MK6 -v- MK7 : Golf GTI

[Lemonskin]

Word on the street is that a GTI PP fully optioned can be yours for 54K drive-away. Personally ... I'd be shopping it against a Manual Golf 7 R + Leather for about the same money. Time will tell if the 7 R is the same money.
WJ

$54k is WAAAAAY too much for a GTI. That's not only R money, but creeping dangerously close to S3 money.

[tonymy01]

Yeah, when I read what people got their mk6 R for, I felt a little ripped off at $58K drive away (manual, roof,rns, no leather, no dcc). But $54K drive away is serious coin for a front wheel drive!

[WhiteJames]

Heaps of people, me included, paid 50K for a MK6 Golf GTI with a few options, which seemed reasonable value 4 years ago ... meh how times change? I said a few weeks ago ... if your fully optioned Golf 7 R DSG is not walking out the door for about 60K or just under, you ain't trying hard enough. Still ... a Golf 7 R DSG + Leather is around 5 K cheaper than an Audi S3 base model. Shows that AUS is becoming more like the U.K. where the Audi have come down in price and VW have gone up in price, with the disparity much less than in the past. Hell ... Audi even offer corporate pricing to Gov't fleets, as VW does. Here some early drive.com.au reviews of the Golf 7 R and GTI PP:

Volkswagen Golf R first drive review

Volkswagen Golf GTi Performance first drive review

While the LSD diff is a good thing to have on the PP GTI ... the larger brakes on the PP GTI may suffer a little more under repeated use due to carrying an extra 60kgs of weight in the PP over the base model manual GTI (1364kgs -v- 1304kgs).

2014 VW Golf GTI Performance review | first drive | carsguide.com.au

WJ

[AdamD]

Heaps of people, me included, paid 50K for a MK6 Golf GTI with a few options, which seemed reasonable value 4 years ago ... meh how times change?

I paid over $50k for my heavily-optioned GTI four years ago; the RRP on my car was almost $60k! And yes, times most certainly have changed - particularly with respect to the price of electronics as options, and what consumers expect to be standard inclusions.

Still ... a Golf 7 R DSG + Leather is around 5 K cheaper than an Audi S3 base model.

The R DSG is $54,490, and leather is $3,150. The S3 is $59,900. That's a difference of $2,260. Redbook publishes a dealer delivery price of $3,528 for the S3 (a standard price published by Audi - so if you're being quoted more you've been quoted above RRP effectively), whilst VW quotes $2,495, so that's $1,033 - bringing the total to $3,293. Before bargaining of course. And don't forget that the Audi is generally better equipped (with the exception of ACC) than the Golf, as a justification for that premium.

[WhiteJames]

Reading the latest Motor Mag with the base spec Golf 7 GTI Manual Trans kicking butt against the SS Commodore and WRX, Motor Mag couldn't of said it better when it comes to the lightest and most agile Sports Golf 7 i.e. The front end is the lightest and most accurate with an ability to change direction fast. Of course, the PP GTI will exit a corner faster than the STD GTI and the Golf R faster still in damp/wet conditions, but corner entry the lightest STD GTI may have a leg up on the other two. Speaking of accuracy, here's an in-depth review by Autocar.co.uk on the Golf 7 R ... pity those wheels are not making it to AUS, as they appear to be the pick of a bad bunch:

Volkswagen Golf R review - ride and handling | Autocar

WJ

[WhiteJames]

Lots of people making the inevitable comparison: Golf 7 R -v- Audi S3 … including the journos at go auto.com.au: Volkswagen Golf R 5-dr hatch - Volkswagen's 206kW Golf R kicks off at $51,990 | GoAuto

Personally … I'd prefer to compare weights:

Tare mass is 1416kg with the six-speed manual or 1435kg with the DSG, which is more than 100kg heavier than the GTI (thanks the AWD system for this). However, the Mk7 Golf’s modular MQB architecture renders this R about 50kg lighter than the old one.

That makes the Golf 7 R DSG about 130 kgs heavier than my base spec Golf 7 GTI Manual Trans … or about 2 x average sized European Males.

WJ

[Dutch77]

That makes the Golf 7 R DSG about 130 kgs heavier than my base spec Golf 7 GTI Manual Trans … or about 2 x average sized European Males.

I've got European lineage on both sides of my family but am missing this 65kg target by over 50%

[WhiteJames]

Wonder why the Golf 7 GTI doesn't post any better straight line times down the quarter mile compared to the earlier MK6 Golf GTI? This Auto Guide video alludes to the answer, which I always maintained was the case with the MK6 GTI, that is that the MK6 GTI was making more power & torque than Volkswagen officially quoted ... probably explained why the MK6 Golf R was not that much faster than the GTI:

2013 Subaru BRZ vs. 2013 Volkswagen GTI - YouTube

WJ

[WhiteJames]

No explanation as to why the Manual Transmission 7 Golf GTI was faster than the DSG version? Maybe it's the extra weight of the DSG gearbox? Gearing perhaps?

2015 Volkswagen Golf GTI First Test - Motor Trend

WJ

[WhiteJames]

Not sure where the Golf 7: GTI -v- R thread vanished too? So I'll post this autocar.co.uk track battle between the Seat Leon Cupra R -v- Golf R here ... lack of weight wins the day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5dRujiHbpA

WJ