[TSM330i]

Originally Posted by TRBOBMR

I really don't get hatchbacks or the people that dig them.

Own one and you'll see how usable they are. I'll fit WAY more stuff in my lowly 2000 VW Golf GL than you'll ever fit in your 335.

[blue2fire]

The GTi is a bargain, this certainly wont be.

[ptack]

Originally Posted by TRBOBMR

I really don't get hatchbacks or the people that dig them.

They're great if you can only afford one reasonably priced car. As soon as you can have 2 cars - like most households in the US - you can get more specialized vehicles.

[rubber_ducky]

Originally Posted by TRBOBMR

I really don't get hatchbacks or the people that dig them.

What don't you "get" about hatchbacks? They're really not that difficult to understand.

[gonzo]

Originally Posted by TRBOBMR

I really don't get hatchbacks or the people that dig them.

So do you get real dizzy when you see a wagon and black out when you see a motorhome?

[Das Ein]

Originally Posted by blue2fire

The GTi is a bargain, this certainly wont be.

The R will only be about 4k more than a similar GTI...


Own an R, and you will see what a bargain it really is.

[Silver-Bolt]

Originally Posted by Das Ein

The R will only be about 4k more than a similar GTI...


Own an R, and you will see what a bargain it really is.

Just sold an R and have to disagree. The interior is nice but squeaked and rattled like crazy. The DSG trans is a joke compared to the BMW DCT. Fit and finish is better than some and worse than others. Performance was a yawn fest. The AWD system is primarily FWD until it detects slip then moves power to the rear. Fuel mileage around town averaged 14mpg and 23mpg hwy. At 75mph cruise it was turning 3800 rpm. It weighed 3600 lbs. Have to admit that the VR6 does sound very good.

Hopefully going with the 2.0T they can address the short comings.

[GreenThree]

Originally Posted by blue2fire

The GTi is a bargain, this certainly wont be.

This

Base GTI starts at $24K. We can only speculate about R pricing. If the R does in fact start at $34K, that is about the price of a base 328. Still, this is big news. The GTI is a fun car to drive, and has an excellent value proposition. We will see if the R follows suit. I definately plan to check out the R when it arrives in NA.

[blue2fire]

Originally Posted by Das Ein

The R will only be about 4k more than a similar GTI...


Own an R, and you will see what a bargain it really is.

I dont own an R32 but the base price of the last one was $33,000. At that price, it was playing a bit above it's league in the performance car tables, even BMW had offered a 128 for less.

The only drawback is not having DCT, but that does not make a car.

[footie]

Originally Posted by Silver-Bolt

Just sold an R and have to disagree. The interior is nice but squeaked and rattled like crazy. The DSG trans is a joke compared to the BMW DCT. Fit and finish is better than some and worse than others. Performance was a yawn fest. The AWD system is primarily FWD until it detects slip then moves power to the rear. Fuel mileage around town averaged 14mpg and 23mpg hwy. At 75mph cruise it was turning 3800 rpm. It weighed 3600 lbs. Have to admit that the VR6 does sound very good.

Hopefully going with the 2.0T they can address the short comings.

Interior squeaks and rattles
Having had a Mk5 GTI and switched to the Mk6 GTI I can confirm the fit and finish is first rate, as good as Audi in my opinion which puts it ahead of the 1er.

Performance was a yawn fest
The new Mk6 Golf R laps the ring in 8:23, just 1 second slower than the E46 M3 from 78hp less and weighing more. Accelerate both 100km/h and 200km/h in 5.2s and 22.7s respectively, times which put it on par with a Subaru Impreza WRX STI 2.5L and ahead of the likes of the BMW 130i.

Fuel mileage
Town driving - 23.9mpg (UK gallons)
Motorway - 42.2mpg (steady 56mph)
Combined - 33.2mpg
CO2 - 195~199g/km

I think the above comments should address your worries about the new and greatly improved Mk6 GOLF R.

Only one remark puzzled me, I have owned both, the wife's Mk5 GTI was DSG (new one is manual), I owned a DCT M3 and now own a S4 DSG. What did you find better with the BMW DCT compared to the DSG?

[Silver-Bolt]

Originally Posted by footie

Interior squeaks and rattles
Having had a Mk5 GTI and switched to the Mk6 GTI I can confirm the fit and finish is first rate, as good as Audi in my opinion which puts it ahead of the 1er.

Performance was a yawn fest
The new Mk6 Golf R laps the ring in 8:23, just 1 second slower than the E46 M3 from 78hp less and weighing more. Accelerate both 100km/h and 200km/h in 5.2s and 22.7s respectively, times which put it on par with a Subaru Impreza WRX STI 2.5L and ahead of the likes of the BMW 130i.

Fuel mileage
Town driving - 23.9mpg (UK gallons)
Motorway - 42.2mpg (steady 56mph)
Combined - 33.2mpg
CO2 - 195~199g/km

I think the above comments should address your worries about the new and greatly improved Mk6 GOLF R.

Only one remark puzzled me, I have owned both, the wife's Mk5 GTI was DSG (new one is manual), I owned a DCT M3 and now own a S4 DSG. What did you find better with the BMW DCT compared to the DSG?

Sounds like the covered to big issues. Sounds like a far better car than the MK5 was. The DSG was slow to shift (compared to the DCT in our Z4), not smooth from a stop, and needed a 7th gear desparately (with the VR6). The DCT feels much more refined. Very smooth from a stop (manual mode) and much faster shifting. Night and day difference for us between the DSG & DCT.

[footie]

Originally Posted by Silver-Bolt

Sounds like the covered to big issues. Sounds like a far better car than the MK5 was. The DSG was slow to shift (compared to the DCT in our Z4), not smooth from a stop, and needed a 7th gear desparately (with the VR6). The DCT feels much more refined. Very smooth from a stop (manual mode) and much faster shifting. Night and day difference for us between the DSG & DCT.

I always find that no matter the number of gears are in the gearbox I always looking for another gear so I know what you mean. My S4 has a 7sp DSG and it's an improvement over the old DSG of the Golf, though I never felt the Golf wasn't smooth, might have been the fact the GTI was only fwd and not awd like the R32 you had. The DCT felt quicker you say, are you not meaning the reaction from the point you flick the paddle till the time the gear made the switch, the process of the shifting of gears is roughly identical between the two and certainly not something you should be able to notice.

[Silver-Bolt]

Gear change time is very noticable. In sport mode on the DSG there was a slight delay in the gear change. On the Dct it is instantanious. Have not driven a GTI so I can't comment on how the DSG in those feel. The R32 was the Mrs daily driver. On paper it was the perfect car for her needs and wants. The reality was disappointing. Sounds like they have addressed the big issues with the MK6. After an STi it is tough to find a better AWD system. The VW Allmotion just doesn't measure up. Now if Subaru would bring up their interior to VW's level that would be a nice ride.

[Raine]

Man, if they could combine Subaru AWD + BMW engine/transmission/suspension + Audi styling/interior, you'd have the ultimate DD =)

[hangover]

Luv it !

[footie]

Originally Posted by Silver-Bolt

Gear change time is very noticable. In sport mode on the DSG there was a slight delay in the gear change. On the Dct it is instantaneous.

Again I think you are referring to the delay between flicking the paddle and the time it take the electronics make the gearbox start shift process and not the actual process of the shifting gear itself which is all but identical between all Dual Clutch Transmissions.

[Silver-Bolt]

Originally Posted by footie

Again I think you are referring to the delay between flicking the paddle and the time it take the electronics make the gearbox start shift process and not the actual process of the shifting gear itself which is all but identical between all Dual Clutch Transmissions.

A delay is a delay. Pull the paddle for a change and there is a noticably longer delay for the next gear than the DCT.

[footie]

Originally Posted by Silver-Bolt

A delay is a delay. Pull the paddle for a change and there is a noticably longer delay for the next gear than the DCT.

At least we are in agreement as to what the delay was. Yes you are right that there was a delay on pulling the paddle, I noticed it on the wife's GTI, but it was also there in the M3 I had if you weren't in S4/5/6 and on full throttle at near the redline. Maybe they improved things for the Z4 DCT and probably the latter software updates on the M3 cured it too.