RE: VW Golf GTI Clubsport S: PH Videoblog
Wednesday 24th August 2016
There's a weight of expectation riding on the Golf GTI Clubsport S. Not only has it deposed the Civic Type R (or Megane Trophy-R, depending on your interpretation of the rules) as the fastest front-wheel drive car at the Nurburgring, it's also the most expensive Golf GTI ever at £34,000. There were 235 comments on the original news story, nearly 80 on the first drive and more than 150 when the news broke of it selling out - it's a car people certainly want to talk about!
VW Golf GTI Clubsport S: PH Videoblog
We all know what it can do on circuit, but what's the fastest GTI like on a British B-road?
But can it really deliver as a truly thrilling hot hatch in Britain? Because the Nurburgring has a habit of making any car seem rather more interesting, particularly when you have to chase the guy who set the lap record. So in this videoblog, Dan has the Clubsport S and a typically testing B-road to establish some definitive answers.
Obviously this isn't the place to reveal any conclusions - full written review to follow tomorrow - but the Nurburgring development time certainly hasn't been wasted. Conveniently this road is exactly where the Civic Type R and Megane Cup-S were tested too, so there are some interesting comparisons to make. Is this the best Golf GTI ever made? Is it perhaps the best front-wheel drive hot hatch? Over to Dan!
Watch the video here.
Discussion
absolute rubbish how can you compare this to a civic Type R which has 4 seats and cheaper
ill tell you what ill take the rear seats out spend the extra 3k on amd chip and exhaust and get 400bhp
see how the club S fairs then oooo and i can buy one today aswell thats useful most of these cars wont be drivers just garaged and polished everyday to hold there value
pointless of VW making this car apart from a quick buck and i wonder if you actually get the right parts underneath being as VW are going though a tierA supplier problem ?? might get a rusty turbo from a GTI and spinn it up to the max in the software lol
cheer stu ..
ill tell you what ill take the rear seats out spend the extra 3k on amd chip and exhaust and get 400bhp
see how the club S fairs then oooo and i can buy one today aswell thats useful most of these cars wont be drivers just garaged and polished everyday to hold there value
pointless of VW making this car apart from a quick buck and i wonder if you actually get the right parts underneath being as VW are going though a tierA supplier problem ?? might get a rusty turbo from a GTI and spinn it up to the max in the software lol
cheer stu ..
giveablondeabone said:
Put the back seats in then i'll take it seriously as a hot hatch
Fixed that for you!Has full set of seats, same suspension hardware, can be optioned with the Clubsport S seats, wheels and Cup 2 tyres and is still actually on sale. You can even have it with five doors and DSG if you want!
Cheers!
Dan
Dan Trent said:
giveablondeabone said:
Put the back seats in then i'll take it seriously as a hot hatch
Fixed that for you!Has full set of seats, same suspension hardware, can be optioned with the Clubsport S seats, wheels and Cup 2 tyres and is still actually on sale. You can even have it with five doors and DSG if you want!
Cheers!
Dan
DamianQS said:
How fast .....
S1 would leave it for dust .......... I will get my coat
The S1 has 4wd but does only a relatively modest 5.8 0-62 - somehow when it comes to in-gear acceleration I think it would get stuffed here.S1 would leave it for dust .......... I will get my coat
Anyway, we are discussing fun hot hatches, not Audis. I'll get your coat for you.
nunpuncher said:
How is it compared to the Polo GTi? That's what i want to know.
i'm thinking the Polo looks more interesting *assuming* it weighs a lot less... off to check.1360kg is too heavy. Modern cars handle their weight really well, but you cant disguise it on a B road even if it covers the ground really quickly.
macky17 said:
The S1 has 4wd but does only a relatively modest 5.8 0-62 - somehow when it comes to in-gear acceleration I think it would get stuffed here.
Anyway, we are discussing fun hot hatches, not Audis. I'll get your coat for you.
Road test timesAnyway, we are discussing fun hot hatches, not Audis. I'll get your coat for you.
Gti Clubsport 30-70 through gears 4.9
Audi S1 30-70 through gears 5.2
So what sort of differences are there between this and a Cupra 290? Does it have different springs/dampers, more aggressive diff set up, quicker rack, geometry change..... anything?
Seems to me that a cupra 290 with their not quite as good bucket seats and the sub 8 pack so it benefits from better brakes than the clubsport S is just as good a proposition. Granted, it won't hold value but it does make the Clubsport S seem not that special.
Seems to me that a cupra 290 with their not quite as good bucket seats and the sub 8 pack so it benefits from better brakes than the clubsport S is just as good a proposition. Granted, it won't hold value but it does make the Clubsport S seem not that special.
CABC said:
nunpuncher said:
How is it compared to the Polo GTi? That's what i want to know.
i'm thinking the Polo looks more interesting *assuming* it weighs a lot less... off to check.1360kg is too heavy. Modern cars handle their weight really well, but you cant disguise it on a B road even if it covers the ground really quickly.
I don't think 1360kg is 'too heavy'. The CS's weight is about right for it's size and configuration and a useful 100+kg lighter than the R.
Personally I would not want a road car that resorts to plastic wings and windows, A/C deletion, natty bucket seats and cheaper interior materials etc to save weight.
If lightweight were a deciding factor on car choice, it wouldn't be a generic hatchback to begin with would it?
Edited by SuperchargedVR6 on Wednesday 24th August 11:46
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