Golf R is here - waited 11 months

[bighdad]

G'day from Brisbane, close to the Gabba. 1st test tea break, thought I'd join up as have been checking this site/forums for months. Pretty much ever since my mate considered upgrading to R from Mk V GTI, and I quietly went out and ordered one through a broker on 30 Dec 2009 (thanks Greg, Brisbane Car Consultants, and Mr K. Rudd, if J. Gillard will still let you pay).

I didn't quite get assembly line shots or anything, but was told build wk 34, and as I watched MV Faust check in on sailfx.info site twice a day, I followed it rounding the Cape then apparently sink south-west of Melbourne.

No dramas, Golf R driven home today from Frizelle's Gold Coast. 17 km on the clock (dealer assured me this is fair), and gave the wife the first drive. All of 1 km that is. She broke it in for me.

Fascinating car really; seems as happy tootling with virtually no noise (good for business calls), as hammering up the freeway on-ramp with seats fully occupied with awesome growl from engine and exhaust, and 'fuel-dump' sounds after the slick shift.

A little down having opted for auto for my first ever new car, I now realise I'd have trouble keeping up with this free-spinner using the left limbs unless really concentrating, whilst still being slower than DSG. There's enough other stuff going on to occupy ...

Slight turbo lag exaggerated when taking off at lights, after highway driving at 8.5l/100km, and almost embaraased myself on an off-camber corner in front of an aggressive Hilux. Absolutely no engine braking on the off-ramp; I don't think I'll be missing my BMW 325i 5 speed manual much, but perhaps I liked the straight six back-pressure. Way more torque (50 Nm) than my '94 200SX.

Love the reverse camera, and tall side-mirrors. Don't so much love losing one touch voice dialling on the iPhone, but scrolling down the screen or steering wheel isn't bad. Can't really notice the difference between comfort and sport on the ACC.

Cable option charges the iPhone which is cool for a high-volume user; occasionally runs flat on trip home from work. 5 door best for me with 4 kids, but also good for shorter door opening in tight spaces at work.

Cheers, and by the way, it's worth the wait. If you're having buyer's remorse, just remember the R is 30k GBP, more than S3. Admittedly ours is detuned, but you'll appreciate that in Qld, or in lower mainenance bills at 2-3 yrs, without missing the last tenth, IMO.

Andrew