5 Door Hatch, Manual, Tornado Red, Standard Springs

A very fine machine indeed.

My old E91 335i has made way (Owned for 8 years and many a mile) for the R just about long enough ago for me to begin to see what I had done. Initial fears over ride quality are long gone, the set up on the standard car is really honest and never too brittle when compared to some much more expensive passively sprung cars. The long trips are simply soaked up, just as the BMW managed. That engine is a peach, as happy pootling in 4th at 30mph as it is chasing the limiter. The 6 in the BMW was without a doubt the better engine. The Golf needs help to sound genuine, and although it sounds fun it will never match a BMW petrol Six for sense of occasion and THAT scream at the top end. BUT, it drives like it is from another planet in real conditions. Where the 3 series would be flailing about all over the place and working the DCT like mad the Golf just gets its head down and flies.
It may be that I am a chicken, but in 6 months I have not seen a glimmer from the traction control systems in the R so far am I from finding its edges. The BMW was a delight on the perfect day on your favourite road, but the R is a delight at all times. I wonder if it will take the workload the BMW did (165k)? Let's see. Really happy with the car, and Glad to be let out of the odd junction these days.

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