OK, this video and the companion Golf R video, are the best comparison between these two vehicles I've seen. Thank you for these well considered reviews!
Dad with a GTI checking in. Massively better audio. Great camera setup. Great content. Love these. That follow shot at 8:02 is nicely done. Great work.
VW underrates these cars by quite a bit. They will normally be in the 230-240hp range at the wheels (not the crank) in stock form on a dyno. Also dump the stock tires and put on a set of Michelin Pilot Sport 4S's.
I have a 2016 GTI S, without the diff, and I was dealing with the grip issues as well on the stock Bridgestone tires. The constant loss of traction drove me nuts, and finally replaced the tires and it was night and day. I put on Conti dsw's if it matters.
This video was really well done and informative. I appreciate your personal take on this car and why you ended up buying the R. The good work keeps getting better.
Amazing work, Casey! Even as a very happy GTI owner, I enjoyed and respected your personal perspective on the GTI. Tires really do change this car, though. The stock tires that come with the car (there are three or four different brands that they use) are complete and utter garbage. A follow-up video with your friend’s GTI would be interesting to see.
Thanks! Regarding tires, I think you're spot-on. My buddy with the Pirellis (which are actually Michelins - I misspoke) didn't have Bridgestones. He said his stock tires were also, exactly as you said, utter garbage. Hopefully I'll get some seat time in his someday.
I've heard *amazing* things about Michelin Pilot SuperSports. I had Pilot Sports on my BMW and loved them, though they did wear a bit quicker than I'd like. Naturally, your mileage (literally and figuratively, haha!) may vary.
Regarding Your Latest ATP, member Special, I just bought an eGolf and it has 240km of range even though the battery is only at 93% health. But it has all the extras like Heat Pump, App Remote, automatic mirror dimming, ACC etc. you name it and it was just 16500€ in Germany and mileage was just 20000km. I can really recommend that car and I also have the gasoline version as a wagon, but we never use
Stock Pirellis are pretty adequate for the power of the GTI, and I'm no Pirelli fan. I didn't think 220hp/258tq would feel that fast coming from a 2017 Mustang GT but let me tell you, the acceleration surprises me. It feels nearly as quick at times, and I have more confidence taking turns because the back end wont slide out. The GTI is the perfect car for me.
ATP lister and many time WWDC handshaker here :) Great stuff Casey, your videos are improving at a rapid rate. Video production quality, audio quality, and just how the whole thing sits together. If I can offer one suggestion: I want to hear you get fired up a bit more, like on ATP. I enjoy that Casey! Good luck with it mate
Keep up the videos. Your quality is improving and your multi-video arc helps me understand better what I value in a car. I know my future purchases will be more thoughtful and have higher satisfaction because of Casey on Cars.
great video, a bit repetitive with the bit about the power to the tires, otherwise excellent, don't know if i'm crazy with the jumpy gopro filming from the passenger's side
Hi Casey, my new car journey was very similar to yours. After driving a lot of cars including the GTI and Type R and a number of Giulias and Stelvios I ended up with an Audi RS3 which is like a Type R on steroids. Did you ever consider one of these ?
No, because they're two-pedal only. Though I've never been in an Audi 3, I did sit in a brand-new A4 a few weeks ago, and I really did not care for the interior layout. The quality of the interior was top notch, but the layout was weird to me.
Crazy improvements on the technical edits (and audio quality). The other bits like refining your cuts and being more concise will come naturally with time. Well done mate!
Great video! I love the new location for the outdoor shots of the car - green just looks so much nicer than gray :-) As a person with no idea of how these videos have to look, there is one thing I’d like to see more of in future videos: the interior of the car, used (just like the exterior shots) as filler for when you talk about totally unrelated things. Show us the details of what Volkswagen designed! :-) But as I said before: great video, great improvement over time. Keep up the good work!
Wonderful job! So impressed with the improvements! Obviously there are a few things that could be better, but I think you’ve made it to great content!!!
Casey Liss thanks for the feedback. I’m thinking seriously about a DSG R and I suspect that I will feel the same. Maybe I’ll just start doing left foot braking like I do with video games. Yeah, video game behavior on the street, that’s the ticket! 😉
I had a whole segment that got cut wherein I made an argument that the DSG could arguably be the better transmission for the R: it allows it to fully realize the point-and-shoot-ness of the R.
Casey Liss are you sure what you’re describing is due to the DSG and not the Turbo? Usually what happens is that in higher gear/lower rev you get less oomph because the turbo doesn’t kick in. Instead the dsg either shifts down if you force the pedal down or it kicks in with some delay once revs are up. That’s why the “sport” driving mode keeps revs generally up and hence the turbo readily available. I might also just have not understood your issue explanation well enough though ;)
We really need a GTI Coupe back in the US. I would buy one immediately if it was offered here. I don't care for the 4 door hatch version. I spent my 90s working on a 1988 16V GTI and a 1990 16V GLI and miss those cars like family members that past away.
Love seeing these videos popping up on my subscribed list. Keep it up! And if you want to do a video about all your gripes with the Model 3, you can use mine!
Great video. Loved the sunroof cut. How reactive was the LSD in corners? If you over applied throttle would it pull or was there wheelspin then as well?
Honestly, I never pushed it quite hard enough to be able to give you a good answer. I'd imagine that it would plow like any other FWD car, but unfortunately, I didn't have access to an airfield to try it out... 😈
@@caseyliss2458 I hear you. It's hard to feel dynamics on public roads. I have a few choice on-ramps and off-ramps that I use at reasonable levels of safety and legality ;). As far as the chirp in a straight line...I can get that out of my wife's base Focus. I also agree that the ZF 8 speed in crazy good.
I have 75,000+ miles on my 2015 MK7 GTI Autobahn. Pure White. Bought it brand new. I’ve owned multiple GM cars, a Ford, a Jeep, a Mazda, a Audi A6. My wife currently drives a Subaru. Hands down. The GTI is The Best car I’ve ever owned. Not one single reliably issue. 💯 recommended to anyone on the fence with this car. A pleasure to drive everyday on my 45 mile commute into the office (WI to MN). It won’t disappoint.
No joke, it's *great* to hear that you've had no reliability problems. Given my sordid history with my now-departed BMW, I'm hopeful that my now-purchased Golf R doesn't have the same problems.
Love your honest opinion. I've a 2008 VW GTI. It's almost 200,000 miles! I love driving it! In 2008, I didn't want to pull the trigger on the Golf R because it's a lot more money and not a whole lot of power for an AWD car. Nowadays, I don't want to pull the trigger on either because the 3-door version is not available. Between then and now, there were rumors about a GTI-R being developed. That would be something. However, I'd be apprehensive about a FWD car with 300+ HP. I'm thinking torque steer may rear its very ugly head. I don't like the Honda Civic Type-R even though there are a lot of good reviews about it. I'm 50+ years old now and, for me, to drive a Civic Type-R doesn't suit me at all. I'd prefer a Golf-R, 3-door, with a moon roof. But, I'll wait for the next model. The 2018/2019 still doesn't have 300 or more horsepower with the AWD. I'd love to see what VW will come up with to battle the Focus RS, WRX STI, and the Civic Type-R. I understand it's a hot hatch. A 300 horsepower or more hot hatch will suit me and my wife just fine. Keep doing what you're doing, man. Peace!
Yeah, it's a tough call. As I said in both this an my R review, there are a lot of compromises in both cars, in my opinion. However, I really do think the R was compromised - excepting the slicktop - in ways that I was comfortable with. Your mileage may vary. :)
Because torque is what matters when starting from a stop, and driving at speeds Americans drive on even the fastest roads. And there's only a ~20 ftlb ∆ between the two.
well. Car and driver has 0-60 at 4.5 for golf r and 5.8 for gti. both autos. quarter mile 13.2 and 14.4. those are 2015 models. same engines as now. seems like sort of big difference. i own a golf r (stage 2), but have never driven a gti. not tryin to argue, just wanted to point that out
The person driving the car in the background at 2:03 and the the GTI itself at 8:05 ... is that the same person? Did you just hire someone to help?! Is it literally 'Liss is More' now ? :-p
Nice one Casey! Does this car have a LSD, or was it just spinning one wheel? Looks like they’re partially addressing this for 2019: www.autoblog.com/2018/09/18/2019-vw-gti-retro-rabbit-edition/
HUGE improvement over the last video. I never really noticed any audio issues and the commentary was excellent as always. Although I agree with some others than you could've trimmed a little fat in the middle section.
You have progressed so far in such a short time with these videos. The audio is perfect now. The new lav mic was well worth the money. It’s meant the content of the video comes to the fore rather than the production quality and you’ve nailed the content. I’d also enjoy it if you to do regular follow up videos on the Golf R now you have it.
Casey Liss ah it just seemed pretty rare when we went on holiday to Cali. We had to struggle with seats and belts etc every time we travelled. I figured it wasn’t pretty much a thing.
Nice review mate. I have the 245hp 370nm gti 7 speed DSG here in Aus and I can tell you, tyres make a huuuge difference. I have Pirelli p zeros (standard here) and on a dry surface it grips almost flawlessly. In the wet things can get a bit sketchy so I'm going to upgrade to michelin PS4S. Trust me though, upgrade your tyres and you'll be smiling everytime. And the 7speed shifts like butter. Thanks for your review, it was excellent!
Thanks! Honestly, if I wasn't so intent on having AWD and/or the best available Golf, I'd have been really damn happy with a GTI 6MT. It's soooooo good.
Casey Liss the shot of you in the sunroof is my spirit animal. Really enjoyed having the GTI for near a decade. Was going to consider a 3 series, but no more manuals after this gen! Truly a sad time. The golf R makes quite a bit of sense and fast Golfs are of the last nice fun cars you can get with a manual (although I did price out a Honda Accord sport, Hi John)
That 3 series news cut deep when I read it. 😭 The Accord Sport is a great car, but I'd argue the R is actually more practical. More space! All wheel drive!
@@caseyliss2458 I agree, it's always good to have choice. One size l fits all, rarely fits anyone correctly. On a side note I've just ordered a Seat Leon FR ST, 2l tsi. which is basically a GTI estate. Same MQB platform and engine. Should be here first week of December. For me it looks a bit nicer than the gold and mainly for my area, far less common. Golf's are everywhere. I'd of take a polo gti over the golf, but then they wrecked the polo with the new model. I always thought the outgoing 3 door polo gti, would be what the original golf gti team would of built. It seemed to fit in nicely with the original car.
Great review and improvement in quality Casey. I did notice some of the critiques John and Marco had with the video. Maybe call up Alex Lindsay about lav mic placement (the pops and scrapes were a bit jarring on headphones). Overall though, you're doing a fantastic job, and the effort shows.
I've heard more than one complaint about the Bridgestones as well as the P7's. My MK 7 came with Conti Pro-Contacts. I have since replaced them with the new General G-Max all-seasons. Both sets of tires were/have been excellent with maximum traction and great/predictable breakaway characteristics. So instead of spending 6k more to go with the R which is in itself is a terrific ride - spend $600. and fix the lame tire syndrome. Great car.
Possibly. I never set out to include their commentary, but sometimes someone says something I *have* to include. :) This time, probably because we had just had the R, there wasn't anything notable.
Echo the comments about tightening the dialogue about the tires in the middle of the video. Big jump in quality of audio and video since the last review (which was a big jump over the one previous to it). You're getting good at this, looking forward to your next review.
I get what you mean regarding wheel spin, but the extra power is good to have, especially once you're beyond 1st or 2nd gear. I suppose it places greater demands on the driver to show restraint. I can see the appeal of the R, when you just want to get down the road without any fuss. It's good to see you appearing more relaxed, and sounding more like you do on ATP. The audio quality was better than I expected, with just a few variations left to iron out. Finally, how come you dropped the 'Casey on Cars' title prefix with this video?
Casey, your friend with the Pirelli tires is absolutely right. I own this exact model. Came with all season Pirelli's from the dealer. Not the greatest choice, especially compared to a dedicated summer tire, but I experience NONE of the wheel spin you cite. Yes, I can induce wheel spin, especially on a wet road if I floor it from a dead stop but that's the extent of the issue. I'll eventually replace them with Michelin's as I did on my MK6 GTI but the Pirelli's are quite adequate and obviously superior to the Bridgestone's on your tester. I also have the DSG transmission. Until I bought a 2012 GTI with the DSG I'd always had at least one vehicle in my garage with a traditional manual transmission. When I replaced my 2012 model with the 2018 I didn't hesitate to go with the DSG again. I can't compare it with the performance of BMW or Porsche automatics but I much prefer it to other traditional automatics I've driven. And since I typically drive my GTI in manual mode any weird transmission behavior is user error. When I replaced my GTI last year I seriously considered the R. I think its a marvelous vehicle. But several factors made the GTI a better choice for me. Living the Puget Sound area I love having a sunroof. Around here we need all the light we can get in a dark cabin. And both the R and the GTI is nearly all black inside. The R offers significantly more performance but apart from the fact that I don't often use even the power of the GTI in stock form, I had a Stage I tune on my previous GTI and it gave me everything I could ask for. And then there was the price. I bought my fully loaded Autobahn/DSG for $32,043 plus TTL. The best price I could get on an R was almost $10,000 more. I just couldn't justify that premium. BTW, an excellent, informative review.
Please do a director’s cut? Buff the infotainment screen? Shorten the “Front wheels drive, Bridgestone,, too much power fir the tires” scene ? Ask Marco to try the various DJI Osmo Mobile versions vs DJI Phantom drones compatibility with Overcast? and I am scared when you look into the camera instead of at the road (yeah, I’m French, and one of the worst)
2:15 IMO, Stop looking at the camera. If you can't stay focused on it, it's just distracting. The quick glances that you give the camera are nice, but look at car reviews from Top Gear or Matt Farah: they look at the camera before they start driving, but rarely as they are driving.
I've found the same grip problem with the standard Golf. As soon as boost kicks in, it has trouble with grip. I did some searching and couldn't find anyone else talking about the same issue. Good to hear I'm not the only one.
Good improvement. + Especially like your locations this time. + You're getting better at not looking at the camera. + Editing is getting more click and the time was perfect. - Might want to wipe down the touchscreen before doing an interior fashion shot. - Have you tried looking at Jason Snell's audio filter settings for podcasts? (Google it, he has a great post on Six Colors) You might be able to apply some of the same techniques to bring the audio quality up.
Video noticeably improved, especially in-car! Audio now sounds good instead of fine! The only recommendation I have is that you should avoid telling people to stop and watch another 15 min video to get context. Entertaining video! Keep up the great work! Looking forward to watch you slowly turn into an electric guy.
On the technical side all majors flaws from previous videos are gone, now it's only a question of fine tuning audio and video which is stuff that you'll learn with time. On the stylistic side i think it's ok, can't comment further because i'm not that much of a car guy but there is a flow and it works reasonably well.
Those dark garage shots just don't work for me. Other than that, these videos are already much better than videos from many other TH-cam car channels. Can't wait to see more.
No sunroof buy the convertible R,not sure if it's a 4x4 though in the convertible,i want a sunroof option on every hatchback for the UK but we lose out on many models. But there's hope the Mk8 Fiesta ST has an option for it now but it looks worse than the Mk7 and it's lost a piston!
The entire Golf MK VII line is larger, more rigid, and lighter than its predecessor. That kinda stuff only comes out of a decade of R&D. You can REALLY geek out about the techniques they invented to stamp and weld the chassis and body.
Love the sun roof cut!
Casey, these are getting better and better, well done
Crazy to see the quality increase from Video to Video. Keep up the great Work!
Additional Question: Did you change anything about the audio recording solutions? IN-Car Audio was hugely better compared to previous Videos
Agreed, the progress over your videos is really remarkable.
Mathias Götz he is wearing a lav mic
Wow, what a professional looking and sounding video. Keep it up!
Plot twist: he bought a F-150 instead.
Stephen Hackett white wrangler😬
He does look gay 🤔
OK, this video and the companion Golf R video, are the best comparison between these two vehicles I've seen. Thank you for these well considered reviews!
That's extremely kind of you, James! Thank you!! 💙
Gotta love the car seat installation with squirming boy rolling about in back. Way to keep it real, Casey!
Great video. Love all the different shots, and you seem so relaxed as well! You're getting me excited about cars myself again.
💯💯💯
Dad with a GTI checking in. Massively better audio. Great camera setup. Great content. Love these.
That follow shot at 8:02 is nicely done. Great work.
Thanks, Mike!
An informative and thoughtful review. Enjoyed hearing about and seeing how the cars drive.
VW underrates these cars by quite a bit. They will normally be in the 230-240hp range at the wheels (not the crank) in stock form on a dyno. Also dump the stock tires and put on a set of Michelin Pilot Sport 4S's.
Listen to that great audio! Solid review Casey
#babysteps
In some aspects this is an eye opening review ! Great job !!!
I have a 2016 GTI S, without the diff, and I was dealing with the grip issues as well on the stock Bridgestone tires. The constant loss of traction drove me nuts, and finally replaced the tires and it was night and day. I put on Conti dsw's if it matters.
These are getting better and better, keep it up Casey!
I love these videos so much. They’re definitely getting better with every one!!
The underbody comparison at 8:30 is great, reminds me of SavageGeese.
This video was really well done and informative. I appreciate your personal take on this car and why you ended up buying the R. The good work keeps getting better.
Nice video, just bought 2018 GTI with the DSG and love it... been a while since i have owned a VW...
A little bit repetitive in the middle part. You could have straighten that through better editing. Still nice review though.
Really enjoying your car videos so far, I’m looking forward to your next one!
Amazing work, Casey! Even as a very happy GTI owner, I enjoyed and respected your personal perspective on the GTI.
Tires really do change this car, though. The stock tires that come with the car (there are three or four different brands that they use) are complete and utter garbage.
A follow-up video with your friend’s GTI would be interesting to see.
Thanks!
Regarding tires, I think you're spot-on. My buddy with the Pirellis (which are actually Michelins - I misspoke) didn't have Bridgestones. He said his stock tires were also, exactly as you said, utter garbage.
Hopefully I'll get some seat time in his someday.
I've heard *amazing* things about Michelin Pilot SuperSports. I had Pilot Sports on my BMW and loved them, though they did wear a bit quicker than I'd like.
Naturally, your mileage (literally and figuratively, haha!) may vary.
12:31 minutes of repeating yourself about the spinning and 4wd, tornado red beautiful color by the way
Regarding Your Latest ATP, member Special, I just bought an eGolf and it has 240km of range even though the battery is only at 93% health. But it has all the extras like Heat Pump, App Remote, automatic mirror dimming, ACC etc. you name it and it was just 16500€ in Germany and mileage was just 20000km. I can really recommend that car and I also have the gasoline version as a wagon, but we never use
Stock Pirellis are pretty adequate for the power of the GTI, and I'm no Pirelli fan. I didn't think 220hp/258tq would feel that fast coming from a 2017 Mustang GT but let me tell you, the acceleration surprises me. It feels nearly as quick at times, and I have more confidence taking turns because the back end wont slide out. The GTI is the perfect car for me.
Another great review! And I LOLed when you were standing in the sun roof.
Thanks for the amazing video.
ATP lister and many time WWDC handshaker here :) Great stuff Casey, your videos are improving at a rapid rate. Video production quality, audio quality, and just how the whole thing sits together. If I can offer one suggestion: I want to hear you get fired up a bit more, like on ATP. I enjoy that Casey! Good luck with it mate
Great video. But does the GTI have the same terrible volume knob as the Golf R?
Are you referring to the logo spinning while turning the knob ? I thought I was the only one that this irritates. Lol.
YES! 😭
what a fantastic review, thank you!
Sounds like you need a different set of tires!!
Liked the video. But how often do you accelerate that fast to cause wheel spin. After the car is moving I don't get any wheel spin.
i got conti extreme contact sport and they work great for grip on the GTI
Keep up the videos. Your quality is improving and your multi-video arc helps me understand better what I value in a car. I know my future purchases will be more thoughtful and have higher satisfaction because of Casey on Cars.
2 words ,Throttle modulation👍🏼
Really nice video. The best so far by far
great video, a bit repetitive with the bit about the power to the tires, otherwise excellent, don't know if i'm crazy with the jumpy gopro filming from the passenger's side
Bought the XS to avoid the stabilization-problem yet?
🙉 🙈
I love the ATP shirt. Great job Casey.
Hi Casey, my new car journey was very similar to yours. After driving a lot of cars including the GTI and Type R and a number of Giulias and Stelvios I ended up with an Audi RS3 which is like a Type R on steroids. Did you ever consider one of these ?
No, because they're two-pedal only.
Though I've never been in an Audi 3, I did sit in a brand-new A4 a few weeks ago, and I really did not care for the interior layout. The quality of the interior was top notch, but the layout was weird to me.
Crazy improvements on the technical edits (and audio quality). The other bits like refining your cuts and being more concise will come naturally with time. Well done mate!
Great video! I love the new location for the outdoor shots of the car - green just looks so much nicer than gray :-)
As a person with no idea of how these videos have to look, there is one thing I’d like to see more of in future videos: the interior of the car, used (just like the exterior shots) as filler for when you talk about totally unrelated things. Show us the details of what Volkswagen designed! :-)
But as I said before: great video, great improvement over time. Keep up the good work!
What a fantastic review 👍🏻
Wonderful job! So impressed with the improvements! Obviously there are a few things that could be better, but I think you’ve made it to great content!!!
Enjoyed your video. Keep it up. Look forward to your next video.
Very good information on the DSG. Did you try driving it like a manual at all, using the flappy paddles all the time?
Yes, very much so. Generally speaking - at least when not filming - I had the car in full manual. I liked it a lot, but missed the clutch pedal.
Casey Liss thanks for the feedback. I’m thinking seriously about a DSG R and I suspect that I will feel the same. Maybe I’ll just start doing left foot braking like I do with video games. Yeah, video game behavior on the street, that’s the ticket! 😉
I had a whole segment that got cut wherein I made an argument that the DSG could arguably be the better transmission for the R: it allows it to fully realize the point-and-shoot-ness of the R.
Casey Liss are you sure what you’re describing is due to the DSG and not the Turbo? Usually what happens is that in higher gear/lower rev you get less oomph because the turbo doesn’t kick in. Instead the dsg either shifts down if you force the pedal down or it kicks in with some delay once revs are up. That’s why the “sport” driving mode keeps revs generally up and hence the turbo readily available. I might also just have not understood your issue explanation well enough though ;)
Fair question, but yes, I'm sure it's the DSG. I've driven turbocharged cars since late 2004, and I can tell what's turbo lag and what isn't.
We really need a GTI Coupe back in the US. I would buy one immediately if it was offered here. I don't care for the 4 door hatch version. I spent my 90s working on a 1988 16V GTI and a 1990 16V GLI and miss those cars like family members that past away.
Love seeing these videos popping up on my subscribed list. Keep it up! And if you want to do a video about all your gripes with the Model 3, you can use mine!
Hahaha, that video would be 20 minutes of me ranting about not having an instrument cluster. ;)
Who the hell is Casey!?
I dunno but I hear he's SUPER good looking.
It’s the affected voice like a news caster that drives me nuts. Otherwise he’s a smart enough dude
Really honing your skills Casey well done.
Great video. Loved the sunroof cut.
How reactive was the LSD in corners? If you over applied throttle would it pull or was there wheelspin then as well?
Honestly, I never pushed it quite hard enough to be able to give you a good answer. I'd imagine that it would plow like any other FWD car, but unfortunately, I didn't have access to an airfield to try it out... 😈
@@caseyliss2458 I hear you. It's hard to feel dynamics on public roads. I have a few choice on-ramps and off-ramps that I use at reasonable levels of safety and legality ;). As far as the chirp in a straight line...I can get that out of my wife's base Focus. I also agree that the ZF 8 speed in crazy good.
I have 75,000+ miles on my 2015 MK7 GTI Autobahn. Pure White. Bought it brand new. I’ve owned multiple GM cars, a Ford, a Jeep, a Mazda, a Audi A6. My wife currently drives a Subaru. Hands down. The GTI is The Best car I’ve ever owned. Not one single reliably issue. 💯 recommended to anyone on the fence with this car. A pleasure to drive everyday on my 45 mile commute into the office (WI to MN). It won’t disappoint.
No joke, it's *great* to hear that you've had no reliability problems. Given my sordid history with my now-departed BMW, I'm hopeful that my now-purchased Golf R doesn't have the same problems.
Casey Liss congratulations on the R! Looking forward to a reveal video and/or mini review on your car of choice!
I see Nothing but improvement, Keep it up Casey
“I hate [these tires]”
-Casey Liss
Improving with each video Casey! Keep me coming!
Love your honest opinion.
I've a 2008 VW GTI. It's almost 200,000 miles! I love driving it!
In 2008, I didn't want to pull the trigger on the Golf R because it's a lot more money and not a whole lot of power for an AWD car.
Nowadays, I don't want to pull the trigger on either because the 3-door version is not available.
Between then and now, there were rumors about a GTI-R being developed. That would be something. However, I'd be apprehensive about a FWD car with 300+ HP.
I'm thinking torque steer may rear its very ugly head.
I don't like the Honda Civic Type-R even though there are a lot of good reviews about it.
I'm 50+ years old now and, for me, to drive a Civic Type-R doesn't suit me at all.
I'd prefer a Golf-R, 3-door, with a moon roof. But, I'll wait for the next model.
The 2018/2019 still doesn't have 300 or more horsepower with the AWD.
I'd love to see what VW will come up with to battle the Focus RS, WRX STI, and the Civic Type-R.
I understand it's a hot hatch. A 300 horsepower or more hot hatch will suit me and my wife just fine.
Keep doing what you're doing, man.
Peace!
Yeah, it's a tough call. As I said in both this an my R review, there are a lot of compromises in both cars, in my opinion. However, I really do think the R was compromised - excepting the slicktop - in ways that I was comfortable with. Your mileage may vary. :)
This is 30k how much is that Alpha??
Great work! Love your videos! Very informative and to the point.
how is it "pretty much the same" when the golf r has 72 more horse power ?
Because torque is what matters when starting from a stop, and driving at speeds Americans drive on even the fastest roads. And there's only a ~20 ftlb ∆ between the two.
well. Car and driver has 0-60 at 4.5 for golf r and 5.8 for gti. both autos. quarter mile 13.2 and 14.4. those are 2015 models. same engines as now. seems like sort of big difference. i own a golf r (stage 2), but have never driven a gti. not tryin to argue, just wanted to point that out
The person driving the car in the background at 2:03 and the the GTI itself at 8:05 ... is that the same person? Did you just hire someone to help?! Is it literally 'Liss is More' now ? :-p
No; 2:03 is a random passerby. 8:05 is my wife.
Have you turned the email thing of yet?
Nice one Casey!
Does this car have a LSD, or was it just spinning one wheel? Looks like they’re partially addressing this for 2019: www.autoblog.com/2018/09/18/2019-vw-gti-retro-rabbit-edition/
HUGE improvement over the last video. I never really noticed any audio issues and the commentary was excellent as always. Although I agree with some others than you could've trimmed a little fat in the middle section.
Love the sunroof option!
You have progressed so far in such a short time with these videos. The audio is perfect now. The new lav mic was well worth the money. It’s meant the content of the video comes to the fore rather than the production quality and you’ve nailed the content. I’d also enjoy it if you to do regular follow up videos on the Golf R now you have it.
I was confused because I don't know what you mean by "tossibly" and "deliberate"
10:30 Does US have an ISOfix-like system for their cars?
Yes, LATCH.
I was going to link you to the Wikipedia entry, but, um, look at this URL 🤣
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isofix
Casey Liss ah it just seemed pretty rare when we went on holiday to Cali. We had to struggle with seats and belts etc every time we travelled. I figured it wasn’t pretty much a thing.
Oh? I'm honestly surprised to hear that. Damn near every American car sold in the last decade had LATCH... I thought.
Huh. Maybe I'm the crazy one, but I can't think of a car sold here in *years* that didn't have LATCH. 🤷🏻♂️
Nice review mate. I have the 245hp 370nm gti 7 speed DSG here in Aus and I can tell you, tyres make a huuuge difference. I have Pirelli p zeros (standard here) and on a dry surface it grips almost flawlessly. In the wet things can get a bit sketchy so I'm going to upgrade to michelin PS4S. Trust me though, upgrade your tyres and you'll be smiling everytime. And the 7speed shifts like butter.
Thanks for your review, it was excellent!
Coincidentally, I misspoke on the video. It's not "Pirellis" that my friend has; it's PS4s. :-P
PS4S.
Great Video Casey! I’m in the process of replacing a 2008 GTI and these videos are helpful. I think I might end up getting the same car you did 👋
Thanks! Honestly, if I wasn't so intent on having AWD and/or the best available Golf, I'd have been really damn happy with a GTI 6MT. It's soooooo good.
Casey Liss the shot of you in the sunroof is my spirit animal. Really enjoyed having the GTI for near a decade. Was going to consider a 3 series, but no more manuals after this gen! Truly a sad time. The golf R makes quite a bit of sense and fast Golfs are of the last nice fun cars you can get with a manual (although I did price out a Honda Accord sport, Hi John)
That 3 series news cut deep when I read it. 😭
The Accord Sport is a great car, but I'd argue the R is actually more practical. More space! All wheel drive!
No growling headlights?
Oh there they are...
Most reviewers I've seen comparing the two, all agree the R is quicker, however trh GTI is more fun/engaging.
I've read/seen much of the same. I don't think it's the case. That's the beauty of having multiple reviews of the same car! :)
@@caseyliss2458 I agree, it's always good to have choice. One size l fits all, rarely fits anyone correctly.
On a side note I've just ordered a Seat Leon FR ST, 2l tsi. which is basically a GTI estate. Same MQB platform and engine. Should be here first week of December.
For me it looks a bit nicer than the gold and mainly for my area, far less common. Golf's are everywhere.
I'd of take a polo gti over the golf, but then they wrecked the polo with the new model. I always thought the outgoing 3 door polo gti, would be what the original golf gti team would of built. It seemed to fit in nicely with the original car.
I would do terrible things to have the Golf R wagon/estate/Variant in the states.
Unfortunately, I think I'm the only one.
Your underneath view is unique, you should focus on that area to stand out.
Great review and improvement in quality Casey. I did notice some of the critiques John and Marco had with the video. Maybe call up Alex Lindsay about lav mic placement (the pops and scrapes were a bit jarring on headphones). Overall though, you're doing a fantastic job, and the effort shows.
Casey the audio is so much better. Great work!
I've heard more than one complaint about the Bridgestones as well as the P7's. My MK 7 came with Conti Pro-Contacts. I have since replaced them with the new General G-Max all-seasons. Both sets of tires were/have been excellent with maximum traction and great/predictable breakaway characteristics. So instead of spending 6k more to go with the R which is in itself is a terrific ride - spend $600. and fix the lame tire syndrome. Great car.
Great Video Casey! I miss the commentary from the fam though. Will you be bringing it back in the future?
Possibly. I never set out to include their commentary, but sometimes someone says something I *have* to include. :) This time, probably because we had just had the R, there wasn't anything notable.
Very good review!!
Echo the comments about tightening the dialogue about the tires in the middle of the video. Big jump in quality of audio and video since the last review (which was a big jump over the one previous to it). You're getting good at this, looking forward to your next review.
Love the ATP shirt.
You seemed more relaxed later in the video
Wheel spin is not bad compared to the mk5. Wheel spin is only for half a second til the LSD corrects it. You will get wheel spin with ANY fwd car.
I get what you mean regarding wheel spin, but the extra power is good to have, especially once you're beyond 1st or 2nd gear. I suppose it places greater demands on the driver to show restraint. I can see the appeal of the R, when you just want to get down the road without any fuss. It's good to see you appearing more relaxed, and sounding more like you do on ATP. The audio quality was better than I expected, with just a few variations left to iron out. Finally, how come you dropped the 'Casey on Cars' title prefix with this video?
I dropped it because @smhackett told me to.
Casey, your friend with the Pirelli tires is absolutely right. I own this exact model. Came with all season Pirelli's from the dealer. Not the greatest choice, especially compared to a dedicated summer tire, but I experience NONE of the wheel spin you cite. Yes, I can induce wheel spin, especially on a wet road if I floor it from a dead stop but that's the extent of the issue. I'll eventually replace them with Michelin's as I did on my MK6 GTI but the Pirelli's are quite adequate and obviously superior to the Bridgestone's on your tester.
I also have the DSG transmission. Until I bought a 2012 GTI with the DSG I'd always had at least one vehicle in my garage with a traditional manual transmission. When I replaced my 2012 model with the 2018 I didn't hesitate to go with the DSG again. I can't compare it with the performance of BMW or Porsche automatics but I much prefer it to other traditional automatics I've driven. And since I typically drive my GTI in manual mode any weird transmission behavior is user error.
When I replaced my GTI last year I seriously considered the R. I think its a marvelous vehicle. But several factors made the GTI a better choice for me. Living the Puget Sound area I love having a sunroof. Around here we need all the light we can get in a dark cabin. And both the R and the GTI is nearly all black inside. The R offers significantly more performance but apart from the fact that I don't often use even the power of the GTI in stock form, I had a Stage I tune on my previous GTI and it gave me everything I could ask for. And then there was the price. I bought my fully loaded Autobahn/DSG for $32,043 plus TTL. The best price I could get on an R was almost $10,000 more. I just couldn't justify that premium.
BTW, an excellent, informative review.
Camera tip: hold the gimbal upside down so that the camera is under your hand, it'll come out alot smoother
🤦🏻♂️ Why didn't I think of that‽ Thanks!
Please do a director’s cut?
Buff the infotainment screen?
Shorten the “Front wheels drive, Bridgestone,, too much power fir the tires” scene ?
Ask Marco to try the various DJI Osmo Mobile versions vs DJI Phantom drones compatibility with Overcast?
and I am scared when you look into the camera instead of at the road
(yeah, I’m French, and one of the worst)
Moral of this video: if you buy a GTI, BUY DIFFERENT TIRES OTHER THAN BRIDGESTONE!
💯
2:15 IMO, Stop looking at the camera. If you can't stay focused on it, it's just distracting. The quick glances that you give the camera are nice, but look at car reviews from Top Gear or Matt Farah: they look at the camera before they start driving, but rarely as they are driving.
ITS JUST NOT SAFE
That, too. Haha.
Really like the “deeper dive” into the under carriage stuff... More of that!
I've found the same grip problem with the standard Golf. As soon as boost kicks in, it has trouble with grip. I did some searching and couldn't find anyone else talking about the same issue. Good to hear I'm not the only one.
Good improvement.
+ Especially like your locations this time.
+ You're getting better at not looking at the camera.
+ Editing is getting more click and the time was perfect.
- Might want to wipe down the touchscreen before doing an interior fashion shot.
- Have you tried looking at Jason Snell's audio filter settings for podcasts? (Google it, he has a great post on Six Colors) You might be able to apply some of the same techniques to bring the audio quality up.
Video noticeably improved, especially in-car!
Audio now sounds good instead of fine!
The only recommendation I have is that you should avoid telling people to stop and watch another 15 min video to get context.
Entertaining video! Keep up the great work! Looking forward to watch you slowly turn into an electric guy.
Well done!
Hahaha great improvement. Love the sunroof joke
On the technical side all majors flaws from previous videos are gone, now it's only a question of fine tuning audio and video which is stuff that you'll learn with time.
On the stylistic side i think it's ok, can't comment further because i'm not that much of a car guy but there is a flow and it works reasonably well.
Those dark garage shots just don't work for me.
Other than that, these videos are already much better than videos from many other TH-cam car channels.
Can't wait to see more.
No sunroof buy the convertible R,not sure if it's a 4x4 though in the convertible,i want a sunroof option on every hatchback for the UK but we lose out on many models.
But there's hope the Mk8 Fiesta ST has an option for it now but it looks worse than the Mk7 and it's lost a piston!
Try to move on from point to point, instead of going in circles or repeating yourself. It's the tires, it's not too much power.
Great video, Casey. Each one is even better than the last! Those shoes, though #facepalm
Great video. My 2 cents: Short catchy intro at the beginning, a few short cut gaffes / bloopers / derps at the end? Cheers and all the best mate.
The entire Golf MK VII line is larger, more rigid, and lighter than its predecessor. That kinda stuff only comes out of a decade of R&D.
You can REALLY geek out about the techniques they invented to stamp and weld the chassis and body.
Not a joke: do you have any resources to go deeper on this? I'd love to learn more.
I was under the impression if you drove a car other then a white one you would burst into flames like most vampire movies I have seen....😂😂 #atp