I love how there's no egos or trying to be flash in this video. Two down to earth blokes talking about a wicked car and how it fairs in everyday/real life. Love it. More videos please guys 🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽
This has got to be one of the best UA-cam videos I’ve ever watched, you can see the passion from the driver, knows what he’s talking about and it comes across well. Just watched this as I ordered mine last week, glad you recommend it
I have just leased a 2020 build , Indium grey no sunroof but with the upgraded sound system R Wagon , Still getting use to the auto, drove stick the the last 14 years (Subie WRX). Only annoying thing about the car is when you drive in "normal" mode the gears always seem to want to stay in 6th or 7th while driving at a lower speed which is not really in tune with the engine. Copes better when "race" mode is selected. Also on the fence with the fake interior engine sound. Other than that an excellent car...only 3200 km atm.
Great review on a car guys thoroughly enjoyed your take on the car.its one that I've been considering but I love my massive estate cars so il probably end up going with the superb sportline (220).The sound in the cabin seemed quite loud and intrusive but that being said there wasn't a time where you were having to raise your voices to hear each other.again great video and review.👍🏻
I turned the fake sound down completely with OBDS. My 7.5 2018 310 estate makes a sweet exauhst sound now, that definitely uses all four exauhst tails all of the time.
I've got one, in red too. Mine is the mk 7.5. Great all round car. I had a mk3 rs but it sucked as a family car. Id say the r eatate is nearly as fun as the rs was, but much better practically and is more comfy and can do everything, rs to be fair was brilliant at what it was intended for., but not at all the other eventualities. I'd actually say the r was quicker than the rs in a straight line, probably mostly down to the dsg.
Great car. Great review. I am thinking about one of these for my daily. (The good old Alhambra will stick around for trips.) I have 3 kids hovering around the teen years. Will all three fit in the back seat once in a while without a freakout? Most of the time it will just be the four of us going to school and stuff but for the occasional family outing around town will we be ok? I haven't been able to find out this info. Thanks! Subscribed.
Eric Wilson thanks! Good to hear you found the vid useful. It’s a great car, one of the best all rounders out there for sure. You will fit 3 in the back, definitely fine for short trips 👍
Enjoyed your review but it's a pity you couldn't have found the time to drive the car in automatic mode, in town, in traffic to provide a more complete picture. Not all real-life driving is done in North Wales.
@@15iwan So, wearing your smug face, you don't care that not everybody lives in the same type of location as you? I live in the country too but not exclusively as you seem to, I venture into towns and cities occasionally.
yeah good option if you need more space, it would lose out to the Golf on the handling front though! We have an Octavia VRS vid coming out soon so stay tuned for Skoda content!
One is designed as an estate version of a hot hatch, the other is a sportier version of a large saloon. It won't handle as well as the Golf. The Octavia might get close but still wont be as good in the corners.
The boot is surprisingly big with these, you’d have no problem getting a mtb in with the seats down.a 650b can go in with one wheel off. With the split rear seats we fitted a mtb in with a passenger in the back still
It's not ideal car for London (unfortunately I live their as well) Superb once out of town, I need to find some great roads like these guys are travelling.
J S it does okay as long as it’s not too rough. The 18” wheels will be better than the 19s on rough tracks with holes/ rocks. Ground clearance will be the main issue if you are taking on really rough tracks. The all wheel drive will help when things get a bit more loose/ wet
Haha you can see that I'm trying to talk myself into it despite being told its probably not the best option! I enjoy hiking and mountain biking but I also love this car!
J S This car has been on some fairly rough tracks up to biking spots before and managed to keep the front bumper and exhaust intact! I’m a sure you’ll be fine! Enjoy
Hi guys, please can you give me some advice - I am a bit torn between this and an Octavia VRS or a SQ5, what do you reckon? Family growing hence need more space :) thanks.
Hi Ed, all 3 are good options, I don’t think you’d be disappointed with any of them. We’ve driven the golf r and vrs, but not the sq5 so can’t give full opinion on that one. The vrs is the biggest car but hides its size well, very much a jack of all trades, quick, fun, practical, economical, and good value for money, watch our vid on it for full opinion. The golf r is a small estate that drives like a full on hot hatch, a great fast very fun all rounder. You can see what Chris thinks of owning it in this vid, he couldn’t recommend more! The sq5 is the most expensive and obviously an SUV so has more off-road capability if that’s a requirement. Still very quick and will have the best interior. If it was my money I’d go golf r!
Yeah the deals are way better new, and getting a used, pre-reg with DCC is very hard. But that interior is not that good, I want to ditch my Tiguan for this, but it exactly the same inside. Do I wait for the new Golf R early next year?
@@invisiblekid99 Yes, Ive got a Morgan plus 4, I gently nurse it along on leisurely trips I want it to last a lifetime, theres nothing buggers up engines quicker than hard acceleration :-)
@@jukeboxjohnnie Umm most sports cars actually need to be driven a bit harder more often. C63 amg, wrx etc the engines are worse from people who just drive around slowly. Thrashing and driving hard are not quite the same thing
Update on this - Chris’s sun roof has started leaking. Seems to be a common issue, sorted under warranty but still not ideal on a newish car. Doesn’t bode well for sunroof equipped cars in the long run
@@GuysThatDrive unbelievable, what a nightmare! Thanks for the update. I'm going to see my first two R's this weekend. Neither of them have the glass roof.
Hi guys great video, very informative. Found your channel as I'm currently looking into golf r estates. Wife and 2 kids(nearly) so looking for a family car that pleases the wife but a hot hatch that pleases me :). I'm looking to buy 2nd hand and I'm struggling to find one with dcc, does this car have it? If so what are your thoughts, is it something you wouldn't live without?
Tom Hulme Hi Tom, glad you found the vid useful. This car doesn’t have the DCC, to be honest the ride is pretty decent with the passive spring set up. I think the ride is helped on this car by having the 18” wheels too, 19s would probably make the ride a fair bit crashier. Don’t rule out non DCC equipped cars
I managed to test drive a 2017 r estate without dcc and Wow, what an amazing car. You are 100% correct if you're running 18s then you dont need dcc, the ride was actually better than my 2016 gtd. Unfortunately though we could agree on price so my search continues
You can if you have DCC. If not, putting the car in Eco mode or selecting Eco in Individual does reduce it to 30%. If you want it gone completely and you don't have DCC, there's a fairly simple procedure for unplugging the Soundaktor completely @@GuysThatDrive
I love how there's no egos or trying to be flash in this video. Two down to earth blokes talking about a wicked car and how it fairs in everyday/real life. Love it. More videos please guys 🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽
Cheers, more vids coming! In the meantime got quite a few on the channel that are worth checking out!
This has got to be one of the best UA-cam videos I’ve ever watched, you can see the passion from the driver, knows what he’s talking about and it comes across well. Just watched this as I ordered mine last week, glad you recommend it
Ste Nesbitt glad you enjoyed the vid! You’ll love your Golf R!
I’ve always said golfs are great all rounders and golf r is the ultimate golf
I have just leased a 2020 build , Indium grey no sunroof but with the upgraded sound system R Wagon , Still getting use to the auto, drove stick the the last 14 years (Subie WRX). Only annoying thing about the car is when you drive in "normal" mode the gears always seem to want to stay in 6th or 7th while driving at a lower speed which is not really in tune with the engine. Copes better when "race" mode is selected. Also on the fence with the fake interior engine sound. Other than that an excellent car...only 3200 km atm.
Good choice, it’s one of the best all rounders out there
Great review on a car guys thoroughly enjoyed your take on the car.its one that I've been considering but I love my massive estate cars so il probably end up going with the superb sportline (220).The sound in the cabin seemed quite loud and intrusive but that being said there wasn't a time where you were having to raise your voices to hear each other.again great video and review.👍🏻
I turned the fake sound down completely with OBDS. My 7.5 2018 310 estate makes a sweet exauhst sound now, that definitely uses all four exauhst tails all of the time.
Had to take a year out from looking due to covid and moving house but this has reinvigorated my want for this car again. Any followup videos planned?
I've got one, in red too. Mine is the mk 7.5. Great all round car. I had a mk3 rs but it sucked as a family car. Id say the r eatate is nearly as fun as the rs was, but much better practically and is more comfy and can do everything, rs to be fair was brilliant at what it was intended for., but not at all the other eventualities. I'd actually say the r was quicker than the rs in a straight line, probably mostly down to the dsg.
I also live in N. Wales hahah
Khf jvc I have a mk3 rs and have been considering a golf r 7.5 estate. It the vw as enjoyable to drive? Also how does the mpg compare to the rs?
Great review, can’t wait to get my estate!
Good choice! Drives just as well as the hatch and looks way better!
i bought a vw golf r estate version 7.5 with the digital dash 2 years ago , i will never get rid of it , its too good.
We have a Limestone Grey R wagon & it's really is a sleeper....
Great car. Great review. I am thinking about one of these for my daily. (The good old Alhambra will stick around for trips.) I have 3 kids hovering around the teen years. Will all three fit in the back seat once in a while without a freakout? Most of the time it will just be the four of us going to school and stuff but for the occasional family outing around town will we be ok? I haven't been able to find out this info. Thanks! Subscribed.
Eric Wilson thanks! Good to hear you found the vid useful. It’s a great car, one of the best all rounders out there for sure. You will fit 3 in the back, definitely fine for short trips 👍
@Guys That Drive please can you guys do a follow up video of how Chris is getting on with the car ❤
On the list for my next car maybe next summer, do you still have it and if not what’s replaced it. Thanks great video.
Chris has moved on to an m340i touring now. Will make a video on that too at somepoint too
I’m looking at a similar car 2014 golf highline 1.4 turbo front wheel drive in Red.
Enjoyed your review but it's a pity you couldn't have found the time to drive the car in automatic mode, in town, in traffic to provide a more complete picture. Not all real-life driving is done in North Wales.
@@15iwan So, wearing your smug face, you don't care that not everybody lives in the same type of location as you? I live in the country too but not exclusively as you seem to, I venture into towns and cities occasionally.
Another option would be the Skoda Superb 280 estate? Not much more money (if any) and much more spacious.
yeah good option if you need more space, it would lose out to the Golf on the handling front though! We have an Octavia VRS vid coming out soon so stay tuned for Skoda content!
@@GuysThatDrive Why would it lose on the handling?
One is designed as an estate version of a hot hatch, the other is a sportier version of a large saloon. It won't handle as well as the Golf. The Octavia might get close but still wont be as good in the corners.
@@GuysThatDrive you are very welcome to drive mine, you may change your mind :)
@@skodasuperb7100 I had a superb. If you want handling and power...test an S4 Avant 😎
No doubt Chris has moved on by now, but do you remember which roof bars these were, and whether the sunroof opened with them on? Cheers!
They were Thule Wingbars (full width not Edge) and no the sunroof wouldn’t open with them on
You guys should make more videos
Alligator we should yeah! More coming soon
Hi great review. What’s it like getting an mtb in the boot with the seats down?
The boot is surprisingly big with these, you’d have no problem getting a mtb in with the seats down.a 650b can go in with one wheel off. With the split rear seats we fitted a mtb in with a passenger in the back still
I just got one lads, in London - getting 18mpg 😂 love it tho 👍ps red aswell ❤
It's not ideal car for London (unfortunately I live their as well) Superb once out of town,
I need to find some great roads like these guys are travelling.
Carbon grey best colour for me
Golf Gti subtle but potent
Really loved this video, thank you! One question, how does the car go getting to MTB trails? Could it handle some light off-roading?
J S it does okay as long as it’s not too rough. The 18” wheels will be better than the 19s on rough tracks with holes/ rocks. Ground clearance will be the main issue if you are taking on really rough tracks. The all wheel drive will help when things get a bit more loose/ wet
@@GuysThatDrive oh that's really good to know! There are some tricky bits but hopefully if I go super slow I should be right?
Haha you can see that I'm trying to talk myself into it despite being told its probably not the best option! I enjoy hiking and mountain biking but I also love this car!
J S This car has been on some fairly rough tracks up to biking spots before and managed to keep the front bumper and exhaust intact! I’m a sure you’ll be fine! Enjoy
Did you know the centre arm rest extends!
Hi guys, please can you give me some advice - I am a bit torn between this and an Octavia VRS or a SQ5, what do you reckon? Family growing hence need more space :) thanks.
Hi Ed, all 3 are good options, I don’t think you’d be disappointed with any of them. We’ve driven the golf r and vrs, but not the sq5 so can’t give full opinion on that one. The vrs is the biggest car but hides its size well, very much a jack of all trades, quick, fun, practical, economical, and good value for money, watch our vid on it for full opinion. The golf r is a small estate that drives like a full on hot hatch, a great fast very fun all rounder. You can see what Chris thinks of owning it in this vid, he couldn’t recommend more! The sq5 is the most expensive and obviously an SUV so has more off-road capability if that’s a requirement. Still very quick and will have the best interior. If it was my money
I’d go golf r!
@@GuysThatDrive many thanks for your reply and recommendation.... golf r estate it is then! 😃
You really need to hold the steering wheel properly... switching the grip all the time is dangerous at these speeds...
Wow, that's the perfect car for me as it holds the first letter of my first name
Time to buy one!
@@GuysThatDrive I'm on my way 🚗
"And the in-laws" so the chap in the passenger seat then haha
Youre convincing me its best to buy one of these new not used...
Yeah the deals are way better new, and getting a used, pre-reg with DCC is very hard. But that interior is not that good, I want to ditch my Tiguan for this, but it exactly the same inside. Do I wait for the new Golf R early next year?
@@invisiblekid99 That's not what I meant :-) I would never thrash a car like this and certainly wouldn't want one thrashed by someone else
@@jukeboxjohnnie you call that driving thrashing it? Wow. I'd buy a normal golf then.
@@invisiblekid99 Yes, Ive got a Morgan plus 4, I gently nurse it along on leisurely trips I want it to last a lifetime, theres nothing buggers up engines quicker than hard acceleration :-)
@@jukeboxjohnnie Umm most sports cars actually need to be driven a bit harder more often. C63 amg, wrx etc the engines are worse from people who just drive around slowly. Thrashing and driving hard are not quite the same thing
Does the sunroof creak or leak? I've heard they can be noisy and some people refer to it as the 'sprinkler system'
tom harrison I don’t think Chris has had any creak or leak issues with his
@@GuysThatDrive Cool thanks. I'm going to start looking for one soon, just hope my Geometron fits in the back.
tom harrison the Thule roof bars and bike carrier in this vid are great for lugging bikes around. Super strong
Update on this - Chris’s sun roof has started leaking. Seems to be a common issue, sorted under warranty but still not ideal on a newish car. Doesn’t bode well for sunroof equipped cars in the long run
@@GuysThatDrive unbelievable, what a nightmare! Thanks for the update. I'm going to see my first two R's this weekend. Neither of them have the glass roof.
The leather seats wear much quicker than normal material, best option are ergo comfort seats with alcantara
They don’t...! My 2013 Mk7 GTI has leather seats and there isn’t any wear at all....
Yeah they do, Alcantara is more expensive but lasts 3 times longer, and you don’t have to kill cows,
Except if you want a steak
Great video guys. These tune pretty well too… ahem hint 😂
stubones once the warranty is up I think its a must on this!
Hi guys great video, very informative. Found your channel as I'm currently looking into golf r estates. Wife and 2 kids(nearly) so looking for a family car that pleases the wife but a hot hatch that pleases me :). I'm looking to buy 2nd hand and I'm struggling to find one with dcc, does this car have it? If so what are your thoughts, is it something you wouldn't live without?
Tom Hulme Hi Tom, glad you found the vid useful. This car doesn’t have the DCC, to be honest the ride is pretty decent with the passive spring set up. I think the ride is helped on this car by having the 18” wheels too, 19s would probably make the ride a fair bit crashier. Don’t rule out non DCC equipped cars
@@GuysThatDrive brilliant thanks for the quick reply. Hopefully I will find one with the next few weeks
I managed to test drive a 2017 r estate without dcc and Wow, what an amazing car. You are 100% correct if you're running 18s then you dont need dcc, the ride was actually better than my 2016 gtd. Unfortunately though we could agree on price so my search continues
Tom Hulme they really are great cars, good luck in your search
I've finally bought 1, a 2017 model. Picking it up next week. Thanks guys for the awesome content that helped me buy my achievable dream car
Random question but what watch does Chris have on please
Hey! It's a Traser black storm Pro. Not sure if you can buy them in the shops
Get odb11 and turn off the soundaktor . Personally I hate it
THEG12EG you can switch it off in the individual setting too
You can if you have DCC. If not, putting the car in Eco mode or selecting Eco in Individual does reduce it to 30%. If you want it gone completely and you don't have DCC, there's a fairly simple procedure for unplugging the Soundaktor completely @@GuysThatDrive
resonater delete
You can’t really hear the dsg farts much
You can hear them better here: ua-cam.com/video/nABweEwtDRc/v-deo.htmlm31s