Got my Stage 2+ updated tune yesterday along with a USP short-shift kit.
I feel like I have a new car! At the risk of sounding redundant, yes this tune is far better than the old one. Anyone on the fence about it should just dive in. Boost/torque is far more progressive and linear, and can be modulated much better with the throttle pedal. You no longer have that 'rubber-banding' of power. With the told tune, i found myself pushing the pedal in/out/in to achieve the acceleration i wanted without the car bucking... As others have said, first gear used to be sort of all or nothing.
Of course the quick rush of torque on the old tune was great for low-end grunt, but after a split-second the boost would die, only to ramp up again quite steeply. It was a positively bizarre and wholly undesirable power curve that caused vastly uneven rates of accel throught the rev range.
I can freely admit it now but I was never satisfied with my old tune, and as a result my Golf R driving experience in general. This is not just fluff, because after 15 months of owning my 2011 Stage I GTI, which I loved, I racked up 18k miles. After 15 months of owning my 2012 Stage II+ Golf R, I had only driven 12k miles. It was simply not as enjoyable, with a finicky power delivery. Another thing to consider with the issue of the on/off switch power delivery is the noise. My car would transition from mild to LOUD over just 500RPM and it gave the audible effect that I was just flooring it randomly and constantly. My passengers, and passers-by would definitely notice. This when I might have only increased throttle from 20% to 40%.... but the swell in boost would just shove the whole drivetrain and the exhaust would bellow... and it just seemed silly to me.
The only thing one might miss with the new tune is the ability to pass/accel without a downshift because the torque curve has been smoothed and no longer has that quick spike. But the simple fact that torque fell off so quickly in the 'surge zone' makes it undesirable to me.
After only 15 hours with the revised tune I am 150% happier. The driving experience is far more desirable and enjoyable. I literally feel like I have a new drivetrain. And with the shift kit on top, I feel like it is a new car.
DO IT. DO IT. DO IT. DO IT. DO IT. DO IT. DO IT. DO IT. DO IT. DO IT. DO IT. DO IT. DO IT. DO IT.