Rain or shine, the
Golf R grips like
chewing gum
to a bus seat122 CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | APRIL 2019
and passive dampers (adaptive dampers are an
option on both Golfs but not fitted to either car
here). The R feels the smoothest-riding of the
bunch, with similar composure on uneven roads
to the GTI. Certainly it’s less taxing than the
skateboard-like Megane Cup – or, looked at the
other way around, the R isn’t as alert and nimble
as the Renault.
Like the GTI, the R’s boot is huge (Nathan
and his fiancée recently packed their Golf for
a Scottish camping trip with space to spare),
there’s plenty of room for tall passengers front
and back, and decent visibility from all seats.
This car’s optional leather seats don’t do it for
Horn, preferring the tartan cloth in his GTI, and
his Mk7’s traditional analogue instruments to
the digital dials in the Mk7.5.
Used Golf Rs hang onto their value strongly
but early cars can be found in the high teens and
nearly-new ones in the low 30s. As a rough rule
of thumb, market data suggests a two-year-old
Golf R carries around a £2500 premium over an
equivalent GTI variant.The shortlist
ily look a whole lot more modern than the older
car. In demure black paintwork, this particular
car could – from a distance – almost be a regular
Golf TSI on some shiny aftermarket wheels.
It’s only when you get closer you spot the extra
pair of exhausts and subtle R badging. Which, of
course, is also a strength. If you want something
capable of going extremely quickly without
shouting about it, the R is a perfect Q car.
‘That’s gorgeous to drive,’ says Nathan on his
return from his first run. ‘The power delivery
is so linear, and I can definitely feel the extra
grunt and traction compared with my car. The
steering feels very light, though, especially in
Comfort mode. Going from the BMW to that
feels like you’re driving a cloud...’
The R is as undemanding a performance car
as you’ll find, but its ease doesn’t make it dull. It
can be surprisingly adjustable on- and off-throt-
tle, and its (part synthesised) engine note sounds
as burly as its plentiful torque output. With
uprated cylinder head, valves, turbo and cooling
compared with the GTI, the R’s engine is as flex-
ible as it is muscular, and can pull strongly and
smoothly from a low-rev crawl all the way to the
redline. When an inviting straight beckons and
the R’s throttle pedal finds the carpet, it instantly
pulls a couple of car lengths on the chasing GTI,
despite the 125kg weight difference.
All the cars tested are on 19-inch wheelssmooth-shifting to the Golf ’s DSG, if a little
ponderous when selecting reverse.
The M2 is, like the 1-series, notorious for being
short on rear legroom. It is indeed nowhere near
as practical as the other two but it has a deep, if
shallow, boot, and you can fit flexible adults in
the back seats as long as they’re not too tall. But
given the way it drives, you’re unlikely to be short
of willing passengers.The curveball: VW Golf R
A FASTER, NIMBLER, BEEFIER GTIWait a minute – isn’t this just like the GTI
Nathan’s got already? Not quite – the Golf R is a
level up. It’s a lot more powerful: compared to the
Mk7 GTI’s 217bhp, the R has an extra 79bhp – or,
in the case of this post-2017 facelift R, a further
10bhp on top of that. And, crucially, the rear
wheels come into play, as the R is all-wheel drive.
Nathan’s intrigued to try it to find out how it
compares – and, in particular, whether it’s dif-
ferent enough to be worth making the change.
On the kerb-appeal test it’s not a clear victory for
the R. The GTI’s red pinstriping, broader-spoked
wheels (optional Santiago 19-inch wheels in the
case of Horn’s car) and trademark tartan seats
give it a bigger character than the R. And it says
everything about how mild the Golf ’s Mk7.5
facelift was that the younger R doesn’t necessar-The R is a lot more
powerful than a GTI
and, crucially, it’s
all-wheel drive