[dopper99]

Originally Posted by TodmordenLad

Congrats on the new Golf, Dave.
How do you find handling and ride comfort on the 19" wheels you opted for? Did you opt for Dynamic Chassis Control out of interest? Cheers

I've got DCC on my Golf R and it works very well with a noticeable difference between the modes. I've got 19" wheels.

In Comfort mode its very good TBH for a comfortable ride (this is coming from someone who sold an M3 CP as they could not tolerate the ride!).

It firms up nicely in the two other modes and doesn't become intolerable in the firmest setting.

I think the Golf R may have slightly stiffer springs than the GTI - don't know. But not been in a GTI to comment.

[DB118D]

DaveA What kind of deal did you end up with, if you dont mind sharing?

[JustChris]

Originally Posted by dopper99

I've got DCC on my Golf R and it works very well with a noticeable difference between the modes. I've got 19" wheels.

In Comfort mode its very good TBH for a comfortable ride (this is coming from someone who sold an M3 CP as they could not tolerate the ride!).

It firms up nicely in the two other modes and doesn't become intolerable in the firmest setting.

I think the Golf R may have slightly stiffer springs than the GTI - don't know. But not been in a GTI to comment.

Shudder...those 666Ms

[DaveA]

Originally Posted by DB118D

DaveA What kind of deal did you end up with, if you dont mind sharing?

The deals are not currently as sharp as they have been at times as VWFS swapped from a deposit contribution to a lowish interest rate (about 2.3%) on their PCP's...

But if you look on CarWow and the other broker sites, you should be trying for 10/11% or so discount with that sort of interest rate...

But availability of stock cars is limited and if dealers have ones that are particularly attractive, they may not be prepared to go that low with them...

Factory orders can be done, with about 12/14 weeks wait being quoted... But I don't know for how long (or if you still can) with the end of line coming...

[DaveA]

Originally Posted by JustChris

Shudder...those 666Ms

I think the worst I ever drove for ride (dis)comfort was, IMHO, of course, a 2012 era Audi S3... I was selling the GT3 at the time and was told the Audi suspension was so stiff (it felt like a roller-skate to me) because it was a sports suspension....

[dopper99]

Originally Posted by JustChris

Shudder...those 666Ms

Its all subjective of course.

Many people report no issues with the ride on the M3/M4 on 20s ... I personally just found it a bit too much ......... and waring after a while.

[DaveA]

Originally Posted by dopper99

I go on https://www.vwroc.com/forums/ although it is primarily a Golf R forum you’ll find lots of general useful Golf stuff on there. Some knowledgeable folk so ask away if you need to know anything. And you may even bump into Brigand, albeit reincarnated under a different name.

Just having a look now and it certainly seems more lively than many of the other VW forums I looked at (VWVortex is busy, but mainly USA)...

Not sure where the best more general forums would be for the UK VW'ers

[JustChris]

Originally Posted by DaveA

Just having a look now and it certainly seems more lively than many of the other VW forums I looked at (VWVortex is busy, but mainly USA)...

Not sure where the best more general forums would be for the UK VW'ers

Best thread ever there was @Teaston uncovering a certain jewel like interior car owners bragging here had turned into a different reality...

[isleaiw1]

Originally Posted by JustChris

Best thread ever there was @Teaston uncovering a certain jewel like interior car owners bragging here had turned into a different reality...

Nothaving had an R, I was on the GTi forum (no idea of the link now!) - but it’s amazing how you would defend a car on a competitors forum but bemoan issues on its own forum. Not sure it’s that different even now.....

I do love my Audi though . Unless of course you are on Audi-Sport.net when it’s average!

[dopper99]

Originally Posted by JustChris

Best thread ever there was @Teaston uncovering a certain jewel like interior car owners bragging here had turned into a different reality...

And the best thread on here was your vid Chris mentioning the above teaston's post....

Poor old F30AM

https://www.captiongenerator.com/60995/VW-vs-BMW

[teaston]

Originally Posted by dopper99

And the best thread on here was your vid Chris mentioning the above teaston's post....

Poor old F30AM

https://www.captiongenerator.com/60995/VW-vs-BMW

Classic! Oh the memories, this forum has truly been emotional over the years!

[davyk31]

There is a Golf GTI forum that is reasonably busy. Search on there for the Mk 7 forum pages which also covers the Mk 7.5 current versions. Not a lot of general chat on there but it can be a useful resource regarding the Golf models, there are a good few R drivers on there too so not just the GTi.

[DaveA]

Originally Posted by dopper99

And the best thread on here was your vid Chris mentioning the above teaston's post....

Poor old F30AM

https://www.captiongenerator.com/60995/VW-vs-BMW

This just makes me want to find the thread on there, now...

[DaveA]

Originally Posted by teaston

Classic! Oh the memories, this forum has truly been emotional over the years!

Who recalls jusdorange ...

Not convinced this was not another incarnation of some of our other regulars, but a young(ish) poster living in Monte Carlo, IIRC...

[DaveA]

Originally Posted by isleaiw1

Nothaving had an R, I was on the GTi forum (no idea of the link now!) - but it’s amazing how you would defend a car on a competitors forum but bemoan issues on its own forum. Not sure it’s that different even now.....

I do love my Audi though . Unless of course you are on Audi-Sport.net when it’s average!

It's like supporting a football team... You would never dream if discussing your thoughts on your team's failings outside of the circle of supporters...

[dopper99]

Originally Posted by DaveA

Who recall's jusdorange ...

Not convinced this was not another incarnation of some of our other regulars, but a young(ish) poster living in Monte Carlo, IIRC...

Yes funnily enough, was thinking about him yesterday whilst watching the grand prix. He said he used to have a good balcony view right over the track, lucky sod!

[DaveA]

So, as some had asked originally, and seeing as I have not posted in a while, I thought I would update this thread with some thoughts having had the car nearly 8 weeks now…

The main thing is that having had three F30’s, it has taken me longer than expected to get used to the way in which the VW’s controls and infotainment work… I mean, it does basically the same stuff (more, even), but the controls are all in different locations and it has not felt natural for me as the BMW did… But this is a familiarity thing and I am getting more used to making changes and using the controls in a less clunky way than I started out…

It has taken me a long time, also, to find a long-journey comfortable seating position. But I had also started to constantly mess about with the BMW’s seating position, and I think this might have as much to do with my own changing body (as I age) then some other things.

Performance is more than enough for me… Yes, you can feel the difference (245hp vas 325hp) but it is not as pronounced as you might think and I have had no trouble making swift progress everywhere I have been and wanted to… The VW is a good chunk lighter than the 340 which helps a lot…. and it certainly picks up speed with no effort at all…

Handling, well, the VW is streets ahead here and I am finding that I can actually have a bit of fun in the car that I was unable to do in the 340… It feels far more planted than the 3-er did… The car simply gives you more confidence in it...

The space inside is not as much as the BM, particularly the rear leg room with the front seats set back, and the boot is a bit smaller (although I was amazed how much I could get in without putting the seat backs down when I embarked upon a recent trip away)… But I never had my 3-er full up with passengers and I am finding it is not a problem to me…

Styling is just what it is… Even in bright white, I find that it blends into the crowd well and does not get much in the way of unusual interest… For me, this is just fine…

Quality of materials and finishes is good (as you would expect). I do not feel that there is any less quality to the VW than the BM (although you could argue about the choice of particular styles and materials and you might also think the VW sightly more conservative in styles - which it is and which is no bad thing)...

A few touches in the VW I prefer over the BMW… Having your music and the SatNav data on SD cards certainly makes updating both very easy… The adaptive headlights have a much better coverage than the ones on my 340… CarPlay (free for life) is actually quite useful at times and I cannot see why it is not free in the BMW’s…

I am liking the digital dash and, in particular, the way you can have the map in front of you. It is nicely implemented (this is not a comparison, though, as my BMW had the analog dash)… I also like the auto hold you get with an electronic handbrake, at junctions etc…

The car really is pretty well loaded with extras as standard (I note many of them are optional on the new 1-er, for instance, although we will see if Mk8 Golf is the same) and I am getting used to the benefits convenience opening etc (which I previously avoided due to security concerns and extra cost)...

A few touches in the BMW I prefer still over the VW… CatNet (VW) is not as well implemented as Connected Drive app etc… Although it does offer much the same service… It is a slight PITA to have to connect your car to your phone’s wifi hotspot for the online element as the inbuilt sim in the car is just for the emergency call etc (I suspect VW will move to a BMW-like service in next gen cars now they have this)… Being able to switch from speed limiter to cruise using a button on the wheel (the VW uses a menu choice)… Also, in the BMW, the steering wheel would come out further in adjustment than the VW, which I preferred…

Missing the BMW’s surround view (cannot get it on the VW) and little things like the way the guide lines on the rear camera view would “swing” on the BM to indicate trajectory (this only happens on the VW if you have the more advanced parking option)…

The VW has only one “defect” that is a problem to me and that is a very noisy sunroof (I would not have had this if I had factory ordered, but accepted it on a stock car)… which gives off the old creaking ship impression as the chassis flexes over bumps… I understand that “they all do that” sir but I am assured they can be made much better than mine is and so we will be trying that… I think this is VW’s version of the BMW’s door seals…

Just seen the pricing on the new 1-er… an M135 to the same sort of spec I have will be comfortably about £5k more than the Golf, and comfortably over £40k for tax etc… Sure, it has 20% more power, but, well, do I need that..??? … plus double the APR.... and, also, well… that front end styling…!!!

One final thing, my VW's interior light does not randomly come on when driving with ACC…. Hmmm….

[doncarlyon]

Any pics of the interior?

[SkyJawa]

Originally Posted by DaveA

It is a slight PITA to have to connect your car to your phone’s wifi hotspot for the online element as the inbuilt sim in the car is just for the emergency call etc (I suspect VW will move to a BMW-like service in next gen cars now they have this)…

Been looking at this for the impending arrival of our GTI engine Tiguan. The recommendation seems to be get a Wingle (Wifi Dongle) and a free data sim from 3 and sign up to the 200MB a month free offer (this is apparently enough data for what the car consumes).

Plug it into a spare 12v with a 12v-usb adapter and set the car to connect via that - no messing with phone hotspots again, fit and forget and apparently car connects every time without having to touch anything.....

[DaveA]

Originally Posted by SkyJawa

Been looking at this for the impending arrival of our GTI engine Tiguan. The recommendation seems to be get a Wingle (Wifi Dongle) and a free data sim from 3 and sign up to the 200MB a month free offer (this is apparently enough data for what the car consumes).

Plug it into a spare 12v with a 12v-usb adapter and set the car to connect via that - no messing with phone hotspots again, fit and forget and apparently car connects every time without having to touch anything.....

I was thinking of doing something along these lines, also... Didn't know there was a 200mb free deal from 3, which would definitely make sense...

No, I don't think the CarNet connectivity uses much data and I would certainly be up for giving that a try... It's really just the real time traffic that I use it for, so only connect as a hotspot on those days I am doing longer journeys...

I am guessing that this is a work-around with the cross model infotainment until the VW ranges as a whole (regardless of infotainment) become fully sim/data enabled and then they will do something along the lines of the BMW service...

[DaveA]

Originally Posted by SkyJawa

The recommendation seems to be get a Wingle (Wifi Dongle) and a free data sim from 3 and sign up to the 200MB a month free offer (this is apparently enough data for what the car consumes).

Update - I have just ordered a Wingle and the free 3 data sim... Will report back how this set-up works.

[DaveA]

Originally Posted by doncarlyon

Any pics of the interior?

Sorry, I missed this post... Not that I have taken, but the pictures on the VW configurator are pretty accurate, I would say...

CLICK HERE FOR LINK TO MY SPEC AND GALLERY ON VW WEBSITE