RE: 2021 Volkswagen Golf R | UK Review

RE: 2021 Volkswagen Golf R | UK Review

Author
Discussion

WackyWeaver

53 posts

38 months

Wednesday 24th February 2021
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TNH said:
Is there any other car maker with such a boring range of cars at the moment?

Everything about it is just so safe and boring. They have impressive pace for a hatchback but it is so uninspiring. I couldn't bring myself to sit in such a dull interior all day and you definitely wouldn't be looking back at it when you get out of it either!
I laughed when someone earlier mentioned “facelift”. What facelift? Hasn’t changed in decades

culpz

4,884 posts

112 months

Wednesday 24th February 2021
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Escort Si-130 said:
culpz said:
andygo said:
No 3 door option. Completely off my wish list, having sold my 7.5r 3 door recently might have been tempted. Also, as many people have pointed out, the absence of tactile switches is a big off putter. My wifes Audi is also pretty poor with tiny, tiny knobs (yeah yeah..) that are difficult to see.

What is the matter with car makers these days? It's like some people you see walking about in weird clothes, clearly got up and dressed in the dark at a charity shop..
Tbf, none of these C-segment hot-hatches are 3 door anymore.

I used to really prefer 3-doors, but the 5-doors make much more sense IMO. These new hatches are so big now, that you might aswell have the extra practicality. I'm not sure i could go back to something like a Scirocco, with 2 really big, heavy and clumsy doors that just become a pain. I'll admit they do look better aesthetically, but it's just not personally a deal breaker for me anymore.
So if you are saying about big heavy doors. What about coupe's like the 8 series, 6 series, etc which has just 2 big heavy doors as you put it.
Coupes are different to hatchbacks though, so i think it's a different matter. But, with that being said, you can't actually get a new 6-series at current anyway. I guess it was replaced by the 8. To take you on some-what, i think they're also a dying breed. Which other big coupe's can you get now that come in 2/3 door shapes? Think there might be a couple of Mercs, Bentley's and the 8-Series that you already mentioned. What else?

The big, heavy door thing was simply just a personal observation from experience. Your view may be different, which is absolutely fine.

Edited by culpz on Wednesday 24th February 12:36

ajap1979

8,014 posts

187 months

Wednesday 24th February 2021
quotequote all
WackyWeaver said:
TNH said:
Is there any other car maker with such a boring range of cars at the moment?

Everything about it is just so safe and boring. They have impressive pace for a hatchback but it is so uninspiring. I couldn't bring myself to sit in such a dull interior all day and you definitely wouldn't be looking back at it when you get out of it either!
I laughed when someone earlier mentioned “facelift”. What facelift? Hasn’t changed in decades
I think this just proves you're not a particularly visually perceptive person. Everyone else is criticising it for not looking as good as the previous generation, but to your eyes it hasn't changed?

culpz

4,884 posts

112 months

Wednesday 24th February 2021
quotequote all
ajap1979 said:
culpz said:
wab172uk said:
Boring to look at. Crap interior. No nobs or buttons, and no manual option. How much ?????

If I had to have a car in that sector, I think I'd rather have an A35 AMG.
Which is funny, as the A35 is pretty much all of those things too, apart from the nobs and buttons point...

Boring to look at - check

Crap interior - check

No manual option - check
Top Gear have done a head-to-head – https://www.topgear.com/car-news/hot-hatch/posh-ho...
Golf just about takes it, which is exactly what i'd expect.

I like both cars, personally, but it's always funny how much scrutiny the Golf gets. Mercedes makes basically the exact same car that's worse to drive, but doesn't seem to take much flack in comparison.

WackyWeaver

53 posts

38 months

Wednesday 24th February 2021
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ajap1979 said:
I think this just proves you're not a particularly visually perceptive person. Everyone else is criticising it for not looking as good as the previous generation, but to your eyes it hasn't changed?
You’re not particularly perceptive in terms of reading comprehension it would seem. The comment I was referring to about a “facelift” version obviously wasn’t directed towards this new iteration as no one owns one yet.

I actually think this new one is a big improvement. They’ve made some changes which differentiate it from previous models and it looks sportier.

Still far too much money for what it is though.

nickfrog

21,163 posts

217 months

Wednesday 24th February 2021
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Pegscratch said:
nickfrog said:
Is that how the Golf R is mostly used? The ones where I live don't seem to match that use, but perhaps it's really well disguised.
How far are you from Bradford, Luton and Birmingham?
Very.

Are you saying that in Bradford, Luton and Birmingham, the Golf R is mostly used "for moving quantities of illegally obtained or illegally held goods and criminals around the country at pace"?

ajap1979

8,014 posts

187 months

Wednesday 24th February 2021
quotequote all
WackyWeaver said:
ajap1979 said:
I think this just proves you're not a particularly visually perceptive person. Everyone else is criticising it for not looking as good as the previous generation, but to your eyes it hasn't changed?
You’re not particularly perceptive in terms of reading comprehension it would seem. The comment I was referring to about a “facelift” version obviously wasn’t directed towards this new iteration as no one owns one yet.

I actually think this new one is a big improvement. They’ve made some changes which differentiate it from previous models and it looks sportier.

Still far too much money for what it is though.
You said it hadn't changed in decades? What hasn't changed in decades?

HazzaT

461 posts

45 months

Wednesday 24th February 2021
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Everything I read about the Golf's interior layout just makes it sound even worse. Touch-sensitive HVAC controls that don't light up in the dark and touch-sensitive controls on the steering wheel? I'd like to find out which colour Dulux they were huffing at the interior design department

TheAntics

38 posts

142 months

Wednesday 24th February 2021
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The driverless car is already here, hiding in plain sight

griffarse

4 posts

194 months

Wednesday 24th February 2021
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Drift mode, really.

ajap1979

8,014 posts

187 months

Wednesday 24th February 2021
quotequote all
HazzaT said:
Everything I read about the Golf's interior layout just makes it sound even worse. Touch-sensitive HVAC controls that don't light up in the dark and touch-sensitive controls on the steering wheel? I'd like to find out which colour Dulux they were huffing at the interior design department
I do think there is an understandable disparity between how a journalist experiences a car, and how an owner does. Obviously everyone is different, but I spent a week with a MK8 R-Line and at first thought the whole infotainment system was challenging, to put it kindly. After a few days with the car I was more or less used to everything, and after a week it felt completely natural, to the point where I didn't feel that it was distracting my attention from the road, and I'd intuitively learnt how to do everything I routinely wanted to do. It's clearly not perfect, but I personally don't think it's nearly as bad as it's being made out to be. Some people will get it, and others won't.

Funk

26,278 posts

209 months

Wednesday 24th February 2021
quotequote all
culpz said:
ajap1979 said:
culpz said:
wab172uk said:
Boring to look at. Crap interior. No nobs or buttons, and no manual option. How much ?????

If I had to have a car in that sector, I think I'd rather have an A35 AMG.
Which is funny, as the A35 is pretty much all of those things too, apart from the nobs and buttons point...

Boring to look at - check

Crap interior - check

No manual option - check
Top Gear have done a head-to-head – https://www.topgear.com/car-news/hot-hatch/posh-ho...
Golf just about takes it, which is exactly what i'd expect.

I like both cars, personally, but it's always funny how much scrutiny the Golf gets. Mercedes makes basically the exact same car that's worse to drive, but doesn't seem to take much flack in comparison.
It also shows just how essential the DCC is on our broken tarmac. I loved my Mk7.5 R but the penny-pinching on things like heated seats, combined with the fact that even a mild sprinkling of options will bump it into a tax bracket (which shouldn't even be there) and the stupid touch-sensitive everythings might be enough to put me off having a Mk8 in future. I found it remarkable that in the TG article they mentioned that the AC control 'gutter' doesn't even light up to help you - mad.

Basic driving controls have no business being touch-sensitive or buried in a digital sub-menu (Tesla for example - you can't adjust the wiper intermittency without having to delve through menus on the touchscreen..).

Edited by Funk on Wednesday 24th February 13:46

ajap1979

8,014 posts

187 months

Wednesday 24th February 2021
quotequote all
griffarse said:
Drift mode, really.
Ferrari have their SSC (side slip control) mode, so why shouldn't VW (and Ford and Mercedes for that matter) use something similar to make their cars more entertaining?

ajap1979

8,014 posts

187 months

Wednesday 24th February 2021
quotequote all
Funk said:
I found it remarkable that in the TG article they mentioned that the AC control 'gutter' doesn't even light up to help you - mad.
I think if I'd have known that before my week with a MK8 I'd have thought it was mental. As it is I never even noticed it. Make of that what you will.

SidewaysSi

10,742 posts

234 months

Wednesday 24th February 2021
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As with the last car, a wholly agreeable machine but not something I would ever own, particularly given the increased risk of me/my family being a crime target.

Johnnytheboy

24,498 posts

186 months

Wednesday 24th February 2021
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Are they proportionately more likely to be stolen than their equivalents?

ajap1979

8,014 posts

187 months

Wednesday 24th February 2021
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Johnnytheboy said:
Are they proportionately more likely to be stolen than their equivalents?
I've never seen an answer to this, partly because I suspect there isn't one. I'm sure not many FK8 Honda Civics have been stolen, but I also can't remember ever having seen one.

Pegscratch

1,872 posts

108 months

Wednesday 24th February 2021
quotequote all
ajap1979 said:
I've never seen an answer to this, partly because I suspect there isn't one. I'm sure not many FK8 Honda Civics have been stolen, but I also can't remember ever having seen one.
A45s, RS3s etc all seem to be lower down the list, it's "peer" is the S3 with which it shares just about everything. Don't know what the stats are like for that.

Bradgate

2,823 posts

147 months

Wednesday 24th February 2021
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Sounds like this is the ultimate usable, real-world performance car.

What was that about £300 per month lease deals?

philmots

4,631 posts

260 months

Wednesday 24th February 2021
quotequote all
ajap1979 said:
culpz said:
wab172uk said:
Boring to look at. Crap interior. No nobs or buttons, and no manual option. How much ?????

If I had to have a car in that sector, I think I'd rather have an A35 AMG.
Which is funny, as the A35 is pretty much all of those things too, apart from the nobs and buttons point...

Boring to look at - check

Crap interior - check

No manual option - check
Top Gear have done a head-to-head – https://www.topgear.com/car-news/hot-hatch/posh-ho...
Why not review the current Premium Plus A35 that has the adaptive dampers as standard?

I drove a standard A35 before buying mine and within 100 yards out of the showroom I knew it was far too stiff to work on a B road.

Mine has the adaptive dampers and they’re brilliant. The Sport+ setting is about the same as the std car, Sport is just right on a B road and comfort is nice just bumbling about.