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What hot hatch do you own? This poll is closed. |
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| Golf GTI / R / R32 |
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196 | 0.02% |
| Impreza WRX / STi |
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133 | 0.01% |
| Mazdaspeed 3 |
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92 | 0.01% |
| Veloster Turbo |
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20 | 0.00% |
| Focus ST |
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149 | 0.01% |
| Other Hot Hatch |
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230 | 0.02% |
| Elantra GT |
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1000001 | 99.92% |
| Total: | 1000821 votes | ||
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Test drove a Fiat 500 Abarth, MazdaSpeed 3, and a GTI. The Abarth was too small but really fun. The MazdaSpeed 3 was almost scary, you put your foot down and it surges and shoots right. Along with the dated interior and itty-biddy LCD screen that seems to be 50 feet away from your eyes killed the Mazda for me. Almost 100% set on a GTI. Then, because everyone was raving about the Focus ST, I went and test drove that. I loved the power and how good it felt driving, but it almost offended me with how juvenile I thought it was on the inside. The quality of some of the materials too, man. The back doors don't have soft-touch plastics like the fronts, screaming 'cost cutting' at me. I did not like the visibility or the interior at all. The weird 3 gauges that seemed to be stuck on as an afterthought in the dash, the horrible italicized fonts, I just couldn't look past it. Probably didn't help that the dealership catered to the sort of clientele that I'm not fond of. The whole shopping experience made me realize I'm way more conservative than I thought I was when it comes to cars. Even the GTI started getting on my nerves with the red stitching and stripes on the exterior. So I got a Golf R instead   A great fit for me, even if people claim it's a tuned-up GTI (It's really a hyper-practical Audi TTS). I got a 6 speed, all-wheel drive that I didn't know I'd really appreciate (do a back to back drive between the GTI and the R and you can feel the difference), glorious turbo whine and an interior (and exterior) that makes me feel like a grown up. I was coming from a BMW, so the whole Ford thing was going to be hard to swallow anyway. KakerMix fucked around with this message at 10:17 on Jul 8, 2013 |
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Jul 8, 2013 10:15
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bobfather posted:It sounds like you drove an ST1 or ST2 - the full leather, non-color trimmed seats of the ST3 wouldn't have been interpreted as juvenile by any stretch of the imagination. Nah, it was the full-on ST3 package. The problem I had wasn't with the seats, it was the layout of the dash, the placement of the gauges, the general feel of the inside of the car. This was the same day as the test drives of the GTI and R, so the differences were pretty stark to me. As for mods for my R, I'll probably do the LED rear light swap. I'm mildly interested in the 'stage 1' tune from APR for the R, but my dealership is not friendly to the tune (I asked them directly and they follow VW's lead) for warranty purposes. KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:
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Jul 8, 2013 22:52
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Fucknag posted:Personally I loving hate touch screens and would much prefer tactile buttons that I can press by muscle memory. Have context-sensitive functions, fine, but don't make me have to stare at the screen to see the thing I'm pressing. From that picture Finch! posted there is no muscle memory involved in that, since you are going to have to look at what the hell you are touching. If the voice thing isn't terrible then maybe that would work. Personally I like a mix of options. Some general purpose buttons (like a physical back button) along with a nice responsive touch screen and a few wheel buttons is the right mix. I was bitching about the Focus ST before but the inside of that A45 
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Jul 9, 2013 04:34
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AvesPKS posted:Thanks for the responses. I have actually driven a manual before (once, for about a mile), and am pretty confident in my ability to pick it up, because I'll have to, heh. My main concern is test driving, but yeah I can get a friend to come with who can can drive manual as well. Unfortunately I can't seem to track down anyone with a manual to learn, ah well. Hyundai's are on par with anything anyone else makes these days for build and quality. As Phone already said though, the Veloster turbo isn't the same thing as an ST or MS3, both of those are much harder and more 'serious' cars in the performance department in terms of raw power and ride stiffness and things like torque steer. I did the same thing you did about two months ago, and found that I liked the mix the GTI/GLI had, and so went with those instead (actually a Golf R but hey  ) instead of a Focus ST or Mazda Speed 3. There is no escaping though that the Focus ST is one of the best bang for the buck hot hatch out right now. Looks good, performs well and best of all is inexpensive for the fun you get. Best thing to do is to drive everything you are interested in and see what sticks with you. If you are used to a Windstar (I'm sorry) then everything is going to be amazing.
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Aug 8, 2013 17:34
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Atmus posted:That's my problem. I wanted a 200a with nothing else on it. I guess there is one like 350 miles away, but all the local ones are at least 201a and they all have the moonroof. So get the dealer to work with another dealer that has the car you want. My R was originally in Texas (I'm in Florida) and it was painless to request the specific car I had already found. The dealerships worked together and I got the white 4 door with sunroof and navigation instead of the white 2 door sans nav that they had at my local dealer. It can't be that hard to get the color and package you want.
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Aug 19, 2013 19:20
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Atmus posted:I'm working on it. It's more of a hassle than I expected it to be though. Sorry if I came across like an rear end, but it was ultra-easy for me and assumed that was the typical way it happens. Maybe the demand for the STs has something to do with it?
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Aug 20, 2013 00:32
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mik posted:Ughgh, they bumped the 2015 Golf R to 300hp, added a bunch of little improvements like finally an ESC-off option, etc and a DSG option - looks like I'm trading in my 2013 GLI sooner than expected. I kinda plan on doing that for the new R as well, whenever we get it. Do we know if NA Rs are going to be built in Mexico like the rumors say? EDIT Yep http://blog.caranddriver.com/u-s-bound-volkswagen-mkvii-golfs-will-be-made-in-mexico/ Although I suppose we don't know for sure if we're going to get the new Golf R just yet. KakerMix fucked around with this message at 02:49 on Aug 21, 2013 |
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Aug 21, 2013 02:44
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Sappo569 posted:Yeah I was shocked when I got my MS3 to replace the regular Mazda 3 I had. Maybe it's the going exchange for the Mazda curse. I certainly didn't get a lower insurance rate with my car
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Aug 23, 2013 17:18
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The best noise is the little 'tsss' upon shifting in any turbo'd car and I will fight anyone who says otherwise 
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Sep 5, 2013 07:32
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echobucket posted:Got brave and drilled them out. Or just plug some bolts in there and see what it looks like. We did that on our car when we moved from Wisconsin to Florida. Doesn't look bad at all and you don't have holes sitting there!
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Sep 7, 2013 09:18
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veedubfreak posted:I pretty much drove my 11 Golf TDI just like my previous car. Breakin periods are for cars that had poo poo tolerances. What is the real excuse why people ignore what the engineers put into the owner's manual for cars? If the owner's manual says drive it under 4k RPM and never floor it for the first one thousand miles and limited sustained RPMs (like mine did) what reason does someone have to go 'nah' and ignore it? I don't understand it at all, it's in the manufacturer's best interest to keep your car running like it's supposed to. You might want to trade that car in on a new model and then they can make even more money off your car later. They want it to be running properly and breaking in properly just like the owner would. I haven't heard a real reason why someone should ignore the vehicle's engineer's instructions. Besides the bullshit "One neat trick found out by a school teacher! Smokey Yunick hates her!!!!!" garbage.
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Sep 12, 2013 01:09
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Laranzu posted:
So you fly right in the other direction and start dropping 'hyuk hyuk better follow it exactly hyuk hyuk' instead of giving a real answer as to why it's even a thing to act like people know better than Ford or VW or _______. WHY is it silly to follow the owners manual for your new vehicle rather than some vague 'I know better' idea pulled from who-knows where? What is in it for the manufacturer of a vehicle to put '10,000 miles till your first oil change' (sans symptoms unless you are going to continue to pretend anyone that reads an owners manual as a blind robot following instructions) down if it is a load of bull? EDIT The links are direct to .pdfs for Focus and ST from here KakerMix fucked around with this message at 07:35 on Sep 12, 2013 |
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Sep 12, 2013 04:55
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veedubfreak posted:After driving in this morning, I'm not sure I need an R. Pretty sure I'd end up with a whole lot of tickets. Just get a white one and cops won't even bat an eye!
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Nov 14, 2013 21:06
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echobucket posted:Ha. I traded in a Prius for a Fiesta ST too. The Prius is like driving a marshmallow. I have so much fun everyday driving my ST. Plus I still get 30+ MPG. (Unless I have too much fun driving, then it drops to around 27-28) I constantly get the lower end MPG of my car. I didn't get a hot hatch to put around town like a Prius and neither should you.
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Dec 29, 2013 02:51
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Powershift posted:The small overlap crash test basically means no more dead pedal in any car ever again. The small overlap crash test is the biggest piece of poo poo test possible. Basically, car companies spent years making a super strong cage protected by deformable crumple zones and cars became pretty safe, so the IIHS decided, "hey, lets just run poo poo strait into that super strong cage" so now you're never allowed being comfortable in a car again. All Golfs still have them, including the Mk7. Not having a dead pedal would kinda suck.
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Feb 18, 2014 06:57
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You Am I posted:There are A3 sedans? I have only seen hatch versions Welcome to VW of America's marketing. No Audi hatches or wagons unless you want a crossover or hybrid.
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Apr 9, 2014 02:13
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:VWoA sold the A3 hatch in America for years and it was completely unsuccessful. What do you think they should do differently? Continue to push cars that people don't buy? They should accommodate me obviously and sell me an S4 Avant obviously!
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Apr 9, 2014 05:13
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Yeah the R isn't for everyone, so much so that the MK6 version didn't sell too hot here in the US. I picked mine up over the GTI because I'm the sort of person to pay the 5k~ premium over a fully-loaded GTI because of no torque steer and blue needles and black trim. I shopped though, boy did I shop before I picked up my 13. MazdaSpeed3 was too hard, Focus ST was too boy ricer, STI was too bargain-bin interior. The R is as close to the perfect car for me that I can find here in the USA. The only thing that I'd like better would be if we got a wagon variant but that won't happen. So yeah, I'll be joining veedub and be picking up the new R when it becomes available here in the US in 2015, although I'm not a fan of the new wheels they've gone with.
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Apr 11, 2014 01:46
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1791apparel posted:Won't you pay through the rear to upgrade though? It just seems like such a step penalty to swap after only a few years. Sure, but since when is money more important than the things money lets you enjoy?
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Apr 11, 2014 19:25
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Rhyno posted:The main guy claiming PD was ruining his clearcoat has locked all the comments on his Youtube videos. The theory is he was using rattlecan clear, dipping it and then peeling it off to make it look like the Dip was responsible. The dude from Dip Your Car has dipped his own car like 40 times now and his clear is still intact. Yeah I was going to say, I haven't dipped any painted body panels at all (yet) just my wheels and some trim pieces, and I can't see how Plasti Dip could hurt a clear coat at all as long as it was applied on a clean and not-rusty panel. As for keeping it clean yes and no. There is a texture to it so it 'grabs' more loose dirt, but bugs and typical road grime seems to not stick as easily. This represents itself that you have to wipe with light pressure over more of whatever is dipped, but you don't have to do that scrub-pressure with your finger thing to get something sticky off since it doesn't seem to stick. On top of that, plasti dip is inherent protection which is nice. I think the stuff is fantastic and it allows you to get a really clean presentation doing colors you'd never do otherwise. This is mine, the grill, front bumper lower grill and scoops are dipped in matte black as are my mirrors. The b pillar is in this picture too, but I ended up peeling it off as I didn't spray evenly enough and the shiny black looks better in between the windows anyway. The wheels are the stock wheels that came with the car, just done up yellow. Just be sure to peel up the parts you don't want painted (for me this was the VW logo on the center caps of my wheels, the lugs, the valve stem and the little 'R' on my grill. Doing things like this hides the fact that it might as well be spray paint, because overspray makes whatever you are dipping look cheap as heck.
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Apr 15, 2014 16:39
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sadnessboner posted:How did you go about doing your wing mirrors? did you mask the area and do them in place, or pop them off? Thanks! I did the mirrors in place. Masked it all off with lots of blue painters tape and big sheets of plastic. Any errant overspray that does hit your car can clean up very easy with a microfiber cloth and a quick heavy wipe, just be sure to do it sooner rather than later, as small bits of the stuff left to cure are a lot harder to remove than if it's fresh. I only sprayed the glossy black plastic bits, which on my mirrors are just the top portion. The inner portion that faces the car is extremely thin though due to trying to maneuver a spray can at weird angles. I should have folded them in and sprayed them because it would have exposed most of the glossy portion and given me better coverage. Maybe I'll peel it off and give it another shot, or try some colors on them, why not. BurgerQuest posted:ST too boy ricer and you do 'that' to your lovely R Spray some yellow rubber on some wheels in an afternoon? Give me an hour and you won't even know 'that' was ever done to it.
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Apr 17, 2014 05:12
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skipdogg posted:The hatchbacks are not, the A3 in the US is a compact 4 door luxury sedan. The S3 sedan may be coming next year as well. Nah the hybrid A3 hatch I think? And then they said that we'd get the diesel version as well. So yeah, you can get an A3 hatch in the USA soon perhaps, but only as a hybrid or diesel. I haven't seen anything on the S3 but like was already said, why get a more expensive S3 sedan here in the US when you can get the Golf R instead? Styling aside they are identical.
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May 20, 2014 17:43
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Powershift posted:Yeah, i'm liking the rumors of a 300hp awd mazdazpeed 3. The rumors of early 2016 and $35,000 not so much. Wouldn't it be odd for Mazda to go into the Golf-R-esque type hot hatch place? 35k hatchbacks don't sell too hot. Then again maybe that's Mazda's whole deal, sell them at a premium to make up for having to make them in the first place. I am interested to see what the new Mazda 3 tarted up as the 'speed' edition though, I think the Mazda redesign is so boring. 
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May 27, 2014 06:47
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I quite like my local VW dealership, they were super accommodating AND pleasant to deal with. Just a very clean and standard purchase with no drama, which is the best I can ask for really. Also the only thing that was on my car was a license plate holder with the dealership name on it, they don't believe in those awful sticker/emblem things that a lot of dealerships have. The local Ford, Mazda, and Fiat dealers though are all poo poo. The Ford dealership were a bunch of meatheads trying to sell giant pickup trucks and seemed confused that I was after their Focus ST, the Mazda dealership is way too desperate and missed the point entirely when we were shopping the new 3s. Kept comparing it to Toyotas which we opened up with how we weren't interested in ANY Toyotas. The Fiat dealership wouldn't let us test drive their 13 Abarth they had on the lot, which would make sense I suppose if I was some kid, but instead I'm a 30 year old guy who shows up with my wife to shop for her, and we drive up in a Golf R. It was just unpleasant and really soured me on Fiats in general if that is the sort of place I'd have to deal with. I really doubt VW would only sell the new R with a DSG, they should have learned the first time they tried to do that. They've also already stated that both options will be available and to go back on that would be confusing at the very least. I won't be getting a new R if it's DSG anyway, I need to row my own gears. Now if VW would only talk about that Golf R Wagon and if they are bringing the R 400 stateside.... KakerMix fucked around with this message at 09:27 on Aug 12, 2014 |
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Aug 12, 2014 07:20
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Kill-9 posted:Hmmmm. I wonder if maybe letting the manufacturers open their own stores alongside the locals might change that. Pretty sure that's what the whole Tesla thing is all about, what with forgoing dealerships entirely and causing all sorts of dealers to lose their poo poo and lobby for legislation.
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Aug 12, 2014 18:51
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veedubfreak posted:I still fully intend on spending 40k on a Golf. At least the inside of that Golf feels like 40k. Gunktacular posted:So, finally had a problem with my Veloster Turbo. One of the speakers apparently blew out yesterday for no apparent reason. Its not like I blast drum and bass at maximum volume all day or anything. How many miles do you have on it?
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Aug 27, 2014 22:09
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Franco Caution posted:
The R is always 3k+ more than the top trim GTI but the rhetoric was always comparing the price of the base GTI with the R. Last gen the options were 2 or 4 door and the 'base' package and the sunroof/super stereo system. This time we only get the 4 door version but we get the choice of DSG or manual. Dunno about the other options but the reason (or so I heard) we didn't get more options on the last R is because they were still made in Germany vs. Mexico. I've also heard that the 2015 Rs bound for North America are still produced in Germany so maybe it's the same this gen.
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Aug 28, 2014 16:04
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Yeah I've had my R for over a year now and have 17k+ miles on it. Drove it from Florida to Michigan and back, and then to Texas from Florida and back on a different trip. Both times fantastic drives. The only thing that is potentially negative is the new R looks to be better and I have to wrestle with trading mine in for the new one and taking a bath financially. Small sporty cars are fantastic and anyone that says otherwise is delusional or dead inside. Just being able to drop some gears on the highway and rocket away from everyone at speed is worth it, let alone taking roundabouts at 40+.
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Sep 3, 2014 21:24
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veedubfreak posted:Pshhhh. I get 41mpg tank average and I beat the poo poo out of my Golf every day. But then again it's a diesel I get around 17-18 around town and 28ish on the highway, dunno how much the new model's efficiency is going to affect it with the way I drive. I have a big grin on my face the whole time though so it's worth it
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Sep 4, 2014 18:20
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Filled up this morning. 13.3 gallons @ 551 miles. Gonna suck to give up the mileage when the R comes out but I'm guessing I won't miss it too much.
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whitey delenda est posted:You cannot be serious He sounds howling mad
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Oct 31, 2014 01:13
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willroc7 posted:I'm looking at trading in my 09 GTI and picking up a 2012 CPO golf r with 36k miles for 26k. Are the prices on the mk6 R likely to come down much more as the mk7 drops? I've talked the dealer down about 1200 off their first out the door offer since it's the end of the month. Should I pull the trigger or wait? I'd imagine that prices aren't going to drop down a lot until new Rs are out, rather that the super limited waiting list amount we're getting soon.
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Jan 30, 2015 20:23
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veedubfreak posted:The GLI is going to have the upgraded rear suspension, better brakes and the body kit. It also doesn't have the lovely cheap plastic interior you get with the poverty spec jetta. I've never been in a GLI, but the full-trim Jetta I got as a loaner two years ago waiting for my R was garbage inside and out. I love my R but the Jetta-for-North America is totally not my jam and I disliked it fully.
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Feb 11, 2015 22:27
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Electric Pigeon posted:Yeah, if it starts with a 4, that'll probably scare me off. If it's around an STI's price, I'll wait to drive one til I feel brave enough to spend some money. I'd be very surprised if the RS is priced higher than the Golf R. Maybe at the same price sure, but beyond it? If it is then the RS is going to be marketed as a collectors item and they'll sell them all anyway.
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Feb 11, 2015 23:26
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howling_mad posted:The real question is whether or not the RS it's worth $10k over a nicely equipped ST. That seems to be the thing people say about these top-end hot hatches. "ITS MORE THAN 10K OVER THE NEXT LEVEL DOWN" and they always compare it to the base trim, rather than the highest end trim options. A Focus RS is going to be a super ST3, not a base ST. tijag posted:
Depends on what a sleeper means to you. The Focus ST and RS are very loud (style wise) to me, but then people are saying they are too reserved so what the hell do I know. The Golf R is going to be more sleeper than an RS sytle-wise, but that's how the last R was vs. its contemporaries. Trade in some hardcore track monster-ness for a more mini-GT car feel and a more sleeper look while still being able to rocket past chumps going slow in the fast lane. I'm sure both the RS and new Golf R are going to be fantastic vehicles, wings and boost gauges go RS and the 'Its just a hatch, honest' and more subtle go the R.
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Feb 20, 2015 00:11
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Just got a set of Michelin Super Sports on my R, good tires make way more of a difference than I thought holy moly.
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Mar 15, 2015 16:12
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tijag posted:Bummer. The GTI/R is a nice car though, just that you can get so much power for less if you don't need that form factor. It's much more than just power though, look at his avatar and name. Same for me though, I know I could get a Mustang or whatever but I don't want a sedan, I want a hatch or wagon and goddamn if I'm going to buy new cars it's going to be the ones I want.
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Mar 16, 2015 22:33
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veedubfreak posted:The proportions just look all wrong on this. What size is this car? You've never seen a C-Max? They are like a subcompact minivan.
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Mar 17, 2015 17:29
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:Civic Type R coming to Merica. Sheeeeeeit. I think that thing is hilariously hideous, but hell yeah more hot small cars! I'd say hot hatch but you know.
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Apr 1, 2015 23:03
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fknlo posted:The $40k the optioned out R costs is severely pushing it, you know that is going to cost at least $45k. God I want it so bad. A 400 horsepower hatchback. 
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Apr 3, 2015 07:57
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Dr.Caligari posted:That reminds me, when I bought my FiST it had an obnoxiously large banner on the windshield that read FIESTA . I peeled it off the second I got it home. I've never seen any other Fiesta or ST with that dumb poo poo before or since. Do dealerships regularlly put that kind of poo poo on thinking it looks good? My local Ford dealer has bro trucks out front, pre-bro'd and waiting for you to finance them!
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Apr 9, 2015 00:06
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