MK7 VW GOLF R'S

[euge07]

been weighing up options for my next car and these seem to tick alot of the boxes

main things attracting me to them are 4wd, dsg, power, looks

not the biggest fan of the noise, best mods for this?

also what would you consider to be must have options, for me it would have to be the heated leather (standard cloth seats are dire looking imo) dsg is a must

it would be a daily car, so are they easy enough lived with? any big costs I should know about?

would it be worth spending £22-24grand on 1 with the low miles and better options?

 

[AC]

I’ve only had mine 2 years so far so I’m sure others could comment on long running costs but mine has only needed standard regular servicing.

Standard exhaust with exhaust flaps open is fine, some find it a bit droney. Aftermarket exhausts sound a bit **** IMO.

Heated leather, Pretorias, DSG and Panoramic roof would be my options of choice! I settled with no panoramic roof though.

Soft paint so would recommend a ceramic coating. Hubs tend to need painting often (once a year) but no big deal.

Running costs are fine, in an out to work I’d average 30mpg based on the trip. I’ve seen 38 on a long run driving like miss daisy. With mixed driving expect high 28ish average.

Overall easy car to live with.

 

[Ian A]

I'm yet to hear one that sounds good, regardless of exhaust type. Resonator delete is the most common mod for exhaust to free up a bit of noise, and suits a DSG car to free up a few farts and bangs.

Must haves, it's all down to preference really. Apple carplay is a brilliant job if applicable. At your budget, maybe worth stretching to a 7.5 car, as the active display dials are fantastic. The 7R is now 5 years old inside, wereas a 7.5 will still feel fresh.

Running wise, they're grand. Just make sure the diff oil / guaze is changed and cleaned regulalry, otherwise they're pretty much golden. Rear discs rust like mad, so if you get a car with 19" prets, it's worth painting them so you're not staring a rust.

 

[lalalupo]

Had mine a year now.

As stated above I'd find one with the high end stereo unit. Basically the one without the mute button. That's my only issue with mine and didn't no about it at the time, although Bluetooth is enough for me anyway really. Other option is the dcc if that's ur cup of tea. I never wanted it as I knew I'd buy coilovers, but I've heard nothing but good reviews on the system.

Other than that they are thirstier than a GTi but not to bad and they maintain like any other Golf really. Only annoying thing being the 5.7litre sump for obvious reasons.

Great all rounder. Quick, grippy and easy to live with.

 

[euge07]

Thanks guys
I would be ceramic coating, Plans for me would be stage 2 tuned, vwr springs and the 19" prets

Seems hard to get them with the heated leather, alot of them are basic spec but id assume the majority of them were ex leases

I see from reading online many of the early ones don't have satnav and this came standard on all models mid 2016?

is the mk7.5 from 2017 on? they would be over budget for me as no matter how nice they are I wouldnt fancy tying that much up in a golf

they look like the best petrol daily around that money then

 

[lalalupo]

Thanks guys
I would be ceramic coating, Plans for me would be stage 2 tuned, vwr springs and the 19" prets

Seems hard to get them with the heated leather, alot of them are basic spec but id assume the majority of them were ex leases

I see from reading online many of the early ones don't have satnav and this came standard on all models mid 2016?

is the mk7.5 from 2017 on? they would be over budget for me as no matter how nice they are I wouldnt fancy tying that much up in a golf

they look like the best petrol daily around that money then

Not sure about the satnav situation as mine is may 2016..at least it is on the log book and doesn't have it.

I've herd good things on the spring especially paired with DCC. I can confirm quality as I run the Vwr streetsport+ coilovers.

 

[euge07]

Not sure about the satnav situation as mine is may 2016..at least it is on the log book and doesn't have it.

I've herd good things on the spring especially paired with DCC. I can confirm quality as I run the Vwr streetsport+ coilovers.

have you a thread on here on yours?

 

[Boydie]

I've the S3 so basically the same - I daily drive mine and have done the last 2 years and still love it. I have also gone through 3 stages of tuning and daily driving hasn't changed at all (from 300bhp to 450bhp)

• Basic mods you can do is:
• remove grill from inside air box
• change panel filter to aftermarket
• or change intake completely, plenty online second hand now
• change inlet pipe
• install aftermarket turbo muffler
• resonator delete on OEM system

 

[bill]

This is my dream car at the minute

 

[Peadar]

I hated mine. DSG box is the worst double clutch system in the world, very hesitant at slow speeds to the point it's dangerous. The infotainment system is horrific, try trying to phone someone while driving along using the touchscreen. You will crash the car.

Good points are that it's pretty quick point to point and the grip is phenomenal, wet and greasy days you're the quickest guy on the road in a Golf R.

 

[euge07]

I hated mine. DSG box is the worst double clutch system in the world, very hesitant at slow speeds to the point it's dangerous. The infotainment system is horrific, try trying to phone someone while driving along using the touchscreen. You will crash the car.

Good points are that it's pretty quick point to point and the grip is phenomenal, wet and greasy days you're the quickest guy on the road in a Golf R.

Was yours standard? do you think a remap and dsg remap would have helped?
I'm not big into the audio side of things, would like the nav though, and as long as has usb port im happy enough that way lol

 

[ChrisL]

@Bigman

 

[Lyons]

Discovery Pro is the 8” screen option and was the best sat nav unit you could get in the Mk7.

The big standard screen was 5.8” in the early models, and 6.5” was the discovery nav. The 5.8” screen was done away with in 2016 and all had 6.5”. All can be retro fitted including the Mk7.5 unit and digital dash.

 

[Lyons]

This is my dream car at the minute
View attachment 232237

 

[euge07]

Discovery Pro is the 8” screen option and was the best sat nav unit you could get in the Mk7.

The big standard screen was 5.8” in the early models, and 6.5” was the discovery nav. The 5.8” screen was done away with in 2016 and all had 6.5”. All can be retro fitted including the Mk7.5 unit and digital dash.

which do you have in yours? is the 6.5inch screen in the 2016-2017 models decent enough? the digital dash in the 7.5 looks fantastic, I would imagine be an expensive retrofit

 

[Lyons]

Yup the 6.5” is ample. Mine came with the 5.8”, upgraded to discovery pro but with the 6.5” screen, then I upgraded to the 8” a few weeks later just because!

 

[G N K]

I'd be all over an S3 or an M135i before even contemplating buying the Golf R.

They are a lovely car but there is just sooo many of them!

Also the two alternitatives I've suggested sound better too.

 

[Lyons]

S3 sounds the same?!

 

[bill]

@Lyons lol

 

[Lyons]

Personal taste, but I think it looks absolutely horrendous! I also think the Mk7.5 R looks less aggressive then the Mk7.

 

[redanni]

We've had 2 now and done over 50k miles in them, honestly think they are great, not too bad on running costs either.
Would and might get another one, undecided yet

A small plug here but ours is for sale on UCNI ATM, plus it's just benefited from a major service including all Gearbox fluids

You are very welcome to come take a drive in ours and do some tyre kicking, genuinely don't care if it sells or not!

 

[NickR]

I had a 7.5 R with pretty much full spec except leather and I wasnt fussed on the VW leather.

My insurance was in and around £400 fully comp which was around £200 cheaper than the BMW it replaced. It was £500 a year tax for the first 4 years due to the list price being over £40k.

As said, they are a very quick car and stick to the road like glue. The interior improvements in the 7.5 made a big difference in my opinion with the addition of the virtual cockpit and darker material on the fabric seats.

Exterior wise, I loved how mine looked with the white silver and panoramic roof. Paintwork was very soft and easily damaged by stone chips. I had mine coated with CS Ultra by @big_pete after the PDI before I collected it.

I drove mine in race mode most of the time with the DSG in sport mode and I was regularly achieving 34mpg.

I liked it but I just didn't love it. I didnt find myself enjoying it as much as I did the F31.

The sound was a major let down and even with aftermarket exhausts they still dont sound great. The demonstrator with the akra exhaust didnt sound bad but at a 3k option for a back box I just wasnt paying that. I coded of the soundaktor speaker using OBDEleven (well worth buying if you decide to get an R)

The interior build quality was ok, I had to take mine back due to a rattle behind the dash that was driving me mad. It was the soundaktor speaker and VW have a fix (basically some padding between the speaker and the body of the car).

Would I buy another....that's a hard question. Maybe in a few years when the 7.5 has dropped in price. As said above I kind of regret not going for the M140i that I also tested before purchasing the R.

 

[lalalupo]

have you a thread on here on yours?

Glen's Lapiz MK7R

Going in..... Wanted the fronts in first to test the damping before I do the rears, as KW has done a piss poor job in designing the rear damping adjuster. I've set up at 2 clicks higher than they came out of the box. Still need to toy around a bit, but they feel good. Road noise is reduced...

rmsmotoring.com

 

[Deezer-D]

I had a 2016 lease spec one and loved it. They are a quick, practical, surefooted, fairly well specced (in standard trim) daily that does everything I wanted from a car.
They get a bit of bad press, mostly from bandwagoners who’ve never driven or owned one because they were popular on the early cheap lease deals.
Must haves (for me) would be 19” Prets, Discover Nav, CarPlay and the adjustable damper option. To be honest I think the 7.5 cloth interior is nicer than the leather.
I liked mine so much I replaced it with another MQB car (S3).
Go drive one, make your own mind up.

 

[davyk31]

Not as quick but can highly recommend a Mk7.5 GTI. Still plenty of power and exhaust sounds. Best bit of all is that many people think the GTi looks a lot better and mine sure does get a lot of comments.