Golf R -v- Golf GTI

[Ideo]

Combine what sabloke and Maverick said and you have why the GTI is "better" than the R in the daily commute.
They're practically the same car (from an interior point of view) so they're both as comfortable and as pleasant to be in as one another. But the GTI has lower fuel consumption and is more responsive at low RPMs. The qualities which would normally make the R better than the GTI cannot be used when you're surrounded by traffic.

So whilst I'm a R owner, I can completely admit that when we're stuck at 50km/h in day to day traffic, the GTI has a few advantages
Get out onto the open road or race track in the wet, and we've got another story to be told

Yeah, I can understand that.

I'm glad I don't drive daily anymore. It gets taken out on weekends for a damn good thrash, rather than geting depressed along Military Road.

Works for me

[jrgti]

All this talk about a "good" for daily commute... No one can quantify that, surely. Everything is in the eye of the beholder. My Clio feels great no matter where I go or how bad the traffic. But at the end of the day no commute is any good anyway and don't think any car is too good at killing those boring, boring minutes and hours...In those moments you're better off on a comfortable bus that in any GTI or R, DSG or not. Right?

By quantifying you mean like when I'm starting to push 700km per tank for my daily commute mixed with 60% freeway driving on my GTI?

[MkVIGTI]

Actually I always loved my Evo 8MR. Even with a dual plate clutch, I never found it a chore in traffic. Maybe it gave my mind something to focus on

That said, one of the options I am looking to get on the Veedub (when the missus makes up her mind) is the Dynaudio option!

Sure it's probably money down the drain come resale, but I have a decent stereo system at home and I'd like something to keep me happy if I am going to be on the road for any considerable periods of time.

My mate just bought an Evo 8 MR with a twin plate clutch! He can't stand the twin plate clutch in traffice though.

[Zoza]

Just to add my 2c worth to this topic...

I was in the afternoon session at Eastern Creek when WJ was there. By then the rain had stopped and the track started drying, so we encountered wet and dry patches.

I got to drive a GTI and an R back to back and to tell you the truth the GTI's grip really surprised me. Initially I was quite conservative with it, but the instructor got me to push it harder and boy could that thing handle. Driven on the threshold of understeer the car did great. What I felt was missing though is a little bit of extra oomph corner to corner on the straights. Main street the GTi managed 182km/hr.

Then I got in the R. Second corner at eastern creek the back came out and had it power slide it through. For a second I had to double check to make sure I wasn't back in my HSV, cause the initial feeling was quite similar. Then the AWD system pulled me through the corner well.

Where I found the R much better was in the power available on tap. Corner to corner acceleration was superior to the GTi and the main straight saw me traveling at 197km/hr... Could've hit 200+ but got told to brake

Bottom line... Both are great cars offering different experiences. Being an R driver, I still prefer it.
The only time I get any regret is when a GTI driver shows off their 700km per tank fuel consumption.

For a brief moment I feel bad then I remember that my HSV used to drink on average 20L per 100km so I get over that regret rather quickly

[Vaku]

so much GTI love, well.. if an R owner wants to swap - send a PM.. il take it lol.

[worx]

so much GTI love, well.. if an R owner wants to swap - send a PM.. il take it lol.

Swap for FWD and smaller turbo. No way.

[Vaku]

Swap for FWD and smaller turbo. No way.

Obviously no one would take up the offer..

[AdamD]

Where I found the R much better was in the power available on tap. Corner to corner acceleration was superior to the GTi and the main straight saw me traveling at 197km/hr... Could've hit 200+ but got told to brake

Good insights mate, thanks for sharing!

There's no question, that K04 has the beans on the track. An extra 15km/h terminal speed is pretty huge.

[sabloke]

Don't know about you guys but I haven't bought my car for commuting. Instead, my criteria was "best handling-fun-grip-sound-feel bang for buck" for Adelaide Hills roads driving on the weekend. If I was to buy a car to commute in I'd put my money on a small turbo diesel like the Fiesta or the Polo.

[AdamD]

Don't know about you guys but I haven't bought my car for commuting. Instead, my criteria was "best handling-fun-grip-sound-feel bang for buck" for Adelaide Hills roads driving on the weekend. If I was to buy a car to commute in I'd put my money on a small turbo diesel like the Fiesta or the Polo.

I do quite a bit of commuting in my Golf, but not much of it is peak-hour traffic. I reckon it's close to the perfect commuter: extremely comfortable, very tractable, economical, roomy and fairly quiet, and with a great sound system. Best of all, when I feel like commuting a little quicker, it happily obliges and is a hoot. Greenhill Rd, Corkscrew Rd... just brilliant.

That's what the GTI and the R are all about. They both play those dual roles superbly - for those of us who need to commute, and can only manage/justify one car.