RE: PH fleet: Golf GTI Edition 35

[gmh23]

Surprised no-one has mentioned this........Seat Leon Cupra R?!?!?!

[Colonial]

jimjim150 said:

I have to say that with the new R's being the same 2.0 lump from the GTI's, they are rather a pointless car now.

VW have seriously limited engine choices since say the very confusing line up of blocks in the MkIV.

New GTI with remap will be cheaper, faster and has some heritage.

They are different engines. They both happen to be 2L 4 cylinder turbo engines.

Also run different turbo, different block, different, well, everything.

And a damn lot more power, with a mid 12 second quarter mile being only a remap away. A new GTI with a remap will not be faster in all conditions, much of it down to the smaller turbo.

Yeah, I might drive a Golf R though...

[Hellbound]

St John Smythe said:

Hellbound said:

hondansx said:

Anyway, i'm starting to think being objective is rather wasted in this thread, so i'll leave it there. Enjoy the Golf, Riggers. I may as well through myself into the asylum now as i'm selling my 997T and going into VW tomorrow to order a new Golf R at £40k

Good man!

But you can buy 4 e46 m3s for that money. Are you crazy!!

Or a slightly used BMW 1M.

[paulmon]

Surely the Golf Gti no longer falls into the "Hot-Hatch" category. Its like a calling a 335 Touring a Hot-Hatch because it has "Hatchback" boot. I would say the hot-hatch is now resigned to extreme examples of superminis.

Mini Cooper S
Arbarth
Clio RS
Polo Gti
...
...
...

I'm not sure how to clasify the Golf but "Hot" is certainly not a word that spring to mind.
P

[tomv1to]

I try to like the Golf's but I can't help but feel they have lost their way slightly. I mean this example is only slightly cheaper than the Golf R, but why would you buy a Golf R anymore when you could have a faster WRX STI for the same money as an R.

[Colonial]

tomv1to said:

I try to like the Golf's but I can't help but feel they have lost their way slightly. I mean this example is only slightly cheaper than the Golf R, but why would you buy a Golf R anymore when you could have a faster WRX STI for the same money as an R.

150 miles of motorway driving 3 times a week.

[mackie1]

richard300 said:

I think most of the alternative options, offered up so far, have been completely irrelevant (old 9th hand Ferrari’s and 6 previous owner V8 BMW M5's). And others have been missing the point slightly (Gimprezza's with cheap fixtures and heavy running costs and so forth).
BUT the VRS I think is a very credible and direct alternative, not sure about being half price (if we are talking 'new' cars, as they are £20K but you pay less, get everything you would love about the VW and then some......

Ok, so you may have a little more badge kudos from the Volkswagen, but that comes from the GTI tag, not the VW badge, and VRS cars are quickly getting a little bit of a cult status of their own.

Edited by richard300 on Wednesday 14th December 18:31

Ok, maybe not quite half but I could have ordered a brand new one with DSG for £17,500 (with a discount), ended up with a nearly new one for a bit less than that so I didn't have to wait 3 months. I guess the question is... what discounts are available on the Golf?

[tomv1to]

If high mileage were a concern I'd be more tempted by an Insignia VXR. I know its not a fast hatch back but its still a fast fun practical car with all wheel drive in the same price range.

[mackie1]

I bet the Insignia can't touch the fuel economy of the Golf though. 30MPG around town and 40+ on the motorway is pretty good for a 200+ bhp petrol.

[hostyle]

I'm seriously considering one as a new company car, so I'm looking forward to more updates

A comparable GTD (option wise) has almost the same lease price and my employer hasn't specified wether I should pick a diesel or petrol engined car. He just stated mileage and duration of the contract.

[WCZ]

hondansx said:

Can't believe the pages of moronic suggests here, especially the guy who keeps going on about Evos. I have a vision of him sitting behind his computer screen in full Mitsubishi rally regalia with a Richie Burns shrine formed of prittsticked Autosports in the background.

I fully endorse the Golf purchase. It is handsome (maybe not with the winter wheels...), yet understated. Admired by most, hated by no one. Could anyone seriously say that about an Evo? I personally wouldn't be seen dead in one, and i have no desire to attract the attention of 17 year old kids...

The Golf is also reasonable quick, yet cheap to run (lets remember, for company car drivers C02 is king) and, crucially, dependable. Again, most people like to buy a car and not have to worry about it. They are also fabulous places to sit; i'm getting the impression many haven't sampled a newer Golf; it is a cut above cars way above its price range (even an Evo!!). You also, if you so wish, can spec it up like an S-Class if you so wish.

Anyway, i'm starting to think being objective is rather wasted in this thread, so i'll leave it there. Enjoy the Golf, Riggers. I may as well through myself into the asylum now as i'm selling my 997T and going into VW tomorrow to order a new Golf R at £40k

out of curiosity what price would you draw the line at saying the Golf Gti was too expensive at? (let's say the R didn't exist too)

[DanDC5]

Put the proper wheels back on instead of this 'winter wheels' nonsense.

[Riggers]

DanDC5 said:

Put the proper wheels back on instead of this 'winter wheels' nonsense.

When the winter's over, we will

[Colonial]

tomv1to said:

If high mileage were a concern I'd be more tempted by an Insignia VXR. I know its not a fast hatch back but its still a fast fun practical car with all wheel drive in the same price range.

Can't get one here. Plus I live in the inner city so small is good.

[Hellbound]

Colonial said:

Can't get one here. Plus I live in the inner city so small is good.

What about the upcoming RS1? That would surely be a contender.

[shoestring7]

aka_kerrly said:

^^^^ Looking good!

Are those 16 inch Beetle steels?

I suspect Caddy. I went to the VW dealer parts department and we spent some time looking at part numbers. At the time end of 2010) there were scare stories about insurance cover for winter wheel/tyres, so I wanted to be 100% I had the VW suggested sizes and specs.

SS7
PS The guy who bought my Gti new ticked about every box on the order form. Its got leather, xenons, sunroof, DSG, parking, paddles, winter/lux/convenience pack, stereo upgrade, plus other bits & bobs like headlight covers and boot protector. When I priced a Mk6 to the same level it came to >£35k.

Edited by shoestring7 on Thursday 15th December 11:04

[Colonial]

Hellbound said:

What about the upcoming RS1? That would surely be a contender.

Yep. But it wasn't around in March.

The other factor is image. A blue golf is pretty discrete and doesn't raise an eyebrow at meetings.

[Spyder3400]

RS1 isn't available in 5dr but you're right, going forward its got to be a contender....

[SidewaysGav]

Hi PH Gang and all fans, I do not know what this hype and critical attitude is about the Winter tyres that are on the Golf?
First off all these are snow tyres and not all year tyres as mentioned and yes the handling is not as sharp as on Summer tyres therefore if you encounter ice, snow or icy snow in a blizzard you will not get stuck with your family in the middle of no where obstructing other drivers who are prepaired for the weather or even getting some poor emergrncy unit to save you and your family on top of this the tyres gives you more grip in bad conditions. We here on the continent do not even consider do we need wintertyres or not I have to have them as I would not move out of my drive. Last Christmas we had 90 cm of snow over night and without the kit we would have been stranded, yes we did get stuck after parking the car but we got going again. Yes with the correct tyres you can have so much fun on the open roads when it is snowing, you get to your destination safely and you are not endangering your life. Remember the more narrow the tyres are the better they have grip in snow and on ice.
The Dunlop D4 that you have fitted I have on my car and they are really great in the snow a lot of OPPO where ever you drive. So just go with the flow as when it is icy and snowing speed is not important, motion is required. Well have a nice Christmas and accept the tyres for what they are.
Regards Gav This is Christmas day 25.12.2010 after we cleared the road.

[jimjim150]

Colonial said:

jimjim150 said:

I have to say that with the new R's being the same 2.0 lump from the GTI's, they are rather a pointless car now.

VW have seriously limited engine choices since say the very confusing line up of blocks in the MkIV.

New GTI with remap will be cheaper, faster and has some heritage.

They are different engines. They both happen to be 2L 4 cylinder turbo engines.

Also run different turbo, different block, different, well, everything.

And a damn lot more power, with a mid 12 second quarter mile being only a remap away. A new GTI with a remap will not be faster in all conditions, much of it down to the smaller turbo.

Yeah, I might drive a Golf R though...

Ah well that shows how little I have looked into the new R specs then, I thought it was the same block but different turbo etc. I think I was just a bit dissapointed at the loss of the N/A V and the lack of displacement.

Clearly VW are aware of this too dropping the displacement from the name of the car. As getting an R20 to replace your beloved R32 just sounds like a step down and I miss the chrome grille.