This car has been on sale for over 2 years in other parts of the world...VW SA needs to take us very seriously, we never wait this too long when it comes to latest BMWs & Mercedez
Very true, I have watched video reviews about the car 2 years ago and a year ago on carwow. Same with new Isuzu, they took some time to bring it in SA. It's not right
I had a 1984 GTI and that one was still the most fun on four wheels ‼️ These things are so expensive nowadays that you don't even want to pull it out of the garage 🤦🏻♂️
Great review as always 👍🏽please could you guys consider investing in an external stereo microphone with a wind muff to capture the correct exhaust notes. It would make a huge difference in your videos surprisingly many watch their videos with headphones.
Hey there, thanks for watching. Recording car sound is notoriously tricky and do our quite a lot of effort in on shooting like this, with a series of internal and external microphones. What I can say on this particular video is what you are hearing is very true to what the car sounds like in real life, it is quite a muted exhaust tone compared to 7 R.
@@CiroDeSiena thanks for your response 😁 it's pretty disappointing to hear that fastest production Golf sound so restrained. I know VW SA understands the sentiments of "Golf" fan boys I hope they do something about it 👍🏽
I can assure you, no one would buy the wagon version in South Africa. We are an anti-wagon country, we just never liked them because they look like hearses
@@JohnnyMavuso There are some performance wagons available in South Africa eg the Audi RS4, Audi RS6 or Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo, but those are bigger more expensive vehicles.
@@DaveDVideoMaker they may be available in South Africa, but only a few buy them. Most people buy RS5s instead of RS4s. Just like I said, wagons don’t sell well in South Africa
@@JohnnyMavuso Unlike here in Europe. We will get the M3 Touring unlike South Africa or North America. And plus, not many people buy performance vehicles anyway.
To be honest I have been sitting thinking of a replacement for my current 2019 typeR for around the same money or a bit more... there is nothing that I can think of that can give you the thrill and driving experience of a manual typeR in its class, it may be slow off the line but in gear it's a weapon. The golfR is a great daily and a better all rounder than any other hot hatch....but there are people like me that can appreciate the recipe honda has been following. Might have to save up and go for the new typeR....
Hey man, love the videos, I just have one request can you please show more of the interior and exterior of the car in your vids, thank you so much.✨✨✨✨✨✨
SA motorsport legend, Generaal Sarel vd Merwe, once said that motorsport use to be 70% driver skill and 30% car performance, but in modern times, it's about 80% car with a 20% puppet behind the wheel, just to make sure the car doesn't completely do its own thing. As a 30 year old, you'd think that I would be all for modern tech, but sadly, just like modern cars, motorsport racing drivers have become soft because of the tech doing most of the talk on track.
I must say I completely disagree with the comments about noise. Having had a Mk 7 R and how an 8, I think the suspension is more compliant generally, and there's less noise coming into the cabin from it and tyre noise is much lower - maybe a result of the tyre brand. Overall I think it feels a step up in relative sophistication over the previous model.
@@dzatFor the first time the R sits above the S3 now hence why it has more power and drift mode which the S3 doesn't have. So i think the R should be a bit more expensive this time
It will be a R900 - R950k incl a few options by the time it launches in SA. Looks like a great all rounder, but just can’t get used to the front styling of the Golf 8, so sticking with the 7.5 R as my Golf swan song…not ready for electric at all.
Greetings from Turkey, and great review mate, really liked the way you think about and present cars, it is pretty visceral and feels very real. So... what is the present day pinnacle of a hot hatch experience, available these days in your opinion?
The golf R was always supposed to be the raw and crazy Golf of the range. No doubt it's fast, but honestly whats the point over a standard GTI now? You'll save a ton of money and still have a massive smile on your face.
agree, if I'm more drawn to the Tiguan R. Its faster than the Golf gti and it comfortably carry the entire family with their luggage. We can only dream😅
I think You didn't enjoy it on the track because you need to switch the drive mode into "Special" which configures the car for track driving. Would be nice if you could test it again and see if you get a different feedback from the car. The R mode you used is specifically for straight line driving.
Correct me if I'm wrong. The Torque vector takes 50% of the engines power to the putter while, which can be distributed at 100%. Meaning that the 117, 5 kW can be shifted to the right wheel or left wheel, depending on the condition. Halex system or front transversal engine awd cars can't never send 100% of its power to the rear wheels.
At least you get Golf Rs in the US. Here in Canada, Golf Rs are rarer than unicorns. No dealerships have them and the waiting list to get one is 1.5 years.
@@KP-xi4bj I just found one in Alberta. It's on its way from Germany right now. No idea how I got one. They are currently marking them up around 4k. Especially for the new 20th anniversary edition.
@@andresstamile8371 Did the dealership have one to test drive? In Toronto, no dealerships have any available for a test drive. According to the dealers, it could take up to 2 years for your exact build to arrive in Canada. Thanks, but no thanks.
@@KP-xi4bj Nothing in stock at the moment. I just bought one without test driving it! The dealership somehow managed to find one in Germany. Did a bunch of research with potential resale value etc. Got a solid price so I had to act! That's a long time to wait 😞
For those who dearly love music, to me the performance Golf variants (GTI/R) is like listening to a track featuring your favourite artists & one of your not so favourite artists performing the last verse of the song. Golf 8 for me is like that last verse performed by my least favourite artist & I stopped listening to the song after the 2nd last favourite artist, which was the G7.5. Ciro always putting out the beat reviews
Looks good, but geez we've been waiting. It also makes one wonder if getting BMW 340 over this wouldn't be a better buy. My MK7 might be the last Golf to buy - this car fully specced will definitely be over a million.
The Drift Mode is only available with the “Drift Package” which is an add-on. I think when watching the Auto Trader review they were given a normal R and Rory had to ask again for one with Drift Mode.
@@itsibzz4770 This isn't "Azania" .The people renaming structures never initiated them and have thus zero renaming rights.Cultural theft ANC style.No-one is interested in their stupid fake WOKE names.
I mean you’re completely wrong A golf R will remains VW it’s subtle and streamline very quick but low key it’s always been like that. Golf R isnt suppose to be flamboyant, it’s job is to make normal people do easy good driving and it complete its task best golf R yet
To Much "Electric Gadgetry" - German Over-Engineering that will last till the Warranty Expires. Will be Worth Half it's Value in 2 Years.... Japanese have gone Back to Raw Driving Experiences - Less is More !
About the new Golf 8 GTI !!!1 thing you forgot to "mention",does it come in manual mode,because I just saw an Automatic transmission,nothing more was mentioned
Is that the real exhaust note of the car that you guys have added in? It sounds very similar to the exhaust note you guys use in quite a number of your other videos. Just an 'observation' 😇
Lovely review..personally since I have a vw now I wouldn’t wait for a new golf r with more power I would gladly buy a previous R for cheaper get vw themselves to flash it and il probably have same power for less money…but when you buy these machines it’s truly a cult😮
I really don't think you know how this pricing thing works. It's not the matter of simple currency conversion. South Africa charges 60% for import taxes and some other teriffs bundled with emission taxes. You'll notice that cars are overpriced in South Africa and the Competition Commission is sleeping on a job.
In all Honesty looking at the Golf R and its broh Tiguan R one could say that the Golf R isn't necessary the Tiguan R is all one needs to have a Hot Suv that sounds like the Gold R and looks more stunning and bigger and better
I just noticed that I'm unable to spec/order one online in Aug 2023, 4 months after it's initial launch in SA! Is this a sign of the Golf 8.5 coming? What a shambles.
My friend and I use to race each other in the very late 80s. Golf mk1 GTS vs Ford XR3. With those cars, you could easily lift the rear wheel of the golf, and whack the XR3 around a corner feeling like it will never roll. It was pure adrenalin and madness. An experience lost in today's techno robots. Yawn!!!
The interior quality is not close to that of any bmw, tech is comparable but that's about it, the new golf has a polo like interior, in fact, it's inferior to that of the golf 7, I've owned a g6 gti, g6 r and g7.5 r, so read "fan boy" but I would rather go for a 128ti than a g8 gti, the test drive I had with the g8 gti left much to be desired, it's a miss, sorry vw. Perhaps the g8 r will change my mind when I get a chance behind the wheel, for now, I'll stick with my M2.
Indeed. I have a 7.5 GTI and won’t be getting an 8 simply because of how plasticky the interior feels. The door cards and handles for example feel like Polo-level and very far from premium. Pity.
@@sr7002 in response to the reviewer comparing the interior to a bmw 3 series, did you watch the review? Besides, the golf GTI and R fits into the price range of some bmw's, i.e. the 128ti, m135i, 3 series etc. So yes, it does make sense.
While the rest of the world can buy a Golf 8 in various specs and engine sizes in SA you do not get the latest version except for a gti and R version why?
I test drove a golf r a few weeks ago and was disappointed. There a bit disconnected if that makes sense. I then drove a friends old wrx and thought it was raw and great and athletic. Weird. It’s a shame as I had not heard set on the R and the wrx is old tech and uses a lot of fuel
The price will drop significantly by the end of next year. It's expensive now because of supply chain issues. So it'll eventually be sitting at R650k to R700k brand new
The price will drop significantly by the end of next year. It's expensive now because of supply chain issues. So it'll eventually be sitting at R650k to R700k brand new
