Thought i would post up my thoughts on the car as a whole.
SpecGolf R DSG
APR Stage 2+
VWR TBE
VWR Intake
APR HPFP
Intercooler TBC
VWRacing Big brake kit
AST Coilovers
Think thats about it, but i might have missed some other stuff
BackgroundObviously my current and previous cars haven't got a patch on a stage 2+ K04 performance wise, so of course the Golf is rapid compared to them, but i am fortunate enough to have driven and been a passenger in quite a few stage 2+ GTIs/Ed30s/Cupras/vRS's/S3's, as well as modified Focus RS's, Meganne RS's, M3's etc so i think i have a fairly good impression of it comparatively.
Looks
Well the Golf R looks the nuts normally, but obviously this one is far from normal visually as it has the APR graphics over it. Have to say, i would prefer no graphics at all. I much prefer the understated look of a car. TBH, absolutely everybody i have spoken to, or has posted in response to uploaded images on the forums has said, it is to much, and it should be left looking stock.
However the kids on my estate LOVE IT. I think that says it all
That said, this car is about bringing attention to the APR brand, and it certainly achieves that in spades. Driving through town and on the dual carriageways you get alot of looks from pedestrians and other drivers, a fair few of which are laughing
Ill get some better pictures tomorrow.
InteriorBig fan of the interior. Typical top end VW style and finish.
The leather seats are beautiful and really comfy. But, i wouldnt say they hold me in your seats as well as in either of my two previous vRS's. Maybe its the leather that makes it a bit more slippery, i dont know, but i feel more snug in my car. Heated seats also feel like they take an age to heat up, compared to my car.
The MFSW is awesome. Its the first time ive been in a car with one and had a play with the buttons and id definitely consider retrofitting one on my car now. The DSG paddles are far to small though. Much smaller than the ones in my Fabia, which aren't exactly big.
Love the radio/audio setup seemed very good. First time i have used the built in sat nav system on a car and a rear facing camera for reversing. Wish that was an option in my car.
Ill take some pics of the interior tomorrow if people are interested.
Handling/ride qualityThis is the first car ive driven with AST coilovers, and put simply, if Keith hadnt told me they were fitted or I hadnt looked at the stance of he car, i would have not known there were coilovers fitted to the car.
They ride the bumps and rough roads smoother than any other coilover kit i've experienced. TFSI_Mikes KW V3 setup for instance; We dont know what his are set at, but his shakes the fillings from your mouth and has to be driven slow over bumpy roads. Id say this car is only slightly stiffer over the rough roads than my Fabia is with stock suspension. I literally just drive it around the roads and bumps no differently to everyone else and it just soaks it up. I was reserved about going coilovers again, as i took them off my last car due to ride quality on UK roads, but this has changed my mind.
Kind of wish i had tried the Bilstein B16s to see how they compare comfort wise. Ive not really pushed the car tbh to know how they react at high speeds, but from AST, i cant imagine them being rubbish.
The car has alot more initial understeer than i had expected, and quite easily steps into oversteer, and once you expect it, its really entertaining and controllable. Didnt expect it the first time though
Keith had warned me the tyres weren't the best when cold, so that might explain it.
Off the line though this car just has so much grip. Its an absolute breath of fresh air to be able to accelerate from low speed and not have a wheel spinning mess.
The brakes are Immense, theres no other word for it. This is the longest period ive had in a car with a proper big bbk. When you stomp on them they really really drop the speed. Both me, mike and nickB were impressed with them. In fact in typical TFSI_mike fashion, he said he could easily sell his current(3rd brake kit) setup to fund the VWR kit
PerformanceLAG- This is somethin i notcied straightaway. There are huge amounts of lag on this compared to my little 1.4TSI.
The intake is an enclosed ITG VWRacing kit fed from the front slam panel and is ALOT quieter than the maxogen kit i had on my octavia. You can still hear it, but its nowhere near as vocal.
The TBE, is possibly my favorite part of this car(excluding the grip lol). I hate loud exhausts, on my Focus ST i had a tbe and it was to loud and i hated it. On my Octavia, i eventually caved and fitted the cat abck to make the full system. I then removed it a few months later because it was to loud for daily commuting and embarrassing. This VWRacing exhaust is the first TBE i like. Driven around town or on the motorway it is so quiet(well acceptably quiet) until you stick your foot down and then the whole world knows your coming. Its my ideal exhaust, and im considering getting one towards the end of the year instead of just a downpipe. Cant imagine its cheap though lol. Woul be keen to know the decibel level it runs at 4000rpm to see if there would be any limits from trackdays etc
Glad you enjoy it!
Its a VWR exhaust with a flapper valve, it opens at about 3900 RPM's.
As said in some of the other threads, this car is mega quick, and not just off the line.
Ive only done one run 0-60 with the race logic performance box
0-60 in 4.1seconds 
But that was from a carriageway layby with lock on the wheel to get out! But most importantly that was with 3 people and full leather interior. And Mike will back me up, it was a slight incline as well.
This car has a sub 4second 0-60 sprint im 100% certain of it.
JonnyC posted on VAGOC and reckons he did a 3.6 Second 0-60 sprint with just him in the car. Imagine if it was on R888s on a sticky 1/4 mile track with a stripped interior!!! Theres enough grip to handle a full bore 3000rpm launch with no wheel spin
that is something i have never experienced before
The power seems really really progressive and really strong. Mike commented that his felt like it pinned you to the seat more, not sure tbh, maybe its something we need to try
, but his is manual so that will never feel as smooth or progressive though the gears. His should be lighter though so once rolling it should have the legs, but from a standstill i reckon the haldex gives this car an easy 1.5 second head start.
Ive not tried it, but i reckon this car easily has a sub 13 second 1/4 mile in it, with potential to top the 1/4 mile leaderboard with the launches its capable of and judging by what poverty reckons with the comparable performance of this car to the jabba and MRC stage 2+ cars he was playing around with.
I wander if Keith would mind me taking it to a 1/4 mile day
The only downside, but i guess is a side effect of this amount of power, is the mpg. I have don 150 miles today on a route that i regularly drive my car on to isit family. My Fabia vRS happily hits 42-45mpg on this route. the Golf R driven identically was pulling 24mpg
SummaryIm a Golf R convert.
I had always said i would take the Rocco R over the Golf R all day long. After driving this and experiencing what its like to have grip when ever you want it, i will definitely be consider a Golf R in the future. I dont think id go stage 2+ again though. Stage 2 would be were id leave it, although i said the same about my current car
