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I had a MK7 Golf R 6 speed along with my 911 (PDK) for a bit. Honestly, a Golf R or GTI is probably one of the better single car solutions. It's practical around town for every day activities (groceries, moving boxes, etc), easy on gas, and fairly cheap and easy to repair/maintain. Decently quick car that can get pretty fast with the plethora of mods.
That being said, the latest generation is not my favorite. I might be an outlier but the newer tech they have for the dash, steering wheel, and screens don't seem all that nice. I was also less of a fan of the MK8 styling. The MK7.5 or 7 is sort of peak Golf to me. The S3 is basically a dressed up Golf R automatic only. The RS3 is a pocket rocket with that 5 banger engine so I consider it a different breed although it shares the same underpinnings.
I do feel a GTI/R and 911 is a solid 2 car garage. Especially if one is a manual.
I should add though. Driving a 911 quickly is way more fun than a Golf R/GTI
I currently have a 2017 GTS with PDK and a 2018 Mini JCW 6 spd manual. I dare say the Mini is more fun for a late night canyon run or to rip around town. I can drive it 10/10ths and not feel like I am going to prison or going to kill myself. Having both cars in the garage is a blast. I cross-shopped the JCW against a GTI. Loved them both. The Mini has more personality and a "fun" factor that the GTI didn't. The GTI is great, it feels more solid, better build quality and felt more grown up than the Mini and the plaid cloth seats in the GTI are so cool. Can't go wrong either way but I really love the personality of the JCW. I haven't done any performance mods other than 18" wheels. Stock is about 230 hp and a tune takes it to 310. I've driven several tuned ones and they absolutely rip but you get a lot of torque steer.
I bought my son a 22 GTI a couple years ago it’s a great car. That said my love for VW kicked off with my 93 VW Corrado (purchased new).
As a matter of fact, I liked the GTI so much that I purchased a 24 Golf R two months ago as a daily. I now have the R in DSG for daily fun and my manual 991.2 S for the nice weather. Personally I think it’s a great two car combo.
Before I got my 991.2, I had a highly modified 2015 GTI that I purchased new.
I have my racing license, so nothing I drive is left stock. It's just a bit too boring for me.
I ended up doing the following:
Full suspension (lower control arms, JRZ coil-overs, sway bars, chassis bracing)
Stoptech front BBK
Short shifter
Stage 3 APR (IS38 turbo, DP, IC, CAI) which pushed it up to about 400hp and 400 ft lbs.
Peloquin LSD with a Sachs HD clutch
Volk TE37
The car was a four-door and super usable. With the Volks the car weighed just over 3,000lbs. It was a blast!
On tight back roads it was so much fun. Very light and blasted from corner to corner. The suspension setup kept the car really composed and wasn't nervous at all. Stock, the car understeered quite a bit. With the upgrades, the only way to understeer was with your right foot.
Then I got my 991.2 and started to play with it. Coil-overs, AP BBK, Litespeed magnesium wheels, wider tires, Numeric shifter/pedals, Tial IC/hoses, Tial intake, APR tune.
It's just on another level. The 911 has about 500hp now and is phenomenal every single time I drive it. It's not as usable as the GTI is obviously, but this thing is incredible. So easy to drive fast, comfortable and so well controlled.
I ended up selling the GTI because I bought the 911. I didn't need two cars that were similar in their mission. I ended up getting the polar opposite of the 911 - a 2023 Ford Bronco Wildtrak.
The new Mk8 GTI with a Stage 3 APR kit (so the same as mine had) gets 478hp now. If you get an R, it's not a lot to get to that level. Crazy fast cars!
The guy that bought my GTI is over the moon psyched about it. He said he's never driven a car so well developed and just can't imagine how he could improve on it.
Right thing to do is get a dsg gti for daily/commute & manual 911 for fun. I’ve tested driven the mk8 gti manual and couldn’t care less about that gearbox.
Right thing to do is get a dsg gti for daily/commute & manual 911 for fun. I’ve tested driven the mk8 gti manual and couldn’t care less about that gearbox.
I definitely agree the stock shifter in the GTI is rubbish. I changed every component I could to get a better feel. It ended up being better, but not that great.
Especially when I switched to the Numeric shifter and cables in my 911. That is on another level entirely.
OK, so in spite of 2024 being the last year gif the manual GTI/R ... the manual feel is so bad, I should go DSG?
Have you test driven the manual? I can’t offer an opinion on that as both our GTI and R are DSG. Shifts are smooth and very fast, and in my research prior to buying the R, they said VW had that trans in mind first for it. You’ll likely find a ton more into via the MK 8 forums on VW Vortex.
One more thing to add to your decision making process…. If you have any thought that you might tune for some more power, the DSG can handle a good bit, but the clutch on a manual will probably require an upgrade.
Um, you’re kind of describing me to…me. Here are my two lovelies, a 2017 991.2 C2S w/PDK, and my “daily,” a 2019 GTI SE.
Funny story:
I, too, wanted a manual GTI. But in 2019 (when I was shopping for one), there was a mysterious issue with VW and GTI/GLI manual transmissions. A certain percentage of the cars would die/turn off after down-shifting and coming to a complete stop. I believe it was some kind of vexing software issue, whereby manual transmission cars were doing the gas-saving automatic shut off, but were somehow unable to restart without the driver turning the key again (unlike DSG cars with the auto engine stop/start).
This was all over the VW and GTI message boards at the time. So when I went to the dealer, and raised this, they assured me it was in a miniscule portion of the cars sold that year. I had my eye on a Falls Green SE manual, and they let me take it for an extended test drive (for almost an hour) to prove the point. Never stalled, never shut off. So I bought it.
I took delivery on a Saturday morning, drove it home, and parked it in the drivewat. Here she is on delivery day.
My adultish kids were home, and came out to see it. They all piled in to go for a spin with me behind the wheel. We drove about a mile down to the end of our road, where there’s a stop sign. Downshifted and came to a stop.
Car dies.
Turned the key, restarted it, and we were off and driving again. Came to a stoplight. Downshifted and came to a stop. Car turns off again. My kids were like, “nice new car Dad!”
Drove around for another half hour, with the car dying after about half of the times I downshifted and came to a stop. Drove home, and called the dealership. They were very good (Curren VW in Stratford, CT). Said they’d come by first thing Monday morning to drop off a loaner Tiguan, pick up the GTI, and see what was up. Which they did.
To make a long story short, they had the car (and I had the loaner) for 2-3 weeks while they tested it, and went back and forth with their regional rep and VW corporate. Three weeks later I received a call from VW, saying that they would be buying the car back from me (to the cent), They then informed me that I’d be offered something like $2,000 customer loyalty credit towards the purchase of any new VW.
Having been burned by the manual—but still jonesing for a GTI—I worked with the same sales guy (who was terrific and a real enthusiast) and picked out a White Silver Metallic GTI SE. Which came with a built-in $2K discount!
Almost five years later, it’s been a total pleasure, and I haven’t had any issues with the car. It’s incredibly fun as a daily. FWIW I got an SE (and not the Autobahn Edition) because I wanted the classic plaid cloth seats, which are comfortable, easy to care for, and look fantastic.
It is IMHO the perfect complement to a 911…a great driver, super practical (5 doors!), efficient and economical. Brings me almost as much joy…almost!
Neglected to mention that…DSG! I didn’t have the patience or confidence to roll the dice again on another manual, given that the problem seemed unresolved and even VW couldn’t put their finger on what was causing it. I believe there was a recall for 2019 manuals after I sold mine back, if I recall. I love the GTI in manual. Both my wife and I kinda wish it was a manual. But at the time, needed a car, wanted a GTI, and the DSG is its own bit of sporting fun. Like a baby PDK. All that said, GTI’s are just a hoot to drive, road trip in, camp from, and even take to the city. You park it anywhere. Good luck—I doubt you’ll be unhappy with one. It’s the perfect 911 companion.
I have a feeling that the Golf 7 GTI would be a perfect daily driver. Not sure about manual or DSG, I am hardcore fan of MT but for daily driving duties, DSG might be the better choice. I am daily driving a Golf 7 TSI at the moment with a DSG, great gearbox, the only complain I have is that it is jerky during creeping, especially at low speed in uphill (getting out of my basement parking for instance) : did any of you notice it? So far, I have not experience it in 911s with PDKs which to me are as good as traditional torque converter gearboxes for creeping.
02-23-2024, 11:29 AM
