The Mega MK7 & MK8 Golf GTI/GTD/R thread - Part II

Thanks Lads. All very helpful. I’ll do a bit more research into the ceramic before purchasing.

I decided to go with an R in stock, which had slightly less spec, rather than pay €2500-€3000 more for a car that would likely arrive in March 2022 at the earliest. So, I cancelled my production order.

Spec now:

• Lapiz
• Reversing Camera
• Performance Pack
• Pano sunroof
• Winter pack

I’ll be missing out on DCC and the black pack. DCC was hard to let go, but my old R didn’t have it so I know what to expect.

I’ll have it next week at some stage :)

Yeah, I get the 19” estorils with the PP. Good to hear your experience of DCC so far. Pretty much all the reviews and articles I’ve read say that DCC is a must.

I’ll post a few pictures once I get the keys. I held onto the 0% fianance and have a service pack thrown in too - happy out!

It sure is! In my experience over the years, they’ve always been great to deal with.

probably not too many other R’s on the forecourts at the moment.

Is the Mk8 really that harsh? These cars have never had a reputation for being harsh like a Type R would. I've driven a Cupra albeit briefly on the harshest setting and didn't find it that bad but maybe the previous cars were easier on the firm setting.

Delicious. Very jelly I am.

Haha no problem Hooch. If there’s ever a thread meet up, I’ll come along.

Very nice! The spoiler looks massive from the side. Not seeing many in blue these days so it's nice to see it again. Looks great.

Passenger seems to be gesturing with excitement too :D

So this crowd bought this, stuck a few extra bits of tack on, horrible knock off wheels and chinese tyres and slapped a €5k price hike on top. Car looks horrific if you ask me but I'm sure someone will like it.

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/2016-161-vw-golf-r-300bhp-3dr-ultra-rare-manua/29504865

I commented on the wheels but they deleted it. Seems they can't take any criticism.

Just spotted that now, they are 20" in one part of the ad and 19" in another? Also, looking at that finance offer 132 a week over 5 years with 15k down, that's pretty much a new Clubsport. €132k a week with €15k down is a cost of credit of 14k, something can't be right with that. Must have edited another ad and left that finance offer in it.

Award winning dealer my h0le.

After 250km, my thoughts so far:

Design:

• I love the look of it (I know that’s subjective), even more than my MK7
• Lapiz is very striking
• 19” Estoril alloys look great (glad I didn’t end up with the black alloys as originally spec’d)
• The rear wing gives it a really sporty look; a little more aggressive looking than my MK7
• Definitely a premium feel to the car (and there’d want to be for the price of it)
• I don’t think I like the lightbar across the grille

Ride and Handling:

• Driving position seems much improved in the sense you feel lower to the ground (maybe because the car is lower than the MK7)
• You can really feel the torque vectoring on cornering; you can feel it push the car around. It’s very noticeable
• Steering seems similar to the MK7 to be honest - I’ve haven’t noticed much of a difference
• Non-DCC - it seems pretty ok so far, and I’ve driven a mix of backroads and main roads. Definitely would have preferred DCC, but my MK7 was way harsher over bumps (19” Pretoria). It might be too early to say though

Performance:

• to be determined after a bit more of a run in
• Modes:
• Drift - I will probably never use it
• Special - I don’t have the DCC so it will be somewhat limited

Sound:

• Less artificial sounding than my MK7, with more pops and bangs on the overrun from the exhaust. But like all performance Golfs, it’s pretty quiet most of the time

Technology:

• No software issues so far - all working very well. The WeConnect set up didn’t raise any issues
• No lag from the infotainment
• Lane assist is annoying and you have to remember to turn it off each time, but there is a shortcut on the left indicator lever
• My biggest frustration is getting to grips with the climate control. The lack of physical buttons for the climate control is just annoying
• Wireless CarPlay is a dream
• Screen resolution is great
• Haptic buttons on the steering wheel are not a major annoyance. They work fine, but would rather physical buttons.

Interior:

• Seats are very comfortable and hold you in better than the MK7 seats
• The choice of Ambient lighting is great
• Materials feel pretty good with some hard plastic in places.

In short, I love it :) It feels like a big improvement over the MK7. Do the improvements in the MK8 justify the price difference? Probably not, but I am very happy with my purchase.

There’s probably some things I haven’t covered but I’ll follow up again in a few weeks.

Yeah, I agree. All minor frustrations really, and I don’t think they take away from the car at all.

The Lane assist is dangerous to be honest. I had a close call this morning on a background with no road markings - the car pulled me over right but thankfully there was no oncoming traffic :/

I noticed the cold start preparation this morning, now that you say it. There’s so much to set up before driving off

“Sure there’ll be very few of these on the road”….. 4 days later after purchase…..