cutting in countless times over these drives in these types of conditions. The Mark 6 GTI is way superior in this regard. The addition of the EDL (slow-speed) and XDS (higher speeds) electronic differential has put the Mark 6 GTI into another league over the old Mark 5 GTI for public roadway driving, esp. when the weather turns sour. The driver can feel the electronic EDL/XDS diff working its magic more so in the dry in tight corners & the electronic diff wizardry does not eliminate the FWD bum-dragger feel of the Golf GTI. This is important to note this when considering my earlier remarks when I say that grip levels between the Mark 6 GTI and Golf R for public roadway use are much closer than they were for the older MKV GTI and Golf R32 models. In terms of driveline feel & chassis balance: the Golf R wins hands down.
Well informed debate is encouraged.
Cheers
WJ
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