Topic: Type R vs GR Corolla vs Golf R

[Layne]

No surprises here.

https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/comparison-test/a43158461/2023-honda-civic-type-r-2023-toyota-gr-corolla-circuit-2022-volkswagen-golf-r-compared/

[JohnnyMac]

I would be happy with any of the three, and I'm happy they all exist. 

[Jaeger]

I would be happy with any of the three, and I'm happy they all exist.

No argument here.

[Patrick_D1]

This was a good write-up. Fixed the shifter issue in mine with a Black Forest Industries weighted shift knob (billet aluminum + perforated Nappa leather).

[Layne]

I would be happy with any of the three, and I'm happy they all exist.

Indeed

[DriverJeff]

Looking forward to finally getting some seat time with the Type-R in a few weeks. I ran into Dan (from autotrader) when he had it last autumn(?) and he was absolutely gushing about it and how much better it is than the previous generation.

The thing is, if it's just a track car, that's fine, but living where we do, we get rain, sleet, snow, etc. etc. and no matter how good the system is, I detest seeing that TCS light flashing at me when trying to make a quick left turn at a stop light and you simply haven't got the traction. Honda has figured out the secret sauce to make FWD amazing, but it still doesn't have the same appeal for me as AWD in a hot hatch. And as much as I lovvvvve driving the GR Corolla, paying what they want for such a basic car when the Golf R is so well equipped, would be a hard pill to swallow. 

[valuator]

I would be happy with any of the three, and I'm happy they all exist.

For sure.  The Golf R is far and away my pick, though.  I value the AWD, the interior quality, and the more understated appearance.

[Jaeger]

Looking forward to finally getting some seat time with the Type-R in a few weeks. I ran into Dan (from autotrader) when he had it last autumn(?) and he was absolutely gushing about it and how much better it is than the previous generation.

The thing is, if it's just a track car, that's fine, but living where we do, we get rain, sleet, snow, etc. etc. and no matter how good the system is, I detest seeing that TCS light flashing at me when trying to make a quick left turn at a stop light and you simply haven't got the traction. Honda has figured out the secret sauce to make FWD amazing, but it still doesn't have the same appeal for me as AWD in a hot hatch. And as much as I lovvvvve driving the GR Corolla, paying what they want for such a basic car when the Golf R is so well equipped, would be a hard pill to swallow.

 

[valuator]

I would be happy with any of the three, and I'm happy they all exist.

For sure.  The Golf R is far and away my pick, though.  I value the AWD, the interior quality, and the more understated appearance.

Interior quality?  Have you sat in the MK8 R?  Definite downgrade from the MK7.

It’s all relative. I haven’t sat in any of them, but from the photos it looks the nicest to me. 

[JohnnyMac]

The thing that I am realizing about my experience between my Golf R, GLI, and Civic Si is that the VWs are a bit too polished and civil.  It made them less characterful, the Golf R of course had some character but the GLI was very boring and I never bonded with it.  Meanwhile my Civic seems to speak to me more, even though it’s the most civil and grown up Si so far.

Something I saw on YouTube was an interview with John Cena, who I guess drives a Type R daily because it’s so practical, roomy, reliable, and fast.  He has a bunch of sports cars but prefers driving the Civic.  Found that interesting and endearing that a guy that rich and famous would drive a Civic.

[DriverJeff]

I would be happy with any of the three, and I'm happy they all exist.

For sure.  The Golf R is far and away my pick, though.  I value the AWD, the interior quality, and the more understated appearance.

Interior quality?  Have you sat in the MK8 R?  Definite downgrade from the MK7.

Maybe... but it's still leagues ahead of the GR Corolla.

[Layne]

I would be happy with any of the three, and I'm happy they all exist.

For sure.  The Golf R is far and away my pick, though.  I value the AWD, the interior quality, and the more understated appearance.

Interior quality?  Have you sat in the MK8 R?  Definite downgrade from the MK7.

Maybe... but it's still leagues ahead of the GR Corolla.

Not what I am reading.

Additionally, the Civics interior is of higher quality than both.

[JohnnyMac]

I would be happy with any of the three, and I'm happy they all exist.

For sure.  The Golf R is far and away my pick, though.  I value the AWD, the interior quality, and the more understated appearance.

Interior quality?  Have you sat in the MK8 R?  Definite downgrade from the MK7.

Maybe... but it's still leagues ahead of the GR Corolla.

Not what I am reading.

Additionally, the Civics interior is of higher quality than both.

Best seats, most room, and best manual of the bunch.  Not sure the tech or interface is any real upgrade over the other two.

[Layne]

I managed to get a rip in my buddies new Golf R.  Fun little thing.

But it has got to have one of the worst interiors at almost any price point that I have seen.  The choice of materials is a significant downgrade from the MK7.  Even the doors don’t close with authority anymore. The dash has a rubberized material now.

Anyhoo.  That is all.

[marcus_go]

I managed to get a rip in my buddies new Golf R.  Fun little thing.

But it has got to have one of the worst interiors at almost any price point that I have seen.  The choice of materials is a significant downgrade from the MK7.  Even the doors don’t close with authority anymore. The dash has a rubberized material now.

Anyhoo.  That is all.

DSG or 6-speed?

I heard that the MK8 has some cost cutting compared to the MK7. The MK7 interior always punched above its weight for the segment.

[Layne]

I managed to get a rip in my buddies new Golf R.  Fun little thing.

But it has got to have one of the worst interiors at almost any price point that I have seen.  The choice of materials is a significant downgrade from the MK7.  Even the doors don’t close with authority anymore. The dash has a rubberized material now.

Anyhoo.  That is all.

DSG or 6-speed?

I heard that the MK8 has some cost cutting compared to the MK7. The MK7 interior always punched above its weight for the segment.

He has the DSG.  Yeah, compared to the MK7, the difference is night and day.  It’s a fun car though.  I think if it was below $50K it would be a steal.

[JohnnyMac]

I managed to get a rip in my buddies new Golf R.  Fun little thing.

But it has got to have one of the worst interiors at almost any price point that I have seen.  The choice of materials is a significant downgrade from the MK7.  Even the doors don’t close with authority anymore. The dash has a rubberized material now.

Anyhoo.  That is all.

Not that surprising. The difference in quality from my MK7 Golf R to this generation GLI that I owned was substantial.  But you can’t really see it visually, it’s more a feeling.

VW has completely lost their way with what made them unique and desirable for so long.  It’s all about selling the maximum amount of CUVs nowadays, and EVs.  In another decade they will be the German version of Mitsubishi, just a bunch of poo CUVs, and maybe a couple of EVs.

[tortoise]

The recent generations of Jetta all had interiors that were inferior to the Golf, so it's no surprise the GLI was a step down.

VW really lost their way when they abandoned wagons in the NA market. In Ottawa at least, GSW's and AllTracks are pretty common. 

[JohnnyMac]

The recent generations of Jetta all had interiors that were inferior to the Golf, so it's no surprise the GLI was a step down.

VW really lost their way when they abandoned wagons in the NA market. In Ottawa at least, GSW's and AllTracks are pretty common.

Agreed with all of that.  The current GLI has a similar quality interior of the current Golf R and that’s a good thing.

[warp]

I don't know about the Golf R but the Mk 7.5 GTI that I have clearly has better quality interior material vs the Mk 8 GTI that my friend got early this year. Having said that it is my impression that VW spent it's development $s on the mechanical side of things, the engine seems to be more refined in the Mk 8, somehow sounds smoother, maybe also better insulation, and that's without going into the merits or demerits of the all touch screen infotainment system in the MK 8. It's ironical because, before buying his GTI, my friend was pooh poohing my GTI because it was made in Mexico whereas the Mk 8s are all made in Germany and that was one of the primary reasons he pulled the trigger when he did!!