RE: Volkswagen Golf R: PH Fleet

RE: Volkswagen Golf R: PH Fleet

Thursday 16th July 2015

Volkswagen Golf R: PH Fleet

Dull noise? Who cares? Let James tell you about the launch control...



Most party goers can be split into two distinct groups. On the one hand you have the outgoing, flamboyant types who love to be the life and soul of any gathering. They're always brimming with amusing anecdotes and are constantly itching to show off their favourite party trick. The other group are content to quietly chat away, have a few drinks, not cause a scene and enjoy a sophisticated, relaxing evening. The Golf R definitely belongs to a member of this group. It just goes about its business without causing a fuss. Or at least I thought it did...

Too subtle? The debate continues!
Too subtle? The debate continues!
Just recently KX15 PWV has been attracting quite a bit of attention whilst out and about. In part this maybe to do with the enormous PH smiley on the boot lid, but a couple of weeks back I had a classic (and very blokeish) chat on a petrol station forecourt. The guy spotted the car from his pump as he fuelled his R32 up and as I walked back from paying he came over to talk about the car. Turns out that he very interested in the R as he was considering buying one. Within the space of 30 seconds all the key features had been discussed in shorthand and he was very impressed, particularly with how the car looks in metal. Although he was disappointed with the noise when I started it up to leave, somehow cramming in at least half a dozen references to R32s and six-cylinder engines in five seconds.

Anyway, still surprised at the attention the car received the very next day there was more! While sitting in a traffic jam the guy in the car alongside made the universal sign for 'wind your window down', which instantly endeared him to me. What ensued was more or less a replay of the forecourt discussion, albeit a bit more fragmented as we drove side by side at 3mph on the northbound carriageway of the A43 just south of Towcester. "Looks great" "nice wheels" and "how fast is it?" were the main topics of conversation. Sadly though "sounds a bit dull" was the parting comment as I peeled onto the A5.

So while the car might be a bit of a wallflower and not have much in the way of visual drama, it stands out enough to be a talking point amongst well informed enthusiasts; that's probably quite a nice balance.

Er, James, not the best place for a launch
Er, James, not the best place for a launch
Then like the quiet chap at a party suddenly downing a shot and doing the worm across the dancefloor, I discovered that the Golf R has a party trick after all. It takes a bit of fiddling to find, but DSG Golf Rs do have launch control, and it is mighty impressive.

In a similar way to 911 Turbo S, all that's required is the 'ESC Sport' traction control mode, the gearbox in Sport, a left foot stamped on the brake and a right foot on the throttle. Quickly the revs climb to around 4,000rpm, the boost builds and all you have to do is let the brake off. Wow.

I'm fortunate enough to have driven some really fast cars, but the Golf is the most surprising, perhaps thanks to the juxtaposition between mild-mannered, mid-sized family hatch and this level of acceleration. We employed the V-Box for some accurate figures and with - surprise, surprise - no fuss at all the car consistently hit 62mph in 4.6 seconds. For reference that's 0.3 seconds faster than VW claims, and our test was with a full tank of fuel and two people on a cold and damp surface. That's incredible.

So be warned, if you see a mild mannered Golf with big wheels and a subtle body kit sitting at some traffic lights just make sure it is a GTD or a GTI. You'll need something very quick to match an R! Wonder if the badge could be swapped for a Bluemotion one?


FACT SHEET
Car:
 2015 Volkswagen Golf R
Run by: Matt, or James when there's fun stuff
On fleet since: March 2015
Mileage: 6,012 
List price new: £32,220 (£36,055 as tested including £895 for 19-inch 'Pretoria' wheels, £1,765 for Discover Pro Nav, £815 for Dynamic Chassis Control dampers and £360 for Winter Pack).
Last month at a glance: The Golf fanbase continues to grow, even from those not driving

Previous updates:
All The Internet owns one, now PH has a Golf R!

Golf R great everyday; who'd have thought?

Track test for the Golf and it's fairly ace there too

Author
Discussion

rtz62

Original Poster:

3,340 posts

154 months

Thursday 16th July 2015
quotequote all
Looks nice in red with those 19" Pretoria wheels.
The 3 I've seen near me are all Lapiz Blue with the 18" Cadiz wheels.
Hard to believe that a simple issue of colour and wheels can, in my opinion, turn what looks like a classic performance Golf to something that is positively gopping.
Me?, I'd go with the red and against my better judgement, the larger wheels.
Reminds me of the Mk1 Gti 1600 I had way back in Mars Red...

750turbo

6,164 posts

223 months

Thursday 16th July 2015
quotequote all
36K frown

4.6 smile

That is some serious performance.

Hoopsuk

125 posts

202 months

Thursday 16th July 2015
quotequote all
Serious performance!

A great piece of engineering indeed
But I feel the new generation of hot hatches has ruined many a fantasy fast car for me. There is now very little that is on paper significantly faster than a regular sort of car/ hot hatch.

Will have to stick to 2 wheels to be safe at the lights

nickfrog

20,871 posts

216 months

Thursday 16th July 2015
quotequote all
Lovely looking car, particularly in blue IMO. A great package. Not for me as I insist on a 6-pot, most of which behind the front axle and RWD (however slow that makes it), but I can totally see why you would choose one. Forget the 120d, THAT is possibly the only car you need. On small wheels of course.

shantybeater

1,192 posts

168 months

Thursday 16th July 2015
quotequote all
These are absolutely everywhere in Bournemouth, I have never seen so many performance variants of any car on the road before - i can only assume VW are doing some silly lease hire prices. Shame about the four pipes, just looks daft on a golf, otherwise quite a pretty car. The mk6 looks the sweet spot to me

Edited by shantybeater on Thursday 16th July 21:08

GTID

146 posts

117 months

Thursday 16th July 2015
quotequote all
shantybeater said:
These are absolutely everywhere in Bournemouth, I have never seen so many performance variants of any car on the road before - i can only assume VW are doing some silly lease hire prices.
Edited by shantybeater on Thursday 16th July 21:08
Really? I see at least 5 Fiesta ST's and similar number of Focus ST's on my 10 mile daily commute, and normally 1 golf R. There are quite a few about, far more than the 6R and that is due to the Lease deals VW did, which were silly cheap and why I have one!

Back to the article I agree about the lack of sound.. especially exhaust noise, it's a bit dissapointing for a 300bhp hatch. Nevertheless it's still an extremely capable car and I enjoy driving it.. the manual is probably half a second down off the line compared to the DSG, doesn't bother me much but would annoy those who enjoy traffic light GP's

tjs79

875 posts

173 months

Friday 17th July 2015
quotequote all
Drove mine down the 303 last night having not been in it for a couple of weeks. Cracking fun and the acceleration still surprises me. I'm in a manual so no launches for me but bloody hell 2nd gear still does the job out of a roundabout. Grip is the real kwy on this thing too and the standard brakes are really good when you need them. Despite some serious momentum it delivered me home at 34mpg averaged over 160 miles. Not much to complain about!

Studio117

4,250 posts

190 months

Friday 17th July 2015
quotequote all
The merits of this car are not in doubt but why write such a toe curling load load of rubbish?

said:
The other group are content to quietly chat away, have a few drinks, not cause a scene and enjoy a sophisticated, relaxing evening
Ugh


DamianQS

75 posts

139 months

Friday 17th July 2015
quotequote all

VW have produced a seriously quick capable and practical product .The lease deals also make it an attractive proposition .I considered it when I was in the market for a new car a few months back .However I went for a less powerful and slightly less practical S1 and have not regretted the decision .Sometimes decisions can not be boiled down to a spread sheet exercise.

Carlique

1,630 posts

163 months

Friday 17th July 2015
quotequote all
Just so you know, a problem (software I think) with the Mk7 R is that when you're in race mode, this opens up the active exhausts so all 4 are open and working. But when you switch off the car, it closes 2 of the valves.

When you start up again, even though the car is still in race mode, you're valves don't automatically re-open so you're still only using 2 of the exhausts (like eco mode) which causes it to sound very muted. You have to re-engage race mode (either by the button by the gearstick or on screen) to re-engage race mode and thus open up all 4x exhausts again.

When I first got mine I wondered why sometimes in racemode it popped and banged and other times it didn't. After a bit of research on various forums it appears to be an issue across the R range which i'm sure they'll solve with their next software update.

Having said that as well, I've found my exhaust to be a lot more vocal and make some really fantastic noises when it's heated up a bit. Coming off from the motorway and back onto the streets I always lower the window down to hear the crackles and bangs it produces.

Having said this, I do still agree that it should be a little louder but I guess that's not the nature of the car, and ultimately is what the R400 is coming to do.

maxxy5

771 posts

163 months

Friday 17th July 2015
quotequote all
I've experienced the launch control and it's pretty savage! (for an MX5 driver)

corcoran

533 posts

273 months

Friday 17th July 2015
quotequote all
shantybeater said:
These are absolutely everywhere in Bournemouth, I have never seen so many performance variants of any car on the road before - i can only assume VW are doing some silly lease hire prices. Shame about the four pipes, just looks daft on a golf, otherwise quite a pretty car. The mk6 looks the sweet spot to me

Edited by shantybeater on Thursday 16th July 21:08
Quite. 4 pipes look utterly idiotic on what is additionally a very boring looking car.

kambites

67,460 posts

220 months

Friday 17th July 2015
quotequote all
It's an enormously impressive car and I'm glad it exists but I have absolutely no desire to ever own or even drive one.

anonymous-user

53 months

Friday 17th July 2015
quotequote all
Nobody can argue with that 0-60 figure. Very impressive indeed for a VW product with full manufacturers warranty.

SuperchargedVR6

3,138 posts

219 months

Friday 17th July 2015
quotequote all
The amount of money VW nuts used to spend on their Golfs, trying to get them under 5 seconds on the drag strip. And now this does it in 4 and a half out of the box, lol.


GreenArrow

3,550 posts

116 months

Friday 17th July 2015
quotequote all
shantybeater said:
These are absolutely everywherthistleurnemouth, I have never seen so many performance variants of any car on the road befire -ei can only assume VW are doing some silly lease hire prices.sShame about the four piper, just looks daft on a golf, otherwise quite a pretty car. The mk6 looks the sweet spot to me

Edited by shantybeater on Thursday 16th July 21:08

I work in Bournemouth and was thinking the same. This car is so popular. As I predicted on this site over a year ago it has done for the GTI. people either go GTD or R. Why pay only 3 grand less for 227 ps when you can have 300. great car.

GreenArrow

3,550 posts

116 months

Friday 17th July 2015
quotequote all
shantybeater said:
These are absolutely everywherthistleurnemouth, I have never seen so many performance variants of any car on the road befire -ei can only assume VW are doing some silly lease hire prices.sShame about the four piper, just looks daft on a golf, otherwise quite a pretty car. The mk6 looks the sweet spot to me

Edited by shantybeater on Thursday 16th July 21:08

I work in Bournemouth and was thinking the same. This car is so popular. As I predicted on this site over a year ago it has done for the GTI. people either go GTD or R. Why pay only 3 grand less for 227 ps when you can have 300. great car.

nickfrog

20,871 posts

216 months

Friday 17th July 2015
quotequote all
St John Smythe said:
Nobody can argue with that 0-60 figure. Very impressive indeed for a VW product with full manufacturers warranty.
Hard to argue with data. Easy to argue with the metric as a relevant indicator to how good a car is.

plenty

4,655 posts

185 months

Friday 17th July 2015
quotequote all
Very nicely-written piece, and I love the analogy of the extrovert attention-seeking party-goer versus the quiet but effective individual going about their business.

anonymous-user

53 months

Friday 17th July 2015
quotequote all
nickfrog said:
St John Smythe said:
Nobody can argue with that 0-60 figure. Very impressive indeed for a VW product with full manufacturers warranty.
Hard to argue with data. Easy to argue with the metric as a relevant indicator to how good a car is.
And from all the reviews I've read it's brilliant smile