RE: Volkswagen Golf R: PH Fleet

[fatboy b]

In true (recent) VW style, the budget seems have run short when it came to the interior.

Here's an interior made earlier...

Edited by fatboy b on Wednesday 13th May 21:15

[TameRacingDriver]

SuperchargedVR6 said:

Isn't that exactly what the 135i did to Clarkson at 120mph in the wet when he put it up against the Golf GTI? And that was in a straight line!

I've followed 1 series numerous times and been shocked at how stiff the rear end is setup on those things. You can see it bobbing up and down on minor bumps that other cars glide over completely unphased.

A lad I work with had a 135i and he wrote it off in the wet too. ETA allegedly on a straight road. I suppose lots of power + small RWD car with shortish wheelbase is going to be a bit snappy, potentially.

Edited by TameRacingDriver on Wednesday 13th May 21:40

[Axionknight]

TameRacingDriver said:

A lad I work with had a 135i and he wrote it off in the wet too. ETA allegedly on a straight road. I suppose lots of power + small RWD car with shortish wheelbase is going to be a bit snappy, potentially.

Edited by TameRacingDriver on Wednesday 13th May 21:40

Depends how it is set up I guess - I binned my S2000, which were notoriously uncompromising if you treated them without respect, it happens, but in my experience people tend to play down the scale of their folly when it comes to fessing up about an accident

[Crafty_]

I've also heard of someone losing a 135i in the wet, apparently the same bloke put an elise on its roof, which is no mean feat.

I suppose at the end of the day its how you drive. I wouldn't drive a fwd car in the wet as hard as I would dry, so is a rwd car (M135i included) any different ?

Lets not assume that an R is "uncrashable" either.

[bigearmuffs]

Crafty_ said:

I've also heard of someone losing a 135i in the wet, apparently the same bloke put an elise on its roof, which is no mean feat.

I suppose at the end of the day its how you drive. I wouldn't drive a fwd car in the wet as hard as I would dry, so is a rwd car (M135i included) any different ?

Lets not assume that an R is "uncrashable" either.

It's as close to uncrashable as it gets, 23k miles in mine at full tilt and still only stone chips on the bonnet to show. Unfortunately as time progresses we will forget over steer (especially lift off), and under steer, as everything will be hand as the car dabs the brakes on the odd wheel and shifts the power to the other.

The only guarantee with the R (and other equivalent) is that when it finally lets go you will have no chance at saving it so the crash will be pretty spectacular.

Glad I served my time on cossy's, xr2's, 205's and the like, which also gives you a reluctant appreciation of what we have got to.

[Crafty_]

I think they may get crashed due to inexperience, apparently lads have been leasing them as a second car, coming from 1.2 corsas/fiestas and the like. Bit scary that.

My old astra could be provoked in to lift off oversteer, not by me though, can't program my brain to lift off mid corner. So far the 135i feels quite stable but I'm a long way from throwing it around just yet.

[bigearmuffs]

fatboy b said:

In true (recent) VW style, the budget seems have run short when it came to the interior.

Here's an interior made earlier...

Edited by fatboy b on Wednesday 13th May 21:15

Difficult one, not cosworth, but does have an equaliser below the stereo, and on the right no blanks so every extra fitted (high spec), I would go Sierra GLS as a starter for 6.

[bigearmuffs]

Crafty_ said:

I think they may get crashed due to inexperience, apparently lads have been leasing them as a second car, coming from 1.2 corsas/fiestas and the like. Bit scary that.

My old astra could be provoked in to lift off oversteer, not by me though, can't program my brain to lift off mid corner. So far the 135i feels quite stable but I'm a long way from throwing it around just yet.

Totally agree, it will not defy physics so if the entry is to fast then so will be the exit (and wide by that point), I am slightly envious of the 135i experience as I don't think it would be as clinical as the R.

[Crafty_]

bigearmuffs said:

It's as close to uncrashable as it gets,

Thats what they said about R35 GTR. All the electronics will save you they said.

Been quite a few binned.

I've been in a fwd car when the driver nailed in mid corner, if there had been traffic coming the other way it would have been quite a big bang.
Also been in a car with a lad who lifted off in every corner, he had the back out joining a motorway slip road. He didn't like the car because it was "unstable", I politely suggested it was his right foot that was unstable..
Most amusing one was an old colleague who bought a N/A, auto supra with all of 200hp and somehow managed to write it off along with three other cars taking the 1st exit off a small roundabout in a 40 limit..

Point is the stuff that some people do you and I wouldn't even consider. M135 is my first rwd so I'm Contemplating some sort of advanced/"fast road" driver training/course.. Can't do any harm, need to wait for run in period though.

[Mistersnowball]

I traded my R32 for a Mk7 R and still miss the sound. To my mind there is no doubt the R is a quick car that probably handles better but at a cost.Have only done 15000 Kms so my jury is still out on the car overall. Have had problems with music system and have had 3 different leads from VW NZ to get CD pictures on my screen. That plus a rattle that I can't find are my only problems so far.
Cheers
Geoff
Christchurch
New Zealand

[kmack]

court said:

kmack said:

I am toying with the idea of the new RS3 but I'm not sure if its worth the extra money or if there would be a significant performance advantage?

I doubt you'll get better than 310mph out of it

I fear you may be right. Thats why I should never write anything when i am tired! Might get 310bhp though?

Edited by kmack on Thursday 14th May 05:57

[Ali_T]

Mistersnowball said:

I traded my R32 for a Mk7 R and still miss the sound. To my mind there is no doubt the R is a quick car that probably handles better but at a cost.

That R32 engine was a peach. Not too far off Alfa's near-sainted Busso V6. If the current car had had a V6 I'd probably have bought it, but it seemed to have a food blender with Gran Turismo sound effects instead!

[Teggers]

Do not want.

Drove one recently. Underwhelmed would be the best word I think. It was relatively quick but just felt like a Golf with more power to me, nothing particularly special. It could be under consideration with £10k off the price but after my treatment by VW main dealers when we had a couple of issues with the missus' GT-TDi I will not be looking at VW again anytime soon - utterly disgusted with the aftersales "service".


£36000 (as tested) for this is a joke. More fool anyone who wastes their money on one. They could come up with the best car in the world but it would have to be exemplary at EVERYTHING to make me look at it.

BTW- as I typed this, a 64 reg GTi just went past my workplace being towed! (ok, could have run out of fuel or something equally daft but I found it amusing)

Edited by Teggers on Thursday 14th May 15:51

Edited by Teggers on Thursday 14th May 15:52

[nunpuncher]

Ooft, ever thought about maybe getting a hobby? You know, help vent some of that frustration.

[SuperchargedVR6]

TameRacingDriver said:

SuperchargedVR6 said:

Isn't that exactly what the 135i did to Clarkson at 120mph in the wet when he put it up against the Golf GTI? And that was in a straight line!

I've followed 1 series numerous times and been shocked at how stiff the rear end is setup on those things. You can see it bobbing up and down on minor bumps that other cars glide over completely unphased.

A lad I work with had a 135i and he wrote it off in the wet too. ETA allegedly on a straight road. I suppose lots of power + small RWD car with shortish wheelbase is going to be a bit snappy, potentially.

Edited by TameRacingDriver on Wednesday 13th May 21:40

I must admit, I prefer the feel & stability of the longer wheelbase BMWs, the 5 series especially. The 1 series feels too twitchy for my tastes, but I guess some people would call that 'character' That much grunt in such a small footprint is better suited to 4WD, imo, especially when folk start chipping up that 6 pot turbo!

[nunpuncher]

bigearmuffs said:

Totally agree, it will not defy physics so if the entry is to fast then so will be the exit (and wide by that point), I am slightly envious of the 135i experience as I don't think it would be as clinical as the R.

Can't comment on the older 135i but certainly the current M135i is just as clinical as the Golf from my experience. Hence why I believe the missing hot hatch experience is in the bracket below these cars.

In my list of favourite cars owned the M135i sits somewhere mid list below several NA 6 pots and V8s but also below a type R and a 205 GTi. I've not thought about where the Golf will sit in my list but I have no doubt it will be mid list as well.

[Teggers]

nunpuncher said:

Ooft, ever thought about maybe getting a hobby? You know, help vent some of that frustration.

Lol! Yup! I have a couple that are great for irritability-management.

[nutcase]

bigearmuffs said:

Difficult one, not cosworth, but does have an equaliser below the stereo, and on the right no blanks so every extra fitted (high spec), I would go Sierra GLS as a starter for 6.

I think it is a Cosworth as the speedo reads to 170 whereas standard sierras were only 150 IIRC

[bigearmuffs]

nutcase said:

I think it is a Cosworth as the speedo reads to 170 whereas standard sierras were only 150 IIRC

You are most likely right as I think the bit that is missing is an "RS" on what would be the glove box, which is what through me, hopefully the OP will confirm.

Edited by bigearmuffs on Thursday 14th May 22:56

[Ali_T]

It's a 2wd Sapphire Cosworth. Original picture is here...

http://autoste.com/topic/10948-scrapyard-finds-s...