VW Golf GTI Vs Golf R
IF YOU want a hot hatchback that doesn鈥檛 make you look like a hooligan then, for close on 40 years, your number one choice has been the Volkswagen Golf GTI. The current version sticks to the successful formula that has sold almost 2m models: stylish and subtle, but with fire under its bonnet. This time, however, the GTI faces its biggest rival yet; one that also wears the Volkswagen badge, is just as low-key looking but even quicker - and is also called a Golf. Starting at 拢29,900, the Golf R is 拢3,770 more than the 拢26,130 GTI (or 拢45 a month on an average finance deal). The additional outlay buys an extra 79bhp and a four-wheel drive system. The last Golf R commanded a bigger premium and delivered a more modest performance increase. The question is: is it worth paying 14% more money for 37% more power? Does the R replace the GTi as the understated hot hatch of choice? It鈥檚 time to start those engines. It doesn鈥檛 take long to see why the current GTI is so highly rated. Rev the engine and the exhaust rasps, the wheels scrabble for grip 鈥?and you rocket up the road.
Take a sharp bend and the Golf just grips and grips. If you pay Volkswagen an extra 拢995 for what it calls the Performance pack, it will endow the GTI with an additional 10bhp and variable suspension. It鈥檒l also throw in a limited-slip differential, which comes into play when you鈥檙e really pushing on or when you take the car onto a track. It works by feeding more power to the outside wheel, to maintain the car鈥檚 line in a corner, even at high speeds. The Golf R鈥檚 performance doesn鈥檛 feel as great a leap over the base GTI as you might expect, in the corners at least. The four-wheel drive system makes the car seem a little more stable but not by much. Put your foot down as you exit the turn though, and the extra 79bhp thumps you back in your seat. Unlike the GTI, there鈥檚 no wheelspin, since the power is shared by all four wheels. The Golf R鈥檚 performance doesn鈥檛 feel as great a leap over the base GTI as you might expect, in the corners at least.
Fitted with the automatic DSG gearbox, the Golf R will go from 0-62mph in 4.9sec, compared with 6.5sec in the GTI. B-roads just go by in a blur and a howling soundtrack. Where the GTI is quick, its more powerful sibling feels like a missile. But apart from the acceleration, the driving sensation is similar in both cars. The stiff body shell, surefooted cornering, electronic power steering and turbocharged engines mean that the driver doesn鈥檛 feel particularly connected with the experience. It鈥檚 like both Golfs started out as a computer game and were made into real cars. They are still fun to drive, but in a digital way. Little separates the cars in day-to-day driving, whether in town or on the motorway. Both are available with three or five doors and have individual styling tweaks. The GTI has a red stripe across the grille and strakes on the two front corners. The R is more dramatic at the rear, with four exhausts and heavily smoked lights. Unsurprisingly, both cars are a little louder and have a firmer ride than the standard Golf, but not unbearably so.
More irritating is that both appear to have been tuned to deliver good fuel economy, even though few owners are likely to achieve it. At 30mph, the Golf R nags you to change up to fifth gear. Comply and you might get closer to the claimed fuel economy of around 40mpg, but you might as well be driving a ride-on lawnmower, so lethargic is the acceleration response. At least the driving experience stops you looking around the cabin and wondering where your 拢30,000 has gone. Certainly not on leather seats, a 拢1,700 option. That鈥檒l be 拢750. And if you want the car in any colour other than black or red (just red for the R), then you鈥檒l also have to pay a premium. Were the Golf R a stripped-out sports car with a focus on saving weight, you could understand VW鈥檚 lack of generosity. It all points towards the GTI being the best option. The R is the sharper car but unless you鈥檙e going to regularly use its explosive performance, it is too expensive and too thirsty to trump the GTI, even if you choose to pay more for that car鈥檚 worthwhile Performance pack. For most people, the GTI is zippy enough. It will push you back into your seat as you accelerate, it will cling on through corners, and it will look the part. It may have a bigger, heftier brother but the GTI is still the Golf to beat.
So, what do we think? The changes come against a backdrop of falling demand for manual transmissions and increasing demand for five-door practicality. So in essence, the changes are what the people are asking for. Change is scary but, as ever, there is a lot to like about this iconic German hot hatch. How much is the 2019 Volkswagen Golf GTI? Editorial prices shown are a "price guide" only, based on information provided to us by the manufacturer. Pricing current at the time of writing editorial. Pricing prior to editorial dated 25 May 2009 may refer to RRP. Due to Clarity on Pricing legislation, RRP for those editorials now means "price guide". When purchasing a car, always confirm the single figure price with the seller of an actual vehicle. If the price does not contain the notation that it is "Drive Away No More to Pay", the price may not include additional costs, such as stamp duty and other government charges. Please confirm price and features with the seller of the vehicle.
