Golf R for a day: dealer loaner....

[gtiargyle]

Background: I have a 2011 GTI DSG w/ stage II APR, APR IC, VWR suspension & 19lb Nuespeed wheesl w/ PS2 tires. I was invited by an area VW dealer to borrow & spanking new Golf R for a day & logged 200 miles on it. The driving route included hilly remote backroads w/ both tight & wide radiused high speed sweepers. A combo of city driving w/ 80% backroads.

I loved the solid all wheel drive feel, the shear mass of the car (extra 300 lbs) and found the interior fit & finish made the R best Audi in overall German sport sedan ambience. It was charming in spades w/ the deep K04 soundtrack making it an addictive experience. On the open road & highway the powerband & close gearing made it too much work (slamming from 6th to 4th to pass) and the turbo lag is simple too much to live with. At the end of a very very spirited drive on roads I know well the Golf R was less capable than my GTi and a slouch in terms of nailing the turns at anything less than 15% slower entry speeds. The R was in every sense less a drivers car, less responsive and dare I say less "fun" in a reckless teenage sense of driving fun.

My question: What can one do to the R (APR stuff I guess) to shake off the lethargic, massive, less than interesting aspects of this car which on paper at least SHOULD be a great ride ? I ask because I am contemplating going further down the APR road w/ my GTI which seems at this point to the a very good platform OR maybe wait for the MK7's to come along.

I so wanted a R and even my wife (we are old school car loving folks w/ decades of track & street driving between us) felt the R was "an old persons car". Pretty funny from a 60 year old chick w/ a tricked out 2014 John Coopers Works Mini S & a 911. Thanks & no offense meant. Mark

 

[EvoKnvl]

The R still dives like a pig when pushed. I would say that a RSB would make a significant difference there. And if you really want the Rear to kick in sooner, a Haldex controller would help keeping more balanced. The stock tires suck, and an upgrade to PSS would make a significant difference as well.

In terms of power, any tune should help the midrange significantly. Preferably with an upgraded HPFP.

I would say take a Stage 1+ with some sticky tires for a spin and let us know what you think...

 

[maxtdi]

Um... not sure what to add here. The R isn't that much heavier than a comparable GTI (4 door autobahn). And stock for stock yes it will handle about the same. Given your mods you clearly upgraded the handling on your car so it isn't exactly fair comparing it to a stock R.

 

[Bozz]

Background:

What max said, R needs a tune, to even be compared to a 2+ GTI. I'm not sure if you are serious or not with your post.

 

[GPM]

I too had an APR Stage 2 GTI and my new Golf R's performance was underwhelming.

Now, at Stage 2 with the R the memories of the GTI have faded significantly. Just added an upgrade to the Haldex controller and a Diesel Geek shifter.

Bottom line is the R responds at least as well if not better to the same upgrades as the GTI, but of course since you're starting with more power you end up with more power.

And FWIW, I too have a 60 year old wife with a Mini. Small world.

 

[jp0319]

It's not a fair comparison of a Stage II DSG GTI to a stock R. I came from a 2011 DSG GTI, Stage 2+ to a 2013 Golf R. My GTI was faster and more powerful. But that is not fair to the R. If you tested the R after driving a stock GTI your feelings would be different I am sure. For the most part the same modifications that you did to your GTI are available for the R the one difference is that at stage 2+ on the R you'll be pushing KO4 GTI power and putting it down with AWD vs FWD. The major difference between the two as far as modding are that on the FSI Golf R you'll need to upgrade the HPFP where as you dont need to on the TSI GTI.

It was not fun dropping power coming from my GTI but I knew that when it was all said and done the R would be a better, faster, more fun car than the GTI. At stage 2 in your GTI your pretty much at the limit of what power you will get from it without several thousand dollars in turbo upgrade, if you had an R the same stage would have over 300 awhp, your GTI at stage 2 cant get anywhere near that.

JP

 

[AF-MKVI]

To the OP, wait for the MK7 R, seems like its going to be a bit more to look forward to than the 6 R....especially with DSG, launch control, less weight, more power, and factory defeatable stability control...if we don't get screwed again.

 

[jp0319]

To the OP, wait for the MK7 R, seems like its going to be a bit more to look forward to than the 6 R....especially with DSG, launch control, less weight, more power, and factory defeatable stability control...if we don't get screwed again.

But its butt ugly :yikes: compared to the MKVI R, IMHO.

 

[thedude4bides]

My stage 1 GTI was lighter and more nimble than a stock R.



/coolstorybra

 

[smrtypants44]

Doesn't the tsi have a different torque band than the fsi? I wonder if that could account for some of the drivability differences.

 

[SoNgMaN]

my R, stock tune 3" downpipe (made 250/250 on the dyno, 240/260 when stock) more or less keeps pace with a mk5 TSI stg2 unitronic car, he gains at shift points but that is understandable.

I haven't gotten my TUV approved tuning box yet but I'm sure I'll start to time travel with it

 

[kefka888]

I'm pretty sure it's as Max said, you are comparing a car with suspension mods, summer tires, and performance mods to a stock car with all season tires that are known to be pretty bad. This essentially negated many of the advantages the R has over the stock GTI. My experience was completely different from yours which explains why I currently own the R :drool:. Also at stg ii or higher in the R you are going to be running over 350+ WHP that you can actually put to the ground compared to the 247 WHP of the stg 2 gti.

 

[thedude4bides]

my R, stock tune 3" downpipe (made 250/250 on the dyno, 240/260 when stock) more or less keeps pace with a mk5 TSI stg2 unitronic car, he gains at shift points but that is understandable.

I haven't gotten my TUV approved tuning box yet but I'm sure I'll start to time travel with it

What the hell are you waiting for? Certify dat shit homie!

 

[lon888]

Not so great driving dynamics and a VERY expensive price is what really hurt R-model sales. I remember all of the fanbois claiming that all 5000 R's would be sold before they were even loaded on the boats. $36K is a boat load of money for a car that's only marginally better than a GTI (in some ways). For the same money, and in some instances for less, you could find a much more enjoyable car for $36K. Many dealers still have new R's on the lot - my local dealer has at least one.

 

[Bozz]

My stage 1 GTI was lighter and more nimble than a stock R.

Yeah, by far. I think the OP was doing a hit-and-run.