Golf R Thoughts
 

Hey guys,

So one thing I have noticed is that I am a hatchback fanboy as well as a G/Z fanboy - so ‘the struggle is real/first world problems’. Recently - a little less than a year ago - I winded up trading in my ‘11 Z with 98k miles for a 17 Nismo with only 4700 miles - love the car tbh but....like a friend warned me - if you trade in your ride for a same ride, you’ll regret it bc it’s not something new - but the same.

I came across a brand new/unsold 2018 Golf R/manual and blue - the exact combo I’m looking for as well as being a 2018 which will include a 7yr warranty. I am thinking of it this way - the pros first:
1. Backseat
2. Turbo - so it’s tunable to make even more power reliably.
3. AWD - Haldex yes but still - AWD over the RWD
4. Better MPG on the R vs the Z
5. Pretty much as fast as the Z or a little faster out of the box
6. Interior R > Interior Z
7. Warranty for 7yrs so it would give ‘piece of mind’

Cons:
1. Being setback on car payments - or having car payments for a longer period than I currently have
2. Z steering feel > R steering feel
3. Recaros are pretty bad ***
4. I know I WON’T be getting anyone asking about the R - the Z does STILL get questions - especially since it has a wrap which makes it pop.
5. That VDub reliability haha

I guess I’m wondering if anyone came from a R to a Z- in particular a R from 2015+? If so, are there some things that you would recommend to look out for concerning the R? If you were me - would you do this? When I look at the ‘simple’ math of things:
1. I would probably get $6500/back on a simple trade in with Carmax (again, always make sure i’m ahead Incase I have to miss a car payment or something. With that - and with this car being around $38.2k It would increase my payments by around $100-150/mo - this would be close to $6k-9k over the course of 5yrs - throw in the money from trading in the car and it’s like an extra $12-15k over the course of 5yrs. You can do a lot with that type of money.

While I do enjoy the Z - the one thing that I think the R will provide is a bit more balance and better daily than the Z. Throw in some mods and the R will be pushing a lot of HP and torque. Right now, I am leaning toward NOT doing this bc of the money aspect - hard to take that hit - especially when it comes to the fact that the Z offers a great balance and looks. Appreciate any input on this - and again, I’m a Nissan G/Z and VW fanboy - but wondering what others think etc.

Financially, it not worth it. You're adding more debt on the loan.

My brother has a new GTI SE that I drove around for a bit and the sticking point I came away with is how everything felt so muted in the golf. The shifter wasn’t mechanical at all, the acceleration also felt distant. Handling was very good - It did feel way more modern than my Z but not necessarily in a good way.

/\. This. $$ wise this is not a good idea.

Having said that, if you are still gonna do it here’s some info on the mk 7 R.

Ea888 engine is very stout, stage III cars with dsg run high 10’s.

Expect to do walnut blasting of the head to clean carbon buildup every 50-60k. Dealer cost is around $1200 and a good shop would be around $600. So not too bad.

If the car you want is a manual, the stock clutch is a weak point, you’ll need to upgrade if you tune.

I’m pretty sure VW is like Audi who have really cracked down on tuning post diesel gate. They will td1 flag your car in a heartbeat and the powertrain part of that 7yr warrantee is gone. If someone says the tune can’t be seen if you pull it before going to the dealership, they’re wrong.

On the plus side, apr offers a warranty option for their stage one tune so that offsets the above if you’ll be happy with stage one and also like apr.

Both cars are fun, but I think it’s a dumb financial move.

with that price, you should just get the q60 coupe..more faster and a better looking car than the golf r

Thanks for the input guys.

Financially I agree it is not a wise decision and that is what is preventing me from aggressively pursuing it. While I think they still have some wiggle room on the price - I think they would be willing to come down more; I guess I’m just trying to justify the pursuit of it; but i always hate taking a loss on a vehicle or I like to be able to PIF my vehicles within 3yrs. This would definitely make it so I would have to keep the loan for 5yr. I guess I wanted to get some input from others within the community to see if anyone had come for a R or if there were things I was missing about it as far as performance etc; as well as seeing if taking the financial hit would be worth it?

Having had a GTI before - agree about the walnut blasting and then flagging of the car for running a tune. I know there were discussions that you could put it in stock mode but the flag would always be there - just had to find a mod friendly dealer.

The transmission is garbage and the suspension is sub par

so is the golf r :rofl2:

I think the Golf R is one of those cars that is similar to the Z when it comes to the hatchback world. It does a lot of things really well but not one thing that 'pops'. It is what I would call a very balanced car for a hatchback.

Just like how the Z isn't a stoplight to stoplight monster or a track monster out of the box; but it is a vehicle that when you look at all things considered - it's a balanced car. That is what makes it so much fun and raw. As for the suspension - I do agree, even in race mode:
Nismo Z > R suspension. (just my opinion)

There’s always a temptation to keep getting a new car all the time when you’re a car guy, but in the long run you’ll be able to up your car game more if you’re just patient and get your money’s worth out of the z purchase.

Plus, you have a nismo, which is a great car, enjoy it and have fun with it, there aren’t many raw driver involved sports cars left and this is one of them. And it’s reliable and cheap to fix if it breaks. :tup:

:driving:

Yes definitely not worth it. The drivetrain is quite weak. Volkswagen vehicles as far from reliable or dependable. Volkswagen resale value over the first five years is among one of the worst in the automotive industry. Every Volkswagen owner I ever met honestly did not like their Volkswagen good luck. I had a Volkswagen Jetta and really could not wait for the chance to sell it or trade it in. If you did purchase a Volkswagen I hope you get an extended warranty you will need it. I am not being biased but the Nissan 370Z or Infiniti G37 is a much better overall vehicle to own and a lot more fun to drive.

The Golf R is a baby TT-RS in sheeps clothing.
Although I wouldn’t personally get the manual transmission, I understand that you can tune the MK7 Golf R quite nicely.

But it sounds to me like you are looking for us to justify the purchase. If you’d like, I can help you justify buying a Huracan. But in the end this (the Golf, not the Lambo) is a decision that only you can make as only you know all the parameters and restrictions.

Bottom line, buying a newer vehicle, especially a “new” one, when there is nothing wrong with the old one never makes economic sense. If your loan is manageable and risk of losing income slight, and especially if you have issues with the Z (doesn’t fit your lifestyle anymore, reliability, whatever), then sure it is something to consider. I really feel for any US federal employees who might have been in the same position and taken that leap in say, November! Consider that an extended warranty is probably worth a lot less than that Golf will lose in value the moment you take it off the lot.

Funny... I don't know anyone that really grew to like their VW much after purchase either. And I don't know anyone that's been a repeat buyer of the brand.

The guys at work used to love their diesels. Only for the fuel mileage. Other than that. There wasn't much love for them.

I owned a GTI before I owned my Z and here are the differences I noted:

The Z has more power, more fun to drive, waaay better steering and a beefier chassis.
The GTI gets better gas mileage on the highway and was easier to drive with less blind spot.
The Z is a universally sexy car, whereas the GTI really only fits into the "performance hatchback" crowd.

Unless you need a back seat, 4wd capability and a nice interior, the Golf R is not going to be as fun to drive as the Z. The only reason you want a Golf R is that you need a do-it-all vehicle from going to track a couple times a year to taking wife and kids to a road trip and anything in between. It does everything well enough but does nothing great. I replaced my Z a year or so ago with a GTI and a Lotus Elise. They serve different purposes and cover all my needs.

I think the Golf R is one of the most overrated performance cars.

:iagree:

It's underrated....I've been driving my R more than my Z.

http://www.the370z.com/members/zero-...aily-drive.jpg

How does it compare to the Z? Wondering if I could get a non biased opinion about the R vs the Z. Right now, I have made up the mind to keep my current ride and just pay it off. Then save up some funds to go ahead and get a R if not something else. if the R winds up checking most if not all the boxes - then trade in the Z. My main fear is trading in my Z and then having complete buyers remorse afterwards and not being able to get my original car back (at least that is what the family tells me will happen haha).

Have you driven one at all?

Seems to me that the easiest thing to do would be for you to take one out for an extended test drive to see if it suits you. If you don't know in 20 minutes, then it's not the car for you. The looks won't sway you, and it won't get easier to live with over time.

Check all of the normal things - acceleration and braking, steering feel, access, seat comfort, heater (a/c depending on where you live - not here right now), visibility, audio and connectivity, storage (both luggage room and cubbys/cupholders), USB and charging ports. NVH. Check the ride on various surfaces (giving whatever allowance you want to for the tires that are on the car you test).

The only things that an extended test drive won't tell you would be the costs of ownership, which others can legitimately help you with.

I've thought about this as a second car

Everything i've read is that its a far overqualified daily driver, more power and handling than you'd ever need on the street, but not quite good enough to truly be a track fun toy

It's pretty expensive - otherwise i think i'd totally love one as a car for mondays through fridays to go to work. You can haul people and stuff and have some kick on the freeway

Leave the Z for the weekends

However, price keeps popping up. I currently daily a used IS300 thats paid off. Why would i take on 20-30K of extra debt + the cost of ownership?

Plus, i have more money to blow on the Z

i dont think i'd ever consider a Golf INSTEAD of a Z. merely in addition to

life changes in a blink, so $$ was may not make sense.
I have a problem with cars, and I sold my genesis in March
swore I make the Z a daily, but I ended up buying a 2005 mini cooper convertible.
on the in-expense side. works as a daily.

Thought if you want another toy, find something you can afford, and then have fun with it.

Z is a great little sports car...

When I was looking - unfortunately i wasn’t able to find one that was a manual. The only used one I found was a DSG. The salesman had me drive a GTI as well which WAS manual - told me that the shifter and transmission was the same as what is in the R, the shifting was definitely smooth but I definitely enjoyed the Z’s notchiness. The only R that I got to test drive was a used one and while the pickup was really good and it was very smooth - I wonder if the suspension could have been a little more tighter although the steering was great.

I guess there is a part of me that is wanting to know what a manual R drives like to see if the shifter is the same as the GTI. Also, wanting to know if a lower mileage R will be tighter in the suspension etc. Unfortunately a dealer around me is willing to let me drive a new one bc of fear of putting mileage on it etc (understandable but frustrating). The other part of me is thinking not what a R can do in it’s stock form but the mods that can be applied to make it much faster etc. I know in it’s stock form - the Z is definitely superior (at least my opinion) but after a few mods I think this car could be a great drivers car.

I think the end result is definitely one where I plan on keeping the Z - did a long road trip this past weekend and it was fun - LOUD but definitely fun. Sometimes i think one just needs to go out and drive what they have to remind themselves why they bought one to begin with.

Thanks everyone :)

I can’t get over that it looks like a mini-minivan. If they offered it in a coupe, I may be interested.

My sister was always telling me that it looked like a little roach haha....but i guess looks will always be subjective. I wil agree, if they brought the Scirocco here - that would be awesome and give you that ‘more of a coupe’ look. My GTI was a 2 door - and I definitely preferred the longer doors.

My opinion is not gonna help you a whole lot without you test driving the car. It is a great commuter car with good handling and performance. But it's hella muted. But these days people like mutemobiles. I don't. I like visceral cars. And the golf R is NOT visceral. You're better off in a wrx if you want a sports car feel. The EVO was the best in visceral feel though it was built kinda cheaply.

I would take the new Mazda3 2019 hatchback over this hideous vdub.

Yes.

There's no way I could convince myself that what I was driving was sporty or non-basic transport given when I look at a Golf (R or not), all I see is some type of Chevy Sonic / Dodge Omni hybrid. That, plus it's a VW... Hell man, that should be enough alone.

:iagree:

In term of performance, out of the box the R performance is up there with the Z or better. If I want a full performance of the R, I drive in Race mode. My R has DSG. It has a launch control, and it's a fun feature. Personally, the R suspension is better than the stock Z. It got 4 wheel drive system. Also, I can switch suspension settings at the push of a button. The stock break is very good. It also has all the latest safety features. I love the active cruise control when I’m in the traffic. As for the look, the Z looks great, but the R is just a basic hatch back, 4 doors without a big wing and busy lines. It's growing on me each day of driving. It’s a real sleeper :tup:. Interior is great with virtual digital cockpit.

For me, the R checked all the boxes on my list. Now, it's my daily drive, including weekend, and my Z has become a garage queen. Like many suggested, the best way is to test drive one, trying both manual and DSG.

It seems like you prefer AWD over RWD(which I believe is a huge factor in choosing the Z over an R) so I think a Golf R would be a better fit and it seems like you are wanting more power which will be easier to get out of the R. I have driven countless AWD turbo cars(EVO,WRX,Golf R) because the feeling of wanting something different but honestly I just love the handling of a car with a good RWD system with no electronic nannies to assist me. Dont get me wrong all those AWD turbo cars are fun to drive and I understand why others would like it over the Z but like others have said here what DO YOU want in a car?