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Having run one of the last b8.5 S4 Avant's for 18 months, I've jumped into a facelift Golf R estate this month (with a few months running a stage 2 3.0t Audi A6 in the interim) and figured it might be worth sharing some thoughts.
The golf r has been on my radar since it was released and was in fact my first choice when I was looking a few years ago, but when I found out what kind of deals were available on the S4 at the time, it was a deal breaker.
Overview:
The S4 had the sports diff and adaptive dampers and was an exceptional car. Even at the end of its 'model' life, it looked fresh, purposeful and although there were a few cheap plastics internally, it still felt like a very nice place to be.
The Golf is totally stock (I'm leasing it) and running on 18's rather than 19's. The finish is way below that of the S4 (things like boot hinges, panel ends etc are badly finished) and the interior is still a notch or two down from the older S4. The only difference being the new dash/nav which are really nice. It definitely feels like a cheaper car all around though.
Just to give this some context - when I was looking a couple of years ago, the S4 I got was coming in at an almost identical price to the golf r on a PCP deal. With £5k down the S4 was £375p/m and the golf was £372 from memory. You can see why I went with the S4!
Driving:
Audi
The S4 was fantastic. Far quicker than it felt, incredibly solid and the ride with the adaptive dampers felt very controlled (I mostly drove in comfort steering/dampers with everything else in dynamic) and was basically a fantastic family sports car. It held its own chasing some exotic machinery to Goodwood on a few occasions but also spent a lot of time fully loaded in national trust car parks.
Couple of observations -
Engine - wonderfully responsive, great torque. Having then driven a stage 2, the major difference is at 50+mph. Motorway overtakes become blink of an eye jobs. I just wish that there was a bit more drama - noise etc.
Tyres - they are very tyre sensitive. Even with 3/4mm left, handling and traction took a massive dive.
Handling - sports diff and 'proper' 4wd gave the car huge ability, but with esc off also allowed the car to be driven more aggressively. I never tracked it, but you could feel the rear working hard.
VW
The R feels like the sportier car almost immediately. Great seats, nice steering wheel and very taught/controlled even at v slow speed. I think others have already said this but it always feels a bit more poised and on its toes. Noticeably stiffer than the S4 even on smaller wheels too.
Engine -
A real mixed bag. Feels sluggish and diesel like off boost and sounds a bit rough. All forgotten on boost though! Feels quicker than the S4 due to delivery, it's also happy to rev which is nice
Tyres - it's on potenzas which seem to be almost universally hated. They seem alright?! Will see how I get on.
Handling - this is the golfs party trick. It really does give you confidence. Feels like a grown up 4wd version of my old Clio trophy and that is high praise. (Although some of the plastics also feel like a 2005 Renault!!)
Happy to go into more detail where people want it!!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
The golf r has been on my radar since it was released and was in fact my first choice when I was looking a few years ago, but when I found out what kind of deals were available on the S4 at the time, it was a deal breaker.
Overview:
The S4 had the sports diff and adaptive dampers and was an exceptional car. Even at the end of its 'model' life, it looked fresh, purposeful and although there were a few cheap plastics internally, it still felt like a very nice place to be.
The Golf is totally stock (I'm leasing it) and running on 18's rather than 19's. The finish is way below that of the S4 (things like boot hinges, panel ends etc are badly finished) and the interior is still a notch or two down from the older S4. The only difference being the new dash/nav which are really nice. It definitely feels like a cheaper car all around though.
Just to give this some context - when I was looking a couple of years ago, the S4 I got was coming in at an almost identical price to the golf r on a PCP deal. With £5k down the S4 was £375p/m and the golf was £372 from memory. You can see why I went with the S4!
Driving:
Audi
The S4 was fantastic. Far quicker than it felt, incredibly solid and the ride with the adaptive dampers felt very controlled (I mostly drove in comfort steering/dampers with everything else in dynamic) and was basically a fantastic family sports car. It held its own chasing some exotic machinery to Goodwood on a few occasions but also spent a lot of time fully loaded in national trust car parks.
Couple of observations -
Engine - wonderfully responsive, great torque. Having then driven a stage 2, the major difference is at 50+mph. Motorway overtakes become blink of an eye jobs. I just wish that there was a bit more drama - noise etc.
Tyres - they are very tyre sensitive. Even with 3/4mm left, handling and traction took a massive dive.
Handling - sports diff and 'proper' 4wd gave the car huge ability, but with esc off also allowed the car to be driven more aggressively. I never tracked it, but you could feel the rear working hard.
VW
The R feels like the sportier car almost immediately. Great seats, nice steering wheel and very taught/controlled even at v slow speed. I think others have already said this but it always feels a bit more poised and on its toes. Noticeably stiffer than the S4 even on smaller wheels too.
Engine -
A real mixed bag. Feels sluggish and diesel like off boost and sounds a bit rough. All forgotten on boost though! Feels quicker than the S4 due to delivery, it's also happy to rev which is nice
Tyres - it's on potenzas which seem to be almost universally hated. They seem alright?! Will see how I get on.
Handling - this is the golfs party trick. It really does give you confidence. Feels like a grown up 4wd version of my old Clio trophy and that is high praise. (Although some of the plastics also feel like a 2005 Renault!!)
Happy to go into more detail where people want it!!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk