Who owns a Golf GTD / GTI / R?

silvagti · 3 Mar 2021 at 09:12

SDK^ said:
The new Golf R is pricey - from £39.2k
That’s £1.5k more than a BMW 135, about £800 more than an Audi S3 and £2k above the Mercedes A35. VW aiming high with this one.

Yeah, I agree. Very bold of them to price the Golf higher than their Audi,Mercedes and BMW equivalents. Interestingly though despite the mild 20bhp power hike on paper most reviews seem to suggest the performance of the VW is much stronger than the competitors. Or possibly the upgraded 4WD system and vehicle management controller are much better at getting the most from the drivetrain than those their competitors are using.

Does anyone know if the new Audi S3 is using the same 4WD system as the MK8 Golf R ? I know the MK8 has a Haldex system but most reviews seem to imply is been upgraded from the mk7 to allow more power to be sent to each wheel on demand. I wondered if Audi also used this system or whether they were still using the MK7.5 4WD tech.

That could explain why the Golf is more expensive if the engine and 4WD systems are based on newer more advanced hardware because it does seem odd!

EdGey · 5 Mar 2021 at 11:49

Picked this up on Tuesday, very happy with it so far. 67 Plate Mk 7.5 GTD, Silver-white with 18k miles on it.

Loving the spec. Adaptive cruise makes all the difference for the long journeys I do these days.

As usual it was a toss up between this and the GTI. I've been quite surprised by the sporty nature of the GTD though... I needn't have worried. It's plenty quick enough and composed enough to have a good deal of fun with in the countryside.

I'll have to get some better photos when the weather clears up.

Gilbert89 · 5 Mar 2021 at 11:57

EdGey said:
Picked this up on Tuesday, very happy with it so far. 67 Plate Mk 7.5 GTD, Silver-white with 18k miles on it.

Loving the spec. Adaptive cruise makes all the difference for the long journeys I do these days.

As usual it was a toss up between this and the GTI. I've been quite surprised by the sporty nature of the GTD though... I needn't have worried. It's plenty quick enough and composed enough to have a good deal of fun with in the countryside.

I'll have to get some better photos when the weather clears up.

Nice! Looks great is White Silver, did you opt for Manual or DSG? May I ask how much you paid? (Feel free to trust if so) I ask as I have a deposit down and should be collecting one tomorrow... a 2017 with 17,000 miles in Indium Grey but it has 19 Brescia's on (I wanted the Seville's) as 19's only positive is looks, everything else suffers.

Housey · 5 Mar 2021 at 12:49

Golf R looks proper quick this time around.

Cheap lease special incoming me thinks.

[TW]Fox · 5 Mar 2021 at 12:57

Fusion said:
I predict that list price will be relevant to about two people.

It's relevant to everyone as it means anyone adding more than £800 of options gets hit with the mega VED band. Expect to see a lot of base spec cars around as a result. You need to be really desperate for bigger wheels to pay an extra £320 a year in tax for them.

You'd have thought the 40k tax thing would put an end to ridiculous list prices and cars being sold at 20% off list but apparently not.

SDK^ · 5 Mar 2021 at 13:06

[TW]Fox said:
It's relevant to everyone as it means anyone adding more than £800 of options gets hit with the mega VED band. Expect to see a lot of base spec cars around as a result. You need to be really desperate for bigger wheels to pay an extra £320 a year in tax for them.

You'd have thought the 40k tax thing would put an end to ridiculous list prices and cars being sold at 20% off list but apparently not.

Yeah - it's interesting that all of the press reviews I've seen have been running the standard size wheels and very few options. Usually manufacturers load press cars with the larger option wheels and other option packs, but not this time.

silvagti · 5 Mar 2021 at 13:07

[TW]Fox said:
It's relevant to everyone as it means anyone adding more than £800 of options gets hit with the mega VED band. Expect to see a lot of base spec cars around as a result. You need to be really desperate for bigger wheels to pay an extra £320 a year in tax for them.

You'd have thought the 40k tax thing would put an end to ridiculous list prices and cars being sold at 20% off list but apparently not.

The really annoying thing is because of the ~£39.5k list price speccing just about any option, even something trivial like metallic paint (blue/black) if you don't want it in white, will bump you over the £40k lmit and effectively adds another £1625 onto the list price. It frustrates me because I'd happily have the car largely option free (though I would like the DCC) but I REALLY want the Lapiz blue metallic paint so wouldn't have it without that. :mad:

Gilbert89 said:
..... but it has 19 Brescia's on (I wanted the Seville's) as 19's only positive is looks, everything else suffers.

+1 I don't see the obsession with 19" wheels. Way better to stick with 18"s IMO as it improves the ride and they're far less likely to be destroyed if you hit a pothole.

Housey · 5 Mar 2021 at 13:08

Orrible standard R type wheels (to my eyes)

silvagti · 5 Mar 2021 at 13:22

Housey said:
Orrible standard R type wheels (to my eyes)

I think the standard 18"s look better than the optional 19"s (on both the Mk7 and Mk8) but eye of the beholder and all that :cool:

EdGey · 5 Mar 2021 at 18:51

Gilbert89 said:
Nice! Looks great is White Silver, did you opt for Manual or DSG? May I ask how much you paid? (Feel free to trust if so) I ask as I have a deposit down and should be collecting one tomorrow... a 2017 with 17,000 miles in Indium Grey but it has 19 Brescia's on (I wanted the Seville's) as 19's only positive is looks, everything else suffers.

I quite like the 19 Brescias, I'd have settled for either I think they both look great. Best of luck with yours I'm sure you'll love it.

The car is manual and was a smidge under £18k. You'll get a better price than that if you haggle - most of my efforts were towards getting a half-decent price for my old car and extending the warranty for the new one.

Gilbert89 · 7 Mar 2021 at 15:17

EdGey said:
I quite like the 19 Brescias, I'd have settled for either I think they both look great. Best of luck with yours I'm sure you'll love it.

The car is manual and was a smidge under £18k. You'll get a better price than that if you haggle - most of my efforts were towards getting a half-decent price for my old car and extending the warranty for the new one.

I do prefer the look of them but from a comfort and tyre price point of view I would prefer and be happy with the standard 18’s. It does look the absolute business compared to my A3 “Sport”

I took it for a test drive and will be picking it up Monday unless I suddenly change my mind. I was quite surprised how “much” nicer the fit and finish is of my A3 Interior wise although much more dated compared to the Golf infotainment wise despite having Car Play it’s awkward to use without a touchscreen in my option.

Did you notice a rattle/vibration coming from the dash board under harsh acceleration? Higher up in the Revs, because I did but wasn’t sure if something was loose in the car but after a google search it seems quite common, that may drive me round the bend. I also caught my hand on the dash as I went into 3rd a couple of times, seems close to the buttons. Left feeling like I needed a better test drive than a 10 min loop of 2 roads.

Same boat here, think I overpaid for my current car from the same place and there part ex is generous compared to elsewhere which offsets the mark up.

Kenai · 7 Mar 2021 at 15:46

The rattle from the dash might be the Soundaktor, if it is, you can either set the volume to 0% with VCDS/OBDEleven or unplug it from somewhere under the scuttle.

EdGey · 7 Mar 2021 at 18:02

Is it a facelift or pre-facelift? If it's a pre, you may consider the facelift model as the interior was a focus for that.

No buzzing for me fortunately - though I have noticed a small click sound from the interior every 5-10 minutes when going from cold as it warms up, porbably as it expands slightly. Nothing I'd consider annoying though.

If the cars a Mk7.5 (facelift) then I don't believe the soundaktor was an option anymore (according to vw at least).

Gilbert89 · 7 Mar 2021 at 18:19

Kenai said:
The rattle from the dash might be the Soundaktor, if it is, you can either set the volume to 0% with VCDS/OBDEleven or unplug it from somewhere under the scuttle.

I have noticed this appears to be the issue after reading up online, it does seem to engage the rattle when flooring it and Revs climb, almost like hitting “VTEC” in a diesel (sort of speak)

EdGey said:
Is it a facelift or pre-facelift? If it's a pre, you may consider the facelift model as the interior was a focus for that.

No buzzing for me fortunately - though I have noticed a small click sound from the interior every 5-10 minutes when going from cold as it warms up, porbably as it expands slightly. Nothing I'd consider annoying though.

If the cars a Mk7.5 (facelift) then I don't believe the soundaktor was an option anymore (according to vw at least).

This is a MK7.5 - Maybe I was too critical, it is a nice place to be, more modern than the A3 and the Digital Dash / Touchscreen with Apple Car are what makes me want to jump from the A3. I was mainly referring to the plastics/carpets and general fit and finish of interior, can’t put my finger on it but overall a nice place to be.

I believe it does have the actuator as in sport mode you could really notice the sound being pumped through the speakers, perhaps it comes standard rather than an option.

EdGey · 7 Mar 2021 at 18:25

Ah okay. Yeah you can hear a real difference between the modes but I was told that it's just pure speaker trickery on the 7.5 as opposed to a physical element with the mk7. Could be wrong though, it wouldn't be the first time I'd been told nonsense by a dealer

Hopefully they can get the bottom of it for you.

Kenai · 7 Mar 2021 at 18:26

I think the soundaktor would have stayed standard - the 'sport and sound pack' might have been dropped as an option but i think that was an exhaust thing.

EdGey · 7 Mar 2021 at 19:08

Ah that makes more sense then.

silvagti · 7 Mar 2021 at 20:00

I had a fault appear with the soundaktor where it rattled when the car hit a certain Rpm or you pressed harder on the throttle to accelerate which can also trigger the soundaktor to turn on. It was obvious it was the soundaktor at fault as the rattle only occurred at a very specific rev range.

I think they replaced the device but it could just have been loose as it was done under warranty. Been fine since the garage fettled with it at any rate.

Gilbert89 · 8 Mar 2021 at 13:10

Yesterday I collected the car and when time permits will do a little write up along with some pictures, it's a really clean example.

One thing I must mention, to my disappointment... I appear to be having an issue with the Auto Hold function (This did not occur on both test drives) in the sense it sticks on intermittently and the brake pedal turns rock solid therefore I have to manually release or let off the clutch slightly and go again and it will catapult away. I had this exact issue with my A3.

Anyone had this issue and know what was required to solve it? I have warranty etc so wanting to try have this rectified early on, my A3 ended up with a new brake servo for an un-related issue which happened to completely fix this issue.

Suppose there isn't a perfect car and all have there quirks :/

Gilbert89 · 10 Mar 2021 at 16:13

So yesterday the Auto Hold completely stuck on when trying to pull away, the pedal went solid and I had to manually turn it off which resulted in the vehicle reporting "Fault: Electronic Parking Brake / Auto Hold Unavailable" I turned the vehicle off and back on and since then it has worked flawlessly so not filled with confidence but hoping it has recalibrated itself since the vehicle has had wheels on/off etc.

Noticed today the infotainment screen has a vertical line of dead pixels, not happy days! Reported it to the place I bought from and going to be contacted tomorrow to see what can be done regarding that.

My luck is always pants!