2021 VW Golf R review | Is the new MK8 the best one yet?
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- Опубліковано 28 вер 2024
- The 2021 Volkswagen Golf R has big shoes to fill, so it's been given 320hp and a new rear differential to do the job. Does more power and improved torque vectoring equal more fun? Dan finds out...
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This channel is really underrated (in terms of view) Dan does a great job hosting the videos :)
I hope you get more views in the coming months of this year, Cheers piston heads!
First video that I watched from this channel. The production and quality earned an instant subscribtion!
I bought my Mk7.5 Golf R three years ago and expected to move it on by now. But I just can't let it go, its the most competent car I have owned (yes I have owned a few). It does everything excellently. I was expecting to move into the Mk8 R but there is nothing here that sells the new model to me which I enjoy already.
@RaKoS1 have you driven the mk 8 r then?
I feel exactly the same with my 7.5R, and that rear end should of been put on the 7.5’s yo begin with...the 8R has nothing exciting but the one extra clutch pack to the rear and slot of remapping to the ECU...
No thanks on the interior either, only thing good is the seats...🤦♂️that new 8R VW should and better drive so amazing or idk how they hell they expect to sell them for anyone who has owned a 7 or 7.5 which is now on the used market the best time to buy...
Same here.. I used to change cars every 6 months.. brought a mk7 R manual. Went stage 2... had that for 4 years. Then went to sell.. test drove, A45 AMG, Mountune Focus RS, Bmw M2 DCT, Thought about the new FK8.. Ending up getting another Golf R 7.5 DSG. That’s 5 years with the same motor.. They’re good all round cars.. When it does go.. Maybe RS3 or M2 Comp Manual.. funds permitting
Loving the “through the windscreen “ camera angle
Oh, that blue plaid is cool. One of the things I dont like about the current R is that you can't get tartan seats, but those are sweet. I'll take it in a manual please.
My son has got the mk8 R line with the same seats , the blue is a bit lighter though . Lovely little car .
Why would a R need an upgraded R Performance package? Isn’t that the point of an R in the first place??? Sounds like a VW money grab for a car that is already so expensive! Having said that, I need a 2nd mortgage!
Its called, money, money....
you have to pay for the Mercedes package to
Just because AMG/ Mercedes does it doesn’t mean VW or any one else has to. In fact, they’ll get more props if they can fully equip a performance car with no hidden costs. People will respect and love that more.
Choice, people enjoy speccing a car, not everyone wants 19’s and a wing.
Expensive? Just compare with counterparts first!
Proper review! nice one mate , still I'm not impressed with the look of the new Golf R
You rory are the new top gear all day great review 👍
EA888 is the best 4-Cylinder engine in the world...ba far...Its close of perfomance to amg a45 and rs3 ,which have almost 100 HP more..Incredible...
Everything is an improvement over the previous version except for the looks and wheel design's. I'm sure they'll sell / lease loads, but they could have styled it better. Horrible....
I think it looks good .
Still think a Mk 7.5 with a tune and a couple of bolt-on mods is the way to go, that easily gets you flirting with 400hp.
I just can't get over that face, and I really dislike the move to all-touch controls with piano black surrounding the driver. The constant presence of fingerprints and dust would really bother me day to day.
But this 320hp is making 355 on dyno this can go 480hp with the same mods u will be doing in the 7.5
@@MonicaHolly143 That may be true and if I were tracking this car, that would be more of a factor. But as a daily driver, I'd be plenty happy with 400hp, and happier still with a car that I preferred to be in and look at.
🇨🇦Brilliant review!! Best review of a car I have ever seen, honestly!
They’ve finally made the seats look interesting. Had a 7.5 GTi and didn’t even consider an R as it was so boring inside. Saw one of these on the road earlier and they look clean and modern. Don’t think anyone will have any regrets if they buy one.
You had a gti because you couldn't afford the R
Fantastic video Dan, you’ve come a long way.
This video is like a video version of the Golf R itself. Just nice thing. Good work pistonheads
This, or a gaudy A35/m135i? VW are gonna sell a fekin load of em, good on ya lads
For sure not an A35. Car just looks good but performance wise is behind Golf R
@@krisss137 Stage 1 A35 and your on par with this. Easy. Golf R just looks crap to be frank. But I get it looks understated which is what some people like
The M135i is a big meh for a lot of people due to it being mostly FWD and only very rarely AWD. That and the fact its downsized to 4 cylinders
I have a 7.5 think I'll wait for the 8.5 when they've sorted the touchscreen / button thing
Don't think there's a good chance of that happening. Just look at new Audi's and other VW products, they are set on getting rid of buttons to reduce cost.
I’m always amazed at how this is called the every man s car . I’m not from England but I looked it up and the average uk salary is 29000 . This is an incredibly expensive car at nearly 40000 . Can anyone tell me how you can lease a 35000 car for 300 per month . Even after 5 years you have paid back only 18000 .
I’m so puzzled at the cost of this R, the mk7 was just reachable for the enthusiastic car mad youngster, now they can’t afford it so who the hell is going to buy it
@@MT-kx2uc enjoy a great car because that is what it is 👍
@@coops111s thats a good thing keeps a lot of idiots driving around in a car with 300hp
A M A Z I N G Car ... also with this smooth spec!!! In add to this ... this the best review and footage of the mk8 R.
Great description of VW paddles, and I've finally been able to understand what it is I don't like about them
I like the Golf R but it flies a little bit too much under the radar for me.
I'm not entirely sure of the looks of the mark 8 overall.
So as the mk7 ur looking at a reliable 50+ hp on a remap n you'll see 270+ hp depending on the new turbo fitted to this TSI engine only it will bring this car to life a few bolt on mods to open up the car ul see that magic 400 hp but it will be capable to handle it with the new 4wd system
Good car Gold R for Boston... cool test drive... cool video
I’ve heard the steering crispness is improved when you use the nerburgring mode, so you would have to get the R performance pack upgrade
Is this the guy from Coldplay ??
Superb review. You really know your shit. Subbed!
Sounds like it would be a better hoot on track
How's the handling and steering in this compared to civic type r? I hope I see a comparison between the 2 eventually
Excellent presentation of a car on my list.
Think léon cupra 5f still the one to have with this engine. Lighter, manual as mine, big brakes, more involving. But gone.
@@tracktimevideos5164 I have a cupra 300 and ye off the lights it isn’t great but down country roads it’s as good as any if not better
amazing review
Is the adaptive chassis same as the Golf GTI? Does GTI have the same comfort levels as this with 15 settings?
It looks nice and pretty good deal while having a minimum level of equipment to call it sporty.
Am I the only person who think this car is butt ugly? To each his/her own
Between this and bmw’s new front grill im very worried where automotive design is going.
@@augustortiz You are not alone. They are going to be ugly and electric
Nope. It looks shit and that interior is an abomination to look at too.
Awful
The price though with options can easily go over 50k and at that point it is up against a BMW M2C and I know what I whould do
I Just did configurator.
All 25 options = £57.012 😂
Golf 8 r is faster than Golf Clubsport on a track too
Acceleration times??
Have VW sorted out the water pump housing failing at any point from 10,000 miles or even less? The same issue that appears in many EA888 motors but VAG refuse to see it as a recall issue?
I hope they have! They've had plenty time now to fix the issue but I wouldn't hold my breath.
They don’t care about it.
Styling, always subjective, has lost the crisp coherence of the Mk7. The rear in particular just doesn’t seem to hang together well for me. But the worst element is the relationship between the rear wheels and the arches. Just looks like they’ve accidentally left a couple of spacers out.
Cars that makes noise? That's so 10 years ago.
features are cool obviously but the design is crap on this one :(
The old one is better isn’t it ??
Phew. I’m glad he likes the seating position. I was getting worried there for a moment 😰
Also, cool blue light in the centre console. Can we retro fit them in older cars?
Lockdown has been so shit for me I actually got excited being the 1000th like. FML!
Looking forward to the Type R comparison!
Anybody happen to see the front bumper of the Z4 sDrive30i...🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️
more power? twin turbo and supercharge it
Prosser + Golf R? Why?
Only had to watch till 1:25 to see, if they fixed the touch desaster. Obviously they didn't so I won't get one anyway.
You had me at squishy engine cover
What a disappointment the steering feel isn’t as good as mk7 r.
No Manual. It's no longer a hot hatch, just a saloon car.
Usual pistonhead videos
2m look at the car with little detail then 3/4 just some bloke prattling on
Other channels give more details then last 2 minutes show u how it drives n sounds
Seems strange not to even mention any of the main competitors to the new R, like the A35, M135i and even the S3. Even the new AWD system could be compared to the systems in the Focus RS and the A45S (which is a good thing for the R). Even with the interior, it's compared to other Golfs (like the paddle comparison) instead of the real competition.
It's hard to take a review seriously that seems to be based on the assumption that a VW is the only car you should be getting and it's just a matter of choosing between them.
What a car 👌
Bang-up review
Like the content - why slam it through the water , no good for the car -- press car I gess but you would just not do that. No son.
funny he sez he thinks it could have more power when most are dynoing at over 350
Popped my leasing cherry on the mk7 R
Nice
100% of the torque to the rear wheels PROVIDED the fronts are up in the air. Virtually impossible...
100% to one of the rear wheels not both as in torque vectoring
Not worth the money €72k in Ireland
Again just a brilliant summery and video by both Dan Prosser and piston heads. Superb stuff that just cuts through the shit that gets put on UA-cam as a review. You can’t beat the professionals.
Car manufacturers please take note We the general public don’t want some dick head influencer telling me it’s “well fast” in a drag race, or that drift mode is “sick”.
We want professional content and valences reviews about how a car feels and drives! Give these journalists more of a chance to do that for us!!
👏👏👏
Excellent post
‘valences’?
Well said mate
Well said Matt. I watched a review of the Golf R on Archie Hamilton Racing channel who is more of a influencer and he was all over the top and did the stereotypical drag race. This Pistonheads review was a breath of fresh air. Very professional and gave me all the sensible information I wanted about the Golf R as a 47 year old ( I won’t be drifting around corners, driving around the Nuremberg Ring or drag racing) I have owned 2 Golf GTI’s and currently have a GTD and because of this review will be buying a Golf R next year.
Is this anyone else’s first piston heads video?
Other than the LaFerrari Aperta launch video, this one is my first review. I was just looking for new Golf R reviews and only they and Carwow have ones in English
Dan's doing a good job againnnn! Excited to hear this weeks DN podcast!
The base model's exhaust tips remind me of those standard cars from Gran Turismo 5 with the unfinished textures.
It needs the R-Performance pack to finish off that rear-end in my opinion. Otherwise a great car!
They look horrid! Why so thick and Matt looking :/ The engine cover says it all for me.
Elephant in the room. My Mk 7 Golf R cost £27,500 new after some fairly strong haggling down from £32k. This Mk 8 offers not much more and is almost £40k, don’t get me wrong it looks a superb motor but is that increase really justified? Also, I’ve never ever been close to losing grip at insane speeds through corners or thought this cars a bit slow (well once when a BMW M5 showed me it’s backside on a straight) I’ve embarrassed Ferraris, Porsches and Astons on cross country lanes - so was the old R just too good and this new one is just about finessing?
Finally, no manual, no three door, only 3 colours and no red ☹️ that’s a lot of options to lose and my Mk 7 is all of these!
Still, I would buy one, but maybe wait a while for the inevitable deals to kick in when VW realise they ain’t going to sell as many at this price.
Nice and all but dont want the drama of getting car jacked, house broken into and people thinking I'm a drug dealer.
Sounds very capable but you cant stop repeating its an all rounder. For something with "R" in it and that much power. Ill rather go Trophy/CiviC/GR Yaris etc... A regular golf GTI is also an all rounder
@@tracktimevideos5164 man jealous! family man now so toy cars off the radar. will stick with my clio RS TROPHY for now. still a barrel of laughs
@@tracktimevideos5164 Same here. Wife has a Tiguan. I drive a clio, She hates everything about it. the yellow paint, trophy suspension, akrapovic exhaust, the upshift farts. needless to say its my toy car :P
I think I’d buy the Clubsport over this.
There's never been a Golf R Clubsport lol, only GTIs come in Clubsport form
the clubsport looks better and sounds better
@@MT-kx2uc I know I like 2 wheel drive
@@MT-kx2uc Why should that be a problem?
The Mk7.5 Clubsport GTi, Leon Cupra 300, Megane RS Trophy, Honda Type R all 2wd and all way faster than the Mk7.5R at the Nurburgring and most other places with lots of corners. In fact more than 14 seconds faster in some cases that 4wd adds a lot of weight that isn't doing much to help the car once it's left the line from a standing start
@@bat33.12 some of us live in hilly environments that get a lot of snow, AWD is significantly superior to FWD w/LSD in those conditions. I like to go drifting when there is snow on the ground personally, that alone is worth the extra cost, especially since I don't track my daily and so lap times are entirely meaningless to me.
Its extraordinarily expensive with the options you want for a golf. Different cars but I’m still in love with my I30N. Anyway, this new Golf is lovely but as I say, just crazy with the options that you would want.
I've got a i30 N in engine red and really like it but if I could sleep at night with the Golf R on my driveway it'd be goodbye i30 N.
The worst looking European interior dash out there. Looks so cheap. Way too much touch.
There’s some real butt hurt MK7 owners that just want to slate this because they don’t fully understand what a game changer the new Haldex system is. This video explains that pretty well.
As a mk 7 owner, i do get the handling has come on a few leaps and i fully embrace that. The issue I have is with the cheapness of the interior and the terrible, terrible infotainment system. They have cut costs by using cheaper materials and if you add the performance pack it’s coming in at £47K....thats madness.
@@jirvine57 A Golf R with the PP isn’t £47K, it’s £41K. I agree with you regarding the cheap materials though.
However if you calculate inflation rate at the U.K. average of 2.5% per year since the last Golf came out, plus the increase in costs of getting the cars to the U.K. since Brexit then the price is about right. Add a diesel gate scandal onto that and you’ve got your price.
The problem is U.K. employers not giving annual wage rises in line with inflation. If employees were being paid this way then they wouldn’t necessarily notice the increase in price. Add that to the fact that the new one is always going to be more expensive.
At the end of the day, the RRP price is irrelevant for most people. People just want to know how much it’s going to cost them per month not realising that the RRP is going to effect the balloon payment.
@@jryalls So true about inflation and wage rises.
@@jryalls on Vw mk8R configurator if you tick all the boxes you can get a figure of £57.012 🤤
@@jryalls yes, but fully kitted out with all options is eye watering. From what I here, the emissions scandals is hitting their profits hard and like any company/bank etc they are passing on the costs to the consumer. I love my mk 7 Golf R, but would you pay that sort of money for the Mk 8?
Won't be cheap to tax every year with the additional £350.00 a year stealth tax on top of the normal road fund licence as it will list well over 40K with options.
Should be a way to keep it under the threshold and then take it back for some options. Maybe discuss it with the dealer.
Something which is never mentioned, £40k and over £500 plus any increase to tax a year for five years. No dealer discount can avoid that extra cost either as it’s based on RRP.
@@JMB1891 I must admit I find car reviews very frustrating when they just quote the list price when testing cars. It would be good if they quoted the on the road prices and stating all the options included before discount. Harry’s Garage always quotes the on the road prices and lists all the options. The tax is based on the list price of the car including options, delivery and VAT. The first year’s road tax and number plate can be deducted from this, approx £595.00.
Great review! Important to hear feedback from someone who has lived with the MK7 R for a good amount of time. Lots of people will find this very useful in deciding whether or not it's worth stepping from a 7R into and 8R 👍
Time for you to get one 😉 from the sounds of it these more basic spec ones with a couple of options are the sweet spot
@@TheErichottie 😀
@@GR8Tmate facelift 2023-24
It's a very capable car but still dull. It's for PCP heroes who will be trying to get 30mpg most of the time. They might have the occasional squirt up to 80mph but there is no need for drift mode or Nürburgring mode lol.
Its nice but it isn't exactly a step forward in comparison with the already great 7R. Its mad how you could pick up a 7R for 30k and now you need 40K for this.
Sure it handles great but I couldn't handle looking at it every day. And even after you get in there's those tacky moldings around the screens...
No thank you...I would rather have a Manual 7.5 .310 bhp..(.which doesn't have a back end which looks absolutely crap.)..and allows more relationship with the drive and experience than any flappy paddles will ever ever give you..
This guy articulates the experience so well and he’s so natural and there’s no “try hard” about him he’s just so easy to watch. Be coming back for more from him, top review, thanks a lot!
It looks sooo Pre-face-lift before it's even came out.
How do u mean that?
Glad to see I’m not the only one who felt this as well!
I first saw the 8 in the unveiling wearing the sharper 19”s opposed to the more blobby 18”s as well as the sleek akrapovic which in turn makes the standard exhaust look a bit dated already.
So possibly that’s why it looks a bit pre face lift already to me.... but totally get what you mean
Well it can nearly beats a Mercedes a45s so who cares
@@hiiiofficial8306 hell yeah ! I saw that. By quite a margin too. I’ll upgrade from my mk7 for sure when it hits Australian shores...... I’ll definitely swap out the seats though for sportster cs then will be 👌🏻 perfect
@@hiiiofficial8306 beats it at what?
Background music just beautiful, soothing. Not to take anything away from the review, its really good Dan.
Great description of how it handles. I could actually imagine what you were experiencing. Top job.
Why is no one reviewing the new Golf R fully loaded? Show us a review of the one with the sunroof, leather, 3 way climate control, heated and cooled seats, etc etc!
>39k
>Good value
Pick one.
it just looks so dull though, even by golf standards
I thought I was only one seeing that
Can't help but feel the same.
I absolutely love the way it looks, certainly prefer it to things like the civic type R that looks like it crashed into a halfords body kit isle
It looks dull because the colour grading is quite desaturated
And thats why the GTI Clubsport MK7 is still the best looking Golf! Check mods on my channel on it! 👍
I have lived with Golf GTi and R models since 1990. i have Just sold my Golf R which was APR tuned.it was so fast i was going to lose my licence
so when i saw this mk8 i very quickly went and got a mk7.5 GTI TCR.in pure .grey lovely looking but seems slow compared with my R.
i must admit being a Golf fan.I do not like the look of this new generation of hot hatches.the BMW is Hideous the Audi No.and this is not going down very
well in the comments i have seen,
Golf mk7 r .over this VW gone backwards with this one ,, not even one bit nice looking, even ford with the focus st looks better , and I drive a vw ,,,,,
Fire whoever was responsible for designing this if they haven’t already come to their senses and resigned.
Yeah, the 7 and especially the 7.5 look better.
Looks like 2016 Auris
Well, it still looks better than that hideous 300 hp Cupra 😂
people don't realise that the 18-inch alloy cars are faster than the 19 inch wheel cars, bigger wheels mean more drag, looks shit but i would still have one
Why is it faster with 18 inch wheels? I mean, i had a scirocco R with 19 inch, now i have a GTI clubsport MK7 with 18 inch wheels and indeed it feels faster....
"PistonHeads"? Oh, this channel name isn't gonna age well. 😂🤣😂
🤣
its gonna change to batteryheads
Motorheads
But can you live with all the touch buttons...
VW could not have done a better PR job. We have 2 golf R's in the family (mk7 and mk7.5) and I've had a mk8 for a 48hr test drive - The real review: Interior build quality feels cheaper than the mk7.5 which felt cheaper than the mk7. Fabric seats in the mk8 have the quality of a Dacia Sandero. Eye level plastics in the front have a quality feel but rear cabin and below eye level, definitely poundland. No change to the wing mirror glass adhesive or rear boot seals (according to VW) so expect to replace the glass in the wing mirrors often (if you use the heater element) and water in the boot. Paint quality on the Mk7.5 is an issue, hopefully with VW production moving from China to Germany (allegedly, although the Chinese factory is still open and fully manned for the next 4 years of VW's agreement with the Chinese government), They will have sorted out the very poor quality of the paint finish (durability mainly). Are we going to move over to the Mk8 Golf R? it's a 100% NO !!
great car but I like the gti club sport’s front grill better
one of my favourite reviewers on you tube keep up the good work 👍
"Glue-py" steering will be the deal breaker.....Now I have to test drive it this October when it comes out.
I would guess the 19 inch wheels will make the steering sharper and more direct, compared to the 18's he had. Also depends on the tires.
They've increased the price by 10k?
When will all new golf R be available for sale in Australia？
a very good and fast daily driver for petrolheads, a little bit expensive but for customers where have a little bit more money it´s perfect I think.
Great review of a great car, exceptional value for money for the performance on tap. We ran a four door R32 in this blue here in Switzerland for a while and it was a beautiful daily drive. ( it was my wife’s car ) after that an S3 and now a Mini JCW Countryman All 4. The Mini is nice and sounds great but you definitely notice the difference between 231 and 310ps and miss the power. This is definitely one for us when we are getting rid of the Mini..I just hope if we commit my wife will let me drive it ... 👍
1:03 - I thought BMW paint was orange peely. Wow.
Agreed, how can that even be regarded as acceptable by VW. This Mk8 just seems to be a cost saving exercise all over
Especially as this is a press car which would have gone through the VAG marketing and press process, meaning a lot of polishing and fettling.
All VW cars have orange peel.
Most new cars have this quality of paint
I heard a while back manufacturers do this so it's easier to tell if a panel has been resprayed.