VW GTI or Golf R for daily?

[Andyh1]

I'm looking into getting me a new daily driver. My lease on my Infiniti Q50 is done early summer. I don't want to lease another car, will purchase.

I looked at the new Lexus UX, not a bad commuter but the Golf GTI takes the fun factor to a different level.

I will put maybe 13K/year or about 50 miles per day(M-F) . Looking at at fun factor, and pretty good fuel economy.
Golf GTI or Golf R?

[gatorfast]

The GTI will get better mileage and be cheaper to acquire plus you could always tune it if you want more power. I would go with the GTI over the R.

[Flacht3]

If the money isn't a factor at all, get the R.

If you value saving $10k, get the GTI.

I love the GTI (considering one as a new daily) but would take the R's power and AWD over the GTI's FWD all day every day. However, I already have my weekend toy (GT3) so would prefer to shave $10k off my price tag, settle for the GTI, and throw that money towards a new watch instead.

[aaaaah]

Originally Posted by gatorfast

The GTI will get better mileage and be cheaper to acquire plus you could always tune it if you want more power. I would go with the GTI over the R.

Not sure if it changed with the MK7.5 but the GTI clutch doesn't take tuning well in the MK7.

[floydarogers]

Originally Posted by Andyh1

...
Looking at at fun factor, and pretty good fuel economy.
Golf GTI or Golf R?

Honda Civic SI, or Type R. Car and Driver likes them better than the Golfs. Styling might be an issue

[AK415]

Originally Posted by aaaaah

Not sure if it changed with the MK7.5 but the GTI clutch doesn't take tuning well in the MK7.

Agree, friend has a 2015 with manual trans, the clutch would slip every once in a while after APE stage 1 tune.

[RM7]

AWD is more usable power, down low you won’t spin tires (or have it cut power) when you mash it.

[BEM-S4]

Leftover 2018 Autobahn GTI can be had for under $30K, you'll be hard pressed to find better performance value than that. 6 year warranty too.

[New2Roundel]

Seeing as you have a Z4M, it sounds like you are looking for something to just tool around town in that's reasonably fun. I would go for the GTI, personally. You can get a mechanical LSD in one of the versions of the car to help keep the FWD antics in check. The only car I've gotten rid of that I have very fond memories of is my old mkV GTI, which was a fantastic car for the time. I don't wish I had it back, but it was a fantastic car for commuting and tooling around. I suspect the mkVII is even better.

If you can wait about a year, the mkVIII GTI will likely be available since the mkVIII golf is going into production this June/July, IIRC.

[Red Bread]

Originally Posted by aaaaah

Not sure if it changed with the MK7.5 but the GTI clutch doesn't take tuning well in the MK7.

Nope, same clutch. But sadly, it's the same as the R too.

I have driven the R twice in the last three years and bought a GTI SE each time. Drive both, you'll almost certainly end up with a GTI.

The clutch is relatively cheap to replace and tons of aftermarket support. The limited slip doesn't come on the R and it can only send 50% of the power to the back under slip and 10% normally. It's not awd like most people think, just a little transfer when there's slip. Not sure why they don't offer the front LSD on it.

APR tunes on either make them reasonably quick and there's a low torque setup for manual cars with the stock clutch that isn't too hard on them.

And no, C&D does not like the Civic more than the GTI, unless they're just talking about an awful interior, a big boat of a car and an eye bleedingly ugly exterior. Suspension tuning and shifter are nicer than the GTI, but it's way too sedate and boring compared to the already pretty buttoned down and slightly boring GTI.

I know they like the CTR, but it's a tough look to sell adults, both inside and out. Two colors of seats? Who does that?

[TSM330i]

I've had a 2015 GTI since new and have gone through the a ton of iterations with this car as I typically never leave a car stock.

Stock: It was a very nice car. Still lots of fun with the "safe" understeer that you find in most cars of today. Family fits in it no problem and plenty of space to carry things (hatchback and seats folded make for a very large area). Power is decent and fuel mileage is very good.

Stage 1 APR tune: Had this on for over 1 year without any clutch slipping issues at all. I remembered to not lug the engine in higher gears even though the car would pull like a freight train or a diesel from just off idle. I had the high-torque tune. It definitely woke the car up!

Stage 2+ IS38 Turbo: This is as far as I'll ever go with the car. It makes close to 400HP and a little over 400TQ, in a package that literally weighs right at 3,000lbs. This car runs VERY well. I had done a Peloquin mechanical LSD along with a clutch upgrade at the same time (shop charged me 15 minutes for the clutch change because the trans was out for the LSD install).

You can see in my sig the rest of my mods. It is a back road burner that is very nimble and a ton of fun. With the suspension upgrades the car sticks like glue and doesn't understeer at all unless you mash the throttle (it's where I spend most of my time researching and upgrading since it's the most important to me).

Regardless of what you do or don't do to the car, the GTI would be the way to go for sure. Drive one and you'll see.

[Andyh1]

Originally Posted by floydarogers

Honda Civic SI, or Type R. Car and Driver likes them better than the Golfs. Styling might be an issue

Man, I cant get over the styling of the SI. Otherwise, I'd have that car at the top of my list for a DD.

[Andyh1]

Originally Posted by BEM-S4

Leftover 2018 Autobahn GTI can be had for under $30K, you'll be hard pressed to find better performance value than that. 6 year warranty too.

This is definitely a route that I will explore... a 2018 Golf R is also at a great value.

[Red Bread]

Originally Posted by Andyh1

Man, I cant get over the styling of the SI. Otherwise, I'd have that car at the top of my list for a DD.

1.5L can only do so much. It's easy to catch that car off boost and then it's just a dog. I really wish they'd do a CTR with a normal body and not all the red fluff.

[Andyh1]

Originally Posted by New2Roundel

Seeing as you have a Z4M, it sounds like you are looking for something to just tool around town in that's reasonably fun. I would go for the GTI, personally. You can get a mechanical LSD in one of the versions of the car to help keep the FWD antics in check. The only car I've gotten rid of that I have very fond memories of is my old mkV GTI, which was a fantastic car for the time. I don't wish I had it back, but it was a fantastic car for commuting and tooling around. I suspect the mkVII is even better.

If you can wait about a year, the mkVIII GTI will likely be available since the mkVIII golf is going into production this June/July, IIRC.

Yup, exactly. My Z4M is for weekends only ... I need a daily car for work and just tool around. Now, one the reasons why I am hard looking into the MK7.5 is because it is the last model year of this run and I do feel that the engine and tranny has been polished to almost perfection for what it is, which should get me good overall reliability out of this hot hatch. Unfortunately I cannot wait another year, I need to swap vehicles very soon.

[BEM-S4]

Originally Posted by Andyh1

This is definitely a route that I will explore... a 2018 Golf R is also at a great value.

If you can find a 2017 Sport that's also a nice one, similar to rabbit. Plaid seats, good bits from the R, etc. Still a few new ones floating around, obvs more options if you'd look used.

[m3bs]

I went from a Mk6 GTI to a Mk7 R. For me the extra traction was worth the premium, and when you look at resale value, the R may even come out ahead on the value side. The R can’t match the fuel economy of the GTI, however. The GTI also comes with a spare tire, while the US spec R does not.

I have a friend with a tuned GTI with the Performance Package which includes the larger brakes and the LSD. Where my car just launches from a stop, the GTI just spins the front wheels. At highway speeds it’s pretty close. For a daily driver either one is a great choice.

[Red Bread]

Originally Posted by m3bs

I went from a Mk6 GTI to a Mk7 R. For me the extra traction was worth the premium, and when you look at resale value, the R may even come out ahead on the value side. The R can't match the fuel economy of the GTI, however. The GTI also comes with a spare tire, while the US spec R does not.

I have a friend with a tuned GTI with the Performance Package which includes the larger brakes and the LSD. Where my car just launches from a stop, the GTI just spins the front wheels. At highway speeds it's pretty close. For a daily driver either one is a great choice.

How much of the launch issue is just tire? Stock GTI A/S are laughable. But with APR and summer tires, I get no spin unless I'm just doing it wrong.

However very good point on resale. I put tons of miles on my cars, but if I didn't, the R's rock solid resale would have been a higher factor.

[Red Bread]

Originally Posted by BEM-S4

If you can find a 2017 Sport that's also a nice one, similar to rabbit. Plaid seats, good bits from the R, etc. Still a few new ones floating around, obvs more options if you'd look used.

2017's and earlier have also taken a huge hit because 18 and newer have double the warranty. You may very well find a good deal on one if warranty isn't important. I like my 18 SE, cloth, sunroof and all the safety nannies. My 17 had stupid pleather, don't miss that at all.

[milk242]

I have a 2016 GTI and hands down is one of the best daily drivers I have owned. I laugh my ass off when I'm peeling out in my FWD car. If I need more fun then I'll put a tune on it but the original intent of the car was this would be the car to drive to work when it looks like it's going to hail so I won't spend too much money on it.

[m3bs]

Originally Posted by Red Bread

How much of the launch issue is just tire? Stock GTI A/S are laughable. But with APR and summer tires, I get no spin unless I'm just doing it wrong

The GTI I drove had a fairly new set of Michelin Supersports. It was running a JB1 tuner.

I also managed to overheat the Haldex on my R on a very hot day at Atlanta Motorsports Park, which puts it in FWD mode. Made it a lot harder to put power down coming off low speed corners.

When I bought mine I had in mind that it would be my “backup” track car, so I wanted all the performance I could get out of it. It has made trips to AMP, Roebling Road, and even Road Atlanta with no issues other than burning through tires and brakes. The Haldex issue never happened again.

For a daily driver, picking up a lightly used GTI with the PP is a bargain.

[c1pher]

It’s funny you are in a similar situation I was. I was looking for something a little more versatile than my 135is, yet just as sporty, and my brother loves his Audi S3. However I was thinking Golf R for a little more room. It’s a nice car and I like the AWD. With that said, I found a good deal on a Macan Turbo and got that instead. I love it very much and it’s a head and shoulders upgrade over the Golf R. I’m glad I got it instead despite the price difference.