Motoring-Malaysia: Guest Post: Owner's Review
Hello folks. Today we have another guest post. Firdaus Asri, owner of the 2010 Volkswagen Golf R Mk6 we reviewed and posted earlier has decided to do an owner's review on his new baby. Or Baby Elephant as he calls it. In the very passionate and technical review, you will find that he is very much in love with his new car, from the performance aspect as well as its flaws and all. It is one really detailed review too. If you wanted to know how much he has spent over the last few months since getting his Golf R do read on. The graph he prepared is an eye opener. People who know me have been fully aware that I have been trying to offload my then VW 9N3 Polo GTI 1.8T for the longest possible time. It is not that the car isn鈥檛 any good or problematic, far from it really. But there is a time in later part of life that I need to grow up and move on to a matured car but can still be fast when I need it be.
For the past 7 years, there have been couple of nibbles but nothing has actually bit until recently. Where suddenly, a gentleman transferred RM57k into my bank account. In return he got himself pretty much the most looked after 9N3 Polo GTI in the country together with plenty of unused aftermarket parts as spares. This is when I kick started my hunt for a replacement, driving and owning one plus a series of miscalculations. My requirements are pretty much simple and clear. I wanted a car that is refined, practical and would also offer classless image as well as performance at a certain price I won鈥檛 need to be a slave to keep it running. So the answer was obvious, Audi B7 RS4 Audi RS3 VW, a reconditioned 2010 VW Mk6 Golf R in rising blue from the country of rising sun Japan at seemingly paltry sum of RM175k. It is without hindsight of a doubt that the Mk6 Golf is the most boring looking thing among the Golf generations.
But the blacked 18鈥?Talladegas, the front grille, the LED tail lamps and most importantly the rising blue paint wrap make it unexpectedly likeable, handsome and charming. In essence the appearance is conservatively more 鈥渞estrained鈥?than the GTI. It is so restrained that there have been several occasions that I鈥檝e got pat at the back saying 鈥淐antik la abang punya Golf Tsi鈥︹€? Not that I mind really because when I saw it for the first time, the want and the need was so bad that I don鈥檛 bother to look at any other car. Fools rush in, they say. Prior signing the dotted line, the car had been sent to my regular place for a thorough checkup. Apart from radiator coolant leaks, it passed all tests with flying colors. This was after all a 5 year old car. So to avoid any surprises, I sent it back again for major ticket items to be replaced or replenished right after taking delivery.
That鈥檚 where a series of miscalculations begin to sink in. I鈥檓 embarrassed to admit that the running cost of this 6R is a far cry from my trusty old Polo GTI. For 1 陆 months, the car service and repair bills came close to RM12k. And this, according to its specification, is a 'poverty' spec Golf R. This means it doesn鈥檛 comes with the very nice optional Recaro bucket seats with integrated headrests, Dynaudio speakers, sunroof, reverse camera and not even a reverse sensor. Yet for some reason, the previous owner did spent extra money on ACC (Adaptive Chassis Control) and the RNS510 infotainment system add-on options. The interior is almost a carbon copy of the Mk6 GTI that brings nothing ostentatious as only little touches and badges leave you with no doubt that this is not a run-of-the-mill Golf. It is a step up from the Polo GTI with its soft touch surfaces, excellent driving position, excellent ergonomics and excellent instrument layout.
It is a really nice place to be in and I can imagine myself driving this on long journeys with very minimal backache and can still be quite fresh as when I started the journey. Something that can鈥檛 be matched by its rivals: Renault Megane 265 Cup, Ver10 Subaru WRX STI and the Honda FD2R. All of which I've had a go in sometime back. And like any VW here today, it goes the extra mile when it comes to giving you something that you don鈥檛 expect or want from an almost premium price car. Everyday and at every time I am drive the Golf 6R I can hear at least two or three different types of squeaks, rattles and buzzes from practically everywhere. Hell, my wife鈥檚 2006 Proton Satria is quieter than this at less than 1/10 of the price. And speaking about Proton, they can truly learn something here.
