Harry Metcalfe is an old-school British car journalist, so we were quite surprised to see how much he enjoys the Golf 7.5 R. It's not just him, though, as he says many friends picked up this all-weather machine as their daily driver, despite the cost.
The Golf R has 310 horsepower from its 2-liter turbo engine. It's a tuned version of the one in the GTI and comes matched to a standard AWD system. Interestingly, Harry is driving the manual version, which he praises for having six speeds that you can use on the road and nice clutch action.
Interestingly, Metcalfe knows the names of the Golf R's options and even walks us through them. There's DCC, short for dynamic throttle control, which lets you adjust how the dampers work. Also, this R has been fitted with optional 19-inch wheels and an exhaust system from Akrapovic. It shaves 7 kilos in exchange for around GBP 3,000.
The R is great if you want a wolf in sheep's clothing. Even though it competes with the Focus RS and Civic Type R, the Golf hasn't got the crazy wing at the back. In fact, Harry wishes it stood out a little more. We're with him on that one, especially when it comes to the interior - a sea of black plastic and leather.
Price is also an issue. The Golf R is nicely made but isn't special enough for the money. Having AWD also means you have to pay a weight penalty, which Harry believes is too much considering how simple the system is.
Positives are plentiful, including the digital dashboard and the way it just puts the power down on the road in any conditions. So I guess if you can live with the price and actually prefer an understated car, this could be your budget RS4. But please keep in mind that an all-new Golf is coming out in 2019.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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