Wow, I can't believe they got rid of the 2 door GTIs. That is actually crazy!!! I thought they were MORE popular than the four door models.

I had a 2011 four door GTI and I absolutely loved that thing. Kept it for two years before getting in SUVs.

I still want to get another GTI, just to have. Love those cars.

AS someone that has owned 3 GTI and now I drive a Tiguan R.. The GTI is so much fun.. and the DSG is a great transmission.. it is more of a Semi Automatic.. You have complete control. The DSG is actually faster in the 1/4 mile..and gets better MPG..
and as others have posted. Call APR and get tuned.. it actually gets better mpg..if you stay off the fun pedal. Very fun car, and since it is a hatch it is very usable.

Any one added the APR ECU in ? Is that "plug and play "? The web site make pretty big gain claims, though $1200 seem a lot of cash.

quote:

Originally posted by dgrdvm:
Any one added the APR ECU in ? Is that "plug and play "? The web site make pretty big gain claims, though $1200 seem a lot of cash.

For that much money I'd just get a flash. I had the APR 93 tune on my 1.8T and it was a hoot. The APR on the 2.0T is an incredible value and provides more power versus the 1.8T tune.

Love my Mk7 GTI. I was going to sell it when I bought my M3, but couldn't bring myself to do it. Now my wife drives it and I have moved on to other things, but we plan to keep the GTI for a while. Best all-arounder I have owned out of over 30 cars. I was considering going with a Golf R. Not sure you can go wrong with either, it just depends where your priorities lie.

quote:

Originally posted by dgrdvm:
Any one added the APR ECU in ? Is that "plug and play "? The web site make pretty big gain claims, though $1200 seem a lot of cash.

The APR tunes are "flashed" to your ECU. There is no physical ecu modifications. The MK7 R with a stage 1 tune can do 0-60 in under 4 seconds. The $1200 price is for the new "plus" program that is done through select dealerships. You're paying extra for a warranty, since technically as soon as you flash your ECU your VW warranty is not going to hold up for the most part for various engine failures... Not every dealership is going to play this game. The regular APR stage 1 tune is nearly half that price though.

There are a lot of other available tunes out there though, and a few good ones that don't require you to find a dealer (tune dealer, not a VW dealership) to flash it. You can get a Cobb Accessport which gives you your own handheld device to flash away at your own leisure, or Unitronic tune using a cable and a laptop to tune at your convenience. I plan on eventually flashing my car with a stage 1 tune from either Cobb or Unitronic. I don't want to drive 2 hours from here to find an APR dealer, and I'd rather be able to do it myself in my garage - and more so, flash back to stock when required. The 2.0T EA88 Gen 3 motor gets quite a boost (no pun intended) from a slight tune.

I used to think I'd only get an APR tune but APR has been through some hard times in the last several years. I think in late 2014 they became insolvent, disbanded the racing team. Recently they were bought by the same company that owns Dinan. Not sure if that's good or bad.

Thanks for the tutorial Don. I don't know why I want the R to be faster - it already goes fast enough to make me grin like an idiot, but I just do. Not like I am racing for pinks or anything.

quote:

Originally posted by kxc223:
Well not really looking to do a lot of mods. I am basically looking for a manual version that will be a daily driver.
I was looking at the WRX as well but I think the Golf R might be easier to live with. I'm in the Great White North so the AWD might be an advantage as well.
And yes the R is still German built so theres that.

Footnote for you- just mounted the winter tires ( Michelin pilot alpin ) and the R is a ball in the snow we just got. AWD does help a bunch. Great daily driver

quote:

Originally posted by MikeGLI:

quote:

Originally posted by dgrdvm:
Any one added the APR ECU in ? Is that "plug and play "? The web site make pretty big gain claims, though $1200 seem a lot of cash.

For that much money I'd just get a flash. I had the APR 93 tune on my 1.8T and it was a hoot. The APR on the 2.0T is an incredible value and provides more power versus the 1.8T tune.

Had the Stage 1 flash done on my 2007 GTI and it was WELL worth the money.
Driven conservatively the mileage increased and when the time came to apply the crop, the increase in low end torque was huge.

Around the holidays APR usually has a sale with significant savings.

quote:

Originally posted by DoctorSolo:

quote:

Originally posted by FenderBender:
I don't think it's worth the price premium over the GTI.

Definitely depends on your priorities. Soupin' shit up and making it last ain't cheap.

There's a reason the Camaro SS is 10K more than the base model, just an example. What are the differences between the R and the normal shmormal gitty?

ETA: HOLY SHIT 40 grand?? For a hatch?

Well it IS AWD. Looks like a focus RS cometitor. It will blow your skirt up, I'm sure.

I dunno for an only car for a driving junkie it could work if you aren't a save-the-manuals kind of guy.

Test drive one and let us know.

I like the look of the VW but for 40k I’d get a Subaru WRX STI.

So in case you were worried about reliability at the Detroit auto show VW debuted their new 6 year 72k bumper to bumper warranty which is probably the best bumper to bumper warranty on the market. It’s also transferable if you sell the car which is great.