This is the most thorough Golf R review on YT. Thanks for taking the time to film and cover all of the cars gadgets. I'm in the market for a Golf GTI, and even test drove one and I'm sold. However I have been pondering the Golf R.. I do like the exterior styling on the R a bit more and the extra performance and features are tempting . All of my cars have been manual, but I am hearing that the DSG fits the R a bit better. It's going to be a tough decision.
NeloDiavolo go with the R I’ve had five GTI and I’ve loved everyone of them , I just picked up my first R and I’m sold for life , the car is worth the extra money
For me the big plus on the R is that it is awd. Next year I'm planning on getting an awd car. Normally I was waiting for the A-class amg's. The A35 being similar to this one and the A45 competing with the RS3. However I recently saw the price of a base A35 in my country and I'm not pleased at all... over priced, 6.000 more than the S3 which is it's biggest competitor... besides that the options are really expensive and an option package that cost 2.4k more on the A35 than any other A-class so far, while the options are the exact same... So it kinda sounds like a ripoff to me, especially knowing that in the UK it's only 35k pond (about €40k), which makes it slightly more expensive than the Golf R, but cheaper than the S3 and M140i. But as I said before, it is €6.000 more than the S3 up here... turning it into €52k... So yeah extremely disapointed. I mentioned it to a colleague of mine and apparently he is planning on selling his Golf R next year, for him it's like a toy car to have fun with, next to his tuned RS6 xD What makes it really tempting though, is that the car would be barely over 1year old when he is planning on selling it, full option and tuned to 480hp 610nm xD Turning it into a 3.2second from 0-100kph and 10.8second 0-200kph :P And because I know him, he wouldn't sell me the car if it wasn't ok. He would be able to sell it to a stranger if it wasn't ok anyway lol.
If you ever gonna tune your car, youd be smarter of getting the DSG. Since you also can tune the automatic gearbox to sync better with your newly tuned engine... Also of course even from stock a DSG will always be the fastes car in basically any situation... ;)
Thank you so much for this review! I've watched every minute! I'm in the market for the R so this is incredibly helpful. I'm also watching your coding videos. Can you do a video showing how the interior and exterior lights look at night? Thanks again for the great work!
Yeah there is one error in my video. The Auto High beam is actually turned on by pushing the left stalk forward, not by the button on the stalk. The button is for the Instrument cluster display. I got it mixed up with my M4, haha. I may add a lights video to show the lights. Didn't think of it.
Nice detailed review. I'm getting the same exact car/color/year/DSG next week! Haven't even driven or seen it in person yet(out of state sale). This vid will help out a LOT! Thx!
I recently got a 2019 GTI and they share so much I really appreciate the thorough review especially the infotainment unit which is the same. Really liked your approach to the review. I do think that the horsepower and torque points should have been a single power advantage or acceleration point and then they would have tied.
It's a major bummer - US DOT wouldn't approve the roof design apparently? So they just went without it in the states. That was a deal-breaker for me, personally. I like the R more than the GTI, but I got a demo MK7.5 6MT Autobahn with 4k on the clock for 10k under the price of the R, so it was a no brainer.
@@ColinNiemczura the jetta has a sun roof, the gti has a sun roof, also i think the passat does as well... really not sure why they limit options for US market. we dont even get a 2 door.
Thanks m8 this is very informative I've just bought one and I've learnt alot off this video alot easier than reading the manual thanks for doing stuff like this
Excellent review. Thank you. Have you ever owned a VW or a GTI before? Did you actually test drive the GTI before or after you drove the R? Do both GTI and the Golf R require premium fuel? Do you still like your R and are their any mechanical or other issues with your car yet? What kind of fuel mileage are you getting? Thanks in advance ,,,,
Had a Rabbit before the R. Drove both GTI and R. Not sure if GTI requires Premium. It is recommended for the R. No mechanical issues at all at 10,000 miles. Don't really pay attention to Fuel mileage. I always have it is S mode and Race mode so I'm not saving fuel.
My 2010 Jetta TDI has the DSG feature. Volkswagen called it “Direct Shift Gearbox”. It was designed to shift in a similar manner to a manual but behave like an automatic... hence the word “Direct” in the name.
Bought a MK 7.5 Golf R. Now It’s got 7000 miles on it. And recently I’m having some issues with it. Noticed that as I am cursing down the highway between 70-80mph there’s cold air blowing out from the air vent even though the air conditioning was turned off. Called the dealer they said it’s normal because it’s doing the air recycling or what ever you call it. Then I turned of the air recycling function in the air conditioning settings. It still happens. In addition, I been experiencing some wired transmission shifting issues as well. For instance, I can hear almost a click or a clunk noise from the transmission when it’s down shifting, and the whole car jerks when it’s down shifting. Also when I take off from a stop sign I can feel vibrations through out the steering wheel along with my seat. In addition to that, sometimes the car will slam you into the first gear(always in comfort mod). Went to the dealer, addressed all the issues that I’m having, they told me it’s normal, because the transmission needs to relearn your driving behavior. But after a month the car is still acting wired. So I called them agin, and still the service manger told me the transmission is normal, and told me not cars are perfect, all kinds of BS. So I called another VW dealer, told them exactly the same thing that I told the previous VW dealer, and made an appointment next week to check on my car, hopefully they can fix the problem.
I went through hell to find one, including one that was damaged, dealer allowed me to return it (Lapiz Blue). Found one further away which was Oryx White. I only wanted the DSG. Bought it. This is my second Golf R. First one was a 2016 Tornado Red DSG w/DCC & Nav. Great car! Love it!!
Any issues with the electronic water pump? I hear that's a common problem with VW. I like the Golf R but the water pump problems make me hesitate to buy one. I'm not a lease candidate since I put too many miles on my car.
Excellent as is thx Sean.I watched it from the point of view of a soon-to-be owner (one or two days hopefully) and it was great for clarification etc. I have posted the link to a forum although I'd be surprised if it's not already there. I'd like you to edit from it make another version i.e. without references to the BMW (would shorten from 2 hours)and Commencing with a Quick Start and having a timeline menu e.g. 52:00 instruments display 1:04 Infotainment disply etc and use pics in pics in some places to show your button presses on one pic and what results on the other and with a dedicated explanation on how you set your individual/custom preferences (I think that's something new owners want to do before they drive the new car away from the dealer) I reckon that new version would become become known as THE #1 goto (VW forums etc)and you'd be gaining mega subscriptions.
Thanks but I just do these video for fun, don't care about subscribers or # of views. It takes hours as it is to shoot and reshoot and edit the videos. Just not enough time in the world to make them perfect, lol Plus the BMW comparison was to show that you don't have to spend 80,000 to get a great car that is a blast to drive.
i learned more in this review about the golf r than in any other review. Heated nozzles, glovebox cooling is something i didnt know about the golf r but highly appreciate (mostly the nozzles here in canada as ice freezes over it rendering it useless) Because of the detail. im subscribing.
Thank you. So far I think this is the best video of a car I have ever seen. Really covered everything and glad you compaired with a Beemer. I would love a comparison with an Audi S3 or RS3. Having had an Audi S4 and considerating both an Audi S3 or Audi RS3 or going back to S4. Noth thinging about RS4. This is really helpful. Hard decison, but I think perhaps S3 more likely, but close call. Beemer is a deff NO
I know it sounds crazy and even though I have had multiple BMW's over the years I have love and the M4 is a great car, no question. But as a daily driver I just love the Golf R so much more. And at half the price of the M4, I think the R is so overlooked by a lot of people. The R is just not flashy, which is what I think a lot of M owners go for.
Great video. I am on the hunt for a 2018 golf R here in Ireland. You said the golf R only comes with a solid roof. Most the R's in Ireland and UK have retractable pan roof. Maybe it's just on European models and not US.
Sounds like you can't order to personal taste in America for top of the range cars, I personally prefer the 4 door cars instead of 2 door or those in the front have to get in & out for the people in the rear. Skoda put the radar behind the badge a long time ago.
I think you may be wrong (hope so!) on the special-order thing for the R. With the 2019 year, they introduced the spektrum color program (at least to the US), hoping to be able to order one to get the color I want.
Nope, I tried at a couple different dealers. For the R they just had to wait and see what came into the ports. No special order direct from factory. For 2019 if you want a special color I would think they would have to be a special order and that would be the only way to do it, but for 2018 you could not. Any special order in 2018 you put in was just a dealer thing and they would just scour the ports waiting for one to come in that matched. VW didn't actually build one for you. It was a pain.
@@seanstraindepot Thank you for the nice review. Do you have any problems with the electronic water pump? I hear that's a common failure point for VW. I'd love to get a MK 8 Golf R but the water pump issue scares me.
No, A lot of cars, including my previous BMW can have water pump issues because they are electric now. This is not unique to VW. But most of the time they redesign them for better reliability through the generations when they find issues. I have not heard of any 2018's with any issues and most of the time the issues are not common, its just that's what people post. No one posts my water pump is perfect, lol. 2018's have a 6 year 72000 warranty, so I would not give it any thought.
The 2018+ R seats are much nicer to look at. A big turnoff for me previously was the plane jane all black no venting seats. Compared to the the UK R seating options, ours sucked! But this perforated leather and silver piping/stitching is quite nice.
WHAT!! You're letting someone else drive your R? Holy Crap!!! If they do not put your seat back to "your" position, then they are not a friend... Hope this helps....:)
1:09:46 On the steering wheel right side press the button ( looks like a head speaking ) it mutes songs works for me I got same car blacked out. Should work 👍🏽 @sean
This is a beautiful car. Had a GTI once. Probably around a '95 model. Prefer 3 door and was unaware they stopped making those. . . . . .love this colour though. Two hours review, this is informative!
Great review! Thank you! Regarding the front display, what if you want to just display the tachometer and the speedometer, and maybe the gear indicator. No time, nav, mileage, compass, radio, etc. If you just want the very minimal basic info, are you able to off all of that extra distracting info on the screen, and just drive and listen to the engine, can you do that?
You can cut it down a little bit but in general, no you can't turn things off. Its a busy screen. I have The Gear Indicator in 1 dial and the Speed in the other, that clean it up instead of all that busy stuff inside the dials. Then you can just set the middle part to either navigation or your music. The rest of the display at bottom, etc you cannot turn off. Actually you get used to it quickly.
Pick yourself up an '85 Mustang GT. I had one, as well as several other high performance cars from the 60's and 70's... If you are distracted by the "electronics", than go old school... I picked up my Golf R 3 months ago, and did so based on performance only.... The electronics does not distract me, I just ignore it... I now toy with Dodge Hemi's and Mustang GT's...
Irish Bob Cool. Thanks for the reply. I got my Golf R in late November 2018. Great performance and ride, and it’s now my daily driver. I LOVE it, all except the time on the displays. My brain never shuts off, and whenever I see the time somewhere (not just in my car), I start calculating how much time before I need to do this or that, how much time did I just spend doing the last thing I just did, how early/late am I going to be for whatever is next. I know, OCD and neurotic. I am able to almost ignore the time now after driving it for the past 2 months, though.
@@mqarhsdm, I can't know for sure but the "electronic display" issues could be because of a difference in our age? And that's not a bad thing. I'm an Electronics Engineering Technician from the '80's, by Trade... My first car was a '65 Valiant Auto 4-door with a 225 slant six. My next was a '67 Plymouth Fury III Auto 4- door with a 225 slant six. Those cars were bullet proof... In my 60's now, I chose the Golf R as my "retirement" car. This will be the last car I own, and am looking forward to upgrading it to Stage 1, to start....With my '85 Mustang GT, I raced a Porsche 911SC on the 401 here in Ontario. I beat the Porsche. The driver of the Porsche conceded (and waved) as I had to exit "at some point". We both knew that he would likely have beaten me on an open track... During that race (however) I did not have the time to look at the Instrument Cluster. I guess that's why the "display" in my Golf means little to me. When I drive, I do not even think about what the Instrument Cluster says... All I think about when driving, is the traffic around me. I already know I have enough fuel in the tank, and I know what my car can do... I bet that 99% of what is provided to us in our Golf R's Instrument Cluster, means absolutely nothing. In fact, don't even look at it...Just drive, and and fun.....:)
Irish Bob Could be the age difference. I’m 47. Grew up on video games. And now have to put my phone in another room or turn it off at home just to keep from grabbing it all the time. ... Not so with driving, though. I do use the phone for GPS and music, but will shut it down when I want to just drive and enjoy the sounds and experience of the car/motorcycle I’m in/on. ... Enjoy your car and retirement!
One thing that no one mentions is, does when fuel level gets low, does it give options or nearby fuel stations? My Audi S4 did and it was great. I was doing 86K miles in 6 months so many refills, sometimes 3 in a day. Does this do that? Audi did not mention this, but it is a great feature if it is present
Yup it does that too. When I made the video the car was only a few days old so I had not found that feature yet. Most of the features from across from VW to Audi and vice versa.
I just bought one of these, and I can't pick it up for over a month (because I'm out of the country), so I'm using this video to familiarize myself with the car. Thank you for providing such a thorough overview. I had NO idea the infotainment unit did so much!
HAH you will love it. I had one mistake in my video. The Auto High beam is actually turned on by pushing the left stalk forward, not by the button on the stalk. The button is for the Instrument cluster display. I got it mixed up with my M4, haha. Reply
Volkswagen still make the 3 door for the UK/Europe market. I’ve a 7.5 3 door Lapiz Blue Golf R with the gloss black Pretorias alloys. Those wheels on your R are called Spielberg’s in the UK. You can pretty much spec the R from the factory including a sunroof. Mine is 310 BHP 😀
Very nice. I have been shopping for one my self, my 2016 GTI autobahn lease is up in 3 months. But the dealer lots are full of these cars they are not selling like a few years back. Not for the price they are asking for!
Where are you located? I think it all depends on location. I had a hard time finding the color/transmission combo I wanted out here. I suspect in someplace like CA, there would be tons of them. Just like my M4 I have never seen another one where I live but in CA they litter the roads.
Amazing video, very through, a must watch for a buyer. I bought the new 1.5 TSI R Line 2018, lots of similar things barr the engine and brakes. You could change the motors and mirrors to be power folding, I did this on my mk6. Glad you pointed out the lack of the usb points. Hope some one retrofits one in the cubby for the rear or in the glove box where the card holders are.
it is a great car but with that said; watch out for bumps, potholes, railroad tracks and etc....the tire pressure light will come on and no spare tire and no jack....
me either until broke 6k miles with those big 19 inch wheels...should had bought 18 inch with bigger aspect ratio tires....learning experience.....@@seanstraindepot
I'm 17 years of age being thise age and not working yet .... I wish I had thise car I'm so crazy about the golf R and also the S3 but I told myself that my first car I'm gonna buy will be the golf R and every single day I would watch reviews on the Golf
Where tf u gettin 26k lol, i got the 2012 golf gti for my first car, its great its quick and tbh mate u dont need a golf r unless u want to get ur licence taken off u😂
The sound does not come through the speakers. The engine is connected through the sandakator to the front windshield. The windshield actually vibrates and creates the sound.
Correct, the sounds are passed from the soundaktor through the windshield. The Soundaktor is bolted in the center Cowl area in the engine compartment where the wiper transmission is located. It is an electrical device the generates the vibration and is attached at the base of the windshield. It can be set anywhere from 0- 100% using the OBD11 tool.
@@weatherfox1, word is that they might be pushing 400HP... Now, we can easily do that here in North America with some tweaking and tuning... The issue is Warranty.
Yup its a lot, but that's what you pay for AWD, 300 HP and all the tech goodies, bigger wheels, leather interior and upgraded sound system, etc. You can get a GTI for a lot less if you don't care about all that stuff.
The only thing I don't like about the MK8's is they are eliminating all knobs on the controls, all touch screen. I hate touch screen for a lot of things like fine volume adjustment, temp, etc. Certain things should have knobs. Plus you have to take your eyes off the road with touchscreens. Knobs you can just reach over without looking. But Mk8 R's will probably be delayed until late 2020, or 2021. They just reported they are having major software issues with the system.
Fantastic review! I will be most likely getting a 2019 R in the same config as yours. Very helpful to see how everything works so I'm ready once I'm in it!
You will love it. I don't know what to say except it is just so much fun to drive! Yes, its not flashy looking, but its a blast and so practical for everyday use. And all the new tech in it works great. Add AWD and a 6 year warranty and you can't beat it.
Great review and very useful for me, as I just got myself a Golf 7 GTI TCR. They are quite similiar, except the 4-wheel drive of the R. Btw: The red-lined GTI-matts were already included ;-)
You don't get the point. I am saying you can still get a nice performance car with close to the same features for half the price. Not saying the 2 cars are equal. Duh.
Yeah VW change the armrest I think starting with the Nov production cars. So the original 18's had a fixed armrest. The current ones have the ratcheting armrest and storage. You can get them swapped out by buying the new one.
Thanks for the info Sean! Yeah, just yesterday I sat on a Golf R that a dealer had just received and found the armrest to open. I'm kinda tossed between a grey and a white 🤔
I don't know what the obsession is in the US with electric/memory seats - in the UK you will almost never see them, no one will spec them on a factory order and they don't come standard on hardly anything other than some top end Mercedes.
All the adjustment, Manual seats just can't come close to the comfort of a fully adjustable seat, especially the tilting of the seat bottom. Once you have one you never want to go back.
I'm in the UK and would love a car with a driver's memory seat because I share cars with my wife and we are both very fussy about our seating positions, but sadly as you say they are very rare. I don't understand why the UK market does not value such things.
VW calls it Direct Shift Gearbox, BMW calls it Dual Shift Gearbox, they are both 2 independent gear boxes joined together, same thing, each manufacturer just has different names. So yes it does when I was referring back to BMW.
