The Golf R Test Drive
#1
10-20-2010, 04:17 AM
The Golf R Test Drive
Hi everyone,
This is my first post to this forum, but I must admit I am have been a lurker here. I thought Iīd share my experience with this awesome car. Bare in mind that I am Finnish, so my english might be a bit sloppy.
It all started with a phone call to the nearest VW dealer. Booked a test drive, but since there were under 5 of these in Finland at the time, it took 3 weeks for the "press car" to be available.
When I finally got the keys to this car, I was super excited. I hopped in the car started it. It sounded great. The greatness faded as I pulled out of the parking lot. I noticed the same sluggish progression in low speed with the DSG (exactly like in my current Golf). As I made my way to the main road, everything changed. I put the pedal down and for a good moment nothing happened. This fraction of a second seemed longer than it actually was. Then at 5K we were off. The R had woken. The acceleration was amazing and I could not help but smile. The brakes were excellent, steering was precise and you could really feel the immense amount of grip.
I pulled over to take a few shots
The R car felt very well stable and refined. The interior was pleasing and I absolutely LOVED the GT-steering wheel,but the blue needles were a bit too ricy imho.
The dealer also had a White R on the showroom floor. Heres a quick shot of that (There arenīt too many Rīs in white)
The Golf R is similar to a theme park. Itīs thrilling, but after youīve had enough of thrills, you still have the aspects of a fast ride. I wouldnīt say its a hardcore track car, but the engine sounds and the exhaust note can be heard at all times. I can imagine getting a bit tired of the sounds during long drives. This kind of defeats the purpose of a Golf. To me, the Golf is something you use everyday and is A) Practical, B) Versatile and performance is always welcome. The GTI might be underpowered compared to the R, but it is more adaptive to different kinds purposes and the fuel consumption is much lower in the GTI. Donīt get me wrong, the Golf R is a fun car, but I personally wouldnīt like to drive it every single day, since I do a lot of driving. If it was cheap enough to keep as a weekend car, then why not. But the price is ridicilous in my county (starting at 58keur, which is 79,076 USD!)
One last pic =)
I drove the new GTI aswell for comparison. It felt extremely refined as well and I think the interior colors are much nicer than that of the R. I got a chance to drive the R for the 2nd time after driving the GTI, and it just didnīt give me the real experience of driving. The GTI was MT, which for me is what makes driving these hothatches so enjoyable. The feeling of being fully in control of every shift is something that can not be imitated by todays ATs.
I am happy to say that I recently placed an order for the ī11 GTI in Black with MT and RNS510, LEDtails etc =) A few more months of waiting and Iīll be introducing my GTI to yīall =)
Thanks for reading
This is my first post to this forum, but I must admit I am have been a lurker here. I thought Iīd share my experience with this awesome car. Bare in mind that I am Finnish, so my english might be a bit sloppy.
It all started with a phone call to the nearest VW dealer. Booked a test drive, but since there were under 5 of these in Finland at the time, it took 3 weeks for the "press car" to be available.
When I finally got the keys to this car, I was super excited. I hopped in the car started it. It sounded great. The greatness faded as I pulled out of the parking lot. I noticed the same sluggish progression in low speed with the DSG (exactly like in my current Golf). As I made my way to the main road, everything changed. I put the pedal down and for a good moment nothing happened. This fraction of a second seemed longer than it actually was. Then at 5K we were off. The R had woken. The acceleration was amazing and I could not help but smile. The brakes were excellent, steering was precise and you could really feel the immense amount of grip.
I pulled over to take a few shots
The R car felt very well stable and refined. The interior was pleasing and I absolutely LOVED the GT-steering wheel,but the blue needles were a bit too ricy imho.
The dealer also had a White R on the showroom floor. Heres a quick shot of that (There arenīt too many Rīs in white)
The Golf R is similar to a theme park. Itīs thrilling, but after youīve had enough of thrills, you still have the aspects of a fast ride. I wouldnīt say its a hardcore track car, but the engine sounds and the exhaust note can be heard at all times. I can imagine getting a bit tired of the sounds during long drives. This kind of defeats the purpose of a Golf. To me, the Golf is something you use everyday and is A) Practical, B) Versatile and performance is always welcome. The GTI might be underpowered compared to the R, but it is more adaptive to different kinds purposes and the fuel consumption is much lower in the GTI. Donīt get me wrong, the Golf R is a fun car, but I personally wouldnīt like to drive it every single day, since I do a lot of driving. If it was cheap enough to keep as a weekend car, then why not. But the price is ridicilous in my county (starting at 58keur, which is 79,076 USD!)
One last pic =)
I drove the new GTI aswell for comparison. It felt extremely refined as well and I think the interior colors are much nicer than that of the R. I got a chance to drive the R for the 2nd time after driving the GTI, and it just didnīt give me the real experience of driving. The GTI was MT, which for me is what makes driving these hothatches so enjoyable. The feeling of being fully in control of every shift is something that can not be imitated by todays ATs.
I am happy to say that I recently placed an order for the ī11 GTI in Black with MT and RNS510, LEDtails etc =) A few more months of waiting and Iīll be introducing my GTI to yīall =)
Thanks for reading
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