I’m sorry but I’m not getting how the TCR is a better car when it’s just a GTi with parts from the Golf R and the Clubsport on it. painted in Audi grey paint all for 40k... 🤮 oh an it’s slower than both the R and the club.. 👎🏽

*Walks into dealership* “Can I get a GTi but with Golf R price please?” YES! would you like an Audi color too? “Only if it’s more expensive!” 👌🏽👌🏽😂 gtfo

AWD means I can have fun with spirited driving in all weather. When the pavement is wet, it's great fun leaving all those muscle cars behind when the light changes.

This has 75% of R parts on it, is it a GTI or.....a front wheel drive R ?

I’ll be keeping my R.

R should have looked like this

Totally agree with point 9 and 10. Was all set on getting a 2 year old Golf R. After going for a couple of test drives though they just felt a little sterile and as if I wasn't driving it, a bit too refined and able maybe.. Re. point 10 I wasn't really bothered about burning ppl off the lights either, more 40-100mph (sorry I mean 70mph) acceleration and fun factor. Thought M140 may tick the boxes, was noticeably faster in gear on test drive but wife said i'd look like a 20 year old sales exec (Not a look I want at 40! Lol). The guy at BMW told me to humour him and try a Mini JCW F56 (Thought WTF). So glade I did though, not the most obvious alternative, but per tonne only 16bhp less than R, obviously not as quick to 60, but 40mph+ not far off and so much more fun. Ended up getting one instead of the R. GTI Performance model may have been an alternative but think TCR would have been the true winner, just shame about price!

Can’t beat the R Estate for its all weather, 1 car quiver ability.

11. The seat trim is much more interesting 😁

Nice. Amazing. Would i swap my R for it? Not in a million years.

It's has the wow factor, the looks, the kit, the handling and just wow. Would love yo have one one day post code lottery lol. Got the R32 and if the tcr had the R32 sound would be just amazing

I wish I lived in England! I have a 2012 VW Golf R sport tuned to stage 1. I recently test drove a 2017 GTI stock and I have to say it was more fun to drive than the R! I was surprised, really surprised! I'd love the look of the TCR, the exterior is awesome and I really like the interior trim and seats of the TCR! Sadly, we in the States don't get the best because most drivers here think SUV's are King and I strongly disagree! Great video! And I wish I could get the TCR!😡

Just chucked my gti performance in for a nice black TCR. The PP was brilliant, but this is a massive step gain in both performance and handling. The gearbox also feels much keener (allegedly the same 7 speed dsg). Pops and farts on the down shift and feels far more torquey in normal boring driving. Mine is on the PZero’s and I really wouldn’t need more grip in wet or dry. A real weapon!

You make some interesting points all of which are personal opinions, I pre my r with the British weather especially when my wife drives the car I know she is in safe hands with the four wheel drive. Both are awesome cars value for money wise. Fuel consumption is a bit of a mute point if your buying a performance car. Can’t wait to see what the r plus will be like in 2021. Intriguing vlog. Mal

40 years ago TCR stood for Total Control Racing, the new kid on the block going up against Scalextric. Both did a similar job but achieved it differently, just like these two.

Good point about the DCC Andrew. I sometimes wish my gti performance had it fitted. I bought it as a pre-reg car, so couldn’t option the DCC which I feel would have been a bonus when using the car as a daily driver.

I really like the TCR. It's still not available down under until 2020? Are the seats heated? Yes it does get cold in Melbourne. I have the heated leather in my MkV GTI from late 2008. Cheers great review.

1 reason the R wins, particularly in the uk... wet/greasy roads more often than not.. front wheels will spin up uncontrollably. Tcr wont see which way you went down the leafy b road.. dry track tcr wins.. real world uk roads, R every time.. and tbh if i wanted a track hatch itd be a civic type R everytime 😉

Hi mate, do like the colour and the car too. Saw one yesterday at our local Tesco's could not stop starring at it. Mrs told me off too!!! Stands out from a long distance. The problem I have with the Golf R is there is so many. When I drop the little one of to school its a 25 min drive and usually count 8 - 10 Golf R's every day. 👍

I can never decide if I prefer the look of a 5 Door or a 3 Door. Anyway, another great video mate!

Love both cars, own 2019 Golf R. For me living in Canada and having 4WD overweights all little exclusives of TCR by a large margin. The other huge plus, is that the R assembled in Germany, unlike the GTI.

I would sacrifice the R for this, no doubt. The TCR looks incredible and is more desirable as a drivers car with more excitement.

Great video Andrew and love the 3 door TCR particularly albeit not a coupe shape like my Megane - prefer it to the R which whilst dynamically competent it has extra weight and AWD inert handling - hope to see you with your own TCR very soon :)

Pick up my 20 plate TCR tomorrow! Can’t wait! Went looking at R’s but the TCR looks so much nicer!

I agree with everything said here. I have a golf r and its very fast and capable and beautifully finished. But its so planted and grippy you get carried away and push it to stupid speeds. The front wheel drive with the wee hints from front wheel spin would make for a much more lively and exciting drive at reasonable speeds.

Needs an alcantara steering wheel ! Why not offer that instead of £400 stickers ? Apart from that it’s an absolute gem of a car. Love the way you can have fun at lower speeds as well as high...plus afterwards you can put it in comfort and it turns in to a 1.4 golf. Very expensive but worth it over the R

Great set of reasons there, Andrew!! Very nice car. Hopefully, you will get 400 more subs and be able to order your very own TCR by the end of next week.....👏🏼

informative and interesting video. i love the GTi TCR and also the R. however the thing that sells the R to me over the GTi TCR is the 4wd traction and grip. i love them both and i’d happily own either one, but at the end of the day i’d take the Scirocco R over any Golf.

Really enjoyed this video 👍, for me hot hatches are a car to use day to day so need a broad range of abilities. The R has a bit more breadth to it thanks to the 4WD, I’d gladly trade a bit of dynamic sharpness for the increase in traction especially at this time of year in the UK, I also personally prefer the more anonymous / discreet styling of the R.

Great vid. I love my TCR and it’s definitely got way better fuel economy than my Golf R used to have.

R > TCI, because 4motion can do it (better) on a rainy day in Stoke.

Can you tell me. Does the tcr have the same downpipe factory as a normal. Gti? And R? I'm curious.

Great vid keep them coming! Another point could be the TCR seems to be more of a head turner, people seem to be more curious about what it is.

A friend of mine currently owns the TCR and he prefers the MK7 R he used to own.

Interesting informative video. I'd think of getting a R or clubsport if I had money

A great video Andrew - how did you get Ed to sell it? Much better than an R iMHO, - it's maybe a car I would buy when my Edition 30 bores me!

The R has grip and Id never trade that for any of this,but it does rain alot here.

Great video! I have a TCR in tornado red, and I LOVE it!

how much different is the TCR from a GTi? and could you modify a GTi to match the TCR performance for less money?

Just put a deposit down on a 2020 TCR coming from a stage 2+ m140i. It’s not all about how fast a car is. I could have bought a golf R but after driving one I can honestly say I found it incredibly boring. Also I do see about 10 of them every day. The guy who bought my 140 sold his R to get into it. He hated the R in the end due to how boring it was. To summarise, the TCR is better looking, lighter, more fun, nicer interior and rarer. It’s a no brainer really.

Noway in hell a TCR is vetter than a golf R. The fact that the golf R is awd beats this modified GTI.

Is the golf gti tic worth it ?? I am nearly about order one

I have a 2018 Mk 7.5 Golf R, with all the options. Haven't driven the TCR, but tested the GTI before I bought mine. I absolutely prefer AWD, had a Quattro Audi Avant for 8 years, before this car, from brand new to 350,000 km, and I intend to keep this car for even longer. After using the AWD systems in these VW/Audi/Porsche products for many years, I'm not going back to a single axle driven car until I can't afford it. The golf R is so easy to drive, so confidence instilling, and for me driving throughout New Zealand regularly for many hours at a time (On windy, bad quality, sparsely used back roads) there is nothing better than the R. It soaks everything up perfectly in comfort mode and yet doesn't care what speed you enter a corner at, or what the conditions are, it'll take you around it. I also disagree with you when you say the speed advantage that the R has doesn't matter. There are many times where I'll need to overtake in the only, tiny, straight section of road available for the next 100km, and the pickup of the R always delivers the exact way I expect it to. Also from a standstill, the launch from the AWD plus extra power over GTI and TCR is so good, it's addicting. I also like the fact that the styling of the R is more subdued. In my old Audi, I'd regularly park down the street from customers so they wouldn't see the brand new luxury black Audi sports wagon. The R looks much like a normal Golf, and so people aren't as offended by it when I'm driving through towns that have a simpler quality of life. Some people are going on about how common the Golf R seems to be. Where I live, which isn't exactly a poor city, GTIs are far more common. I've only seen one other Mk 7/7.5 Golf R in my life (outside of the dealers). Certainly got no buyers remorse yet haha!! Great vid.

Love the look of the 3 door

The R is an understatement car. It does not need those boy racer trim and optional stickers the TCR got. It just goes like on rails in any weather. I for myself can just laugh at those GTI guys with their screeching front tires when they try to challenge me at a stoplight and i am already miles away when their wheelspin finally ends...

This TCR Exhaust sounds so deep and i.m.O. it feels louder than the Akrapovic. Not bad! Nice Video btw.!

I’m thinking about buying an R or a TCR I’m a previous owner of a clubsport S which I loved. How does the TCR DCC compare to the CSS version? And I loved how the CSS sounded - how does the TCR compare and is the akrapovic a must have?

Just sold my golf r 400bhp and all that jazz but dam it was boring loved the interior etc this looks like a good alternative

Good points have to agree, but I will keep my CSS over the TCR

I have just purchased one of these and sold my Golf R.the R is better. i know i have owned different Golf R's since 2011.this does not give me the same thrill. remap a Golf R and they fly,

Im looking at getting one of these i have a gtd at the moment and hate the fake noises my bro is getting an r so cant wait to have a race 👌🏽👌🏽

Great video as always, love the colour too. Lapiz blue is a nice colour on the R however very soft and as a result suffer more stone chips. This colour however rocks 👍🏻

Really interesting comparison, but as I needed an estate, it's an R for me! It all depends on what you're looking for, I suppose. I wanted to disagree with your conclusions, but, actually I don't! Styling: totally agree. I think the front of my Mk7 GTD looks better than the R, although I "get" that the R is more of a Q car. However, the 4 wheel drive on the R suits me - I have a set of 17" VW Dijon alloys with Nokian winter tyres which are brilliant - I doubt they'd fit onto the TCR with the bigger brakes. Winter tyres & AWD will keep me going in the North of Scotland all winter! Very valid point about the driving excitement of the TCR Vs the R. However, an R would probably suit me better, as it will be my daily driver, also covering the occasional long drive in bad weather - a car for all seasons. I doubt I'm a good enough driver to be able to push the limits of a TCR on a regular basis anyway - I've never done track days, etc. Not sure my neighbours would appreciate that loud exhaust at 4am either (I work shifts)😂. Totally agree with you on the DCC with 19" wheels - I made sure my new R had that! If I had been looking for another Golf hatch to replace my GTD, I'd have definetly had a GTi (a PP or a TCR) - I've always loved the Golf GTi. But, I needed the space of an estate, so it's the R that I'm picking up in 4 days.. The TCR is more "hardcore" than the R, but think the R estate is easier to live with, day to day. A bit "safe" maybe, but that suits me. It's a car that has to do everything & the discrete nature of it appeals (in a different way to the TCR). I wish it had the honeycomb grille though..

I see VW are still fitting a pair of Right hand brake discs to both wheels! Probably not an issue at road speeds but on track the offside disc will run a bit hotter. Looks like a good car though. I prefer it to the R.

That in storm trooper colours would be amazing.

As great as the Golf R is, for me there are just too many about. So for that the TCR gets my vote for a couple of reasons, 1 exclusivity 2 they are just awesome In my opinion... cheers Andy another great video 👍.

Fantastic video - thanks. Anyone know what the button does on the back of the rear view mirror? Or is it a sensor?

Interesting video. I'd like to see you try the cupra 300 and see what you think. You can get those for low 20s ex demo and i think they will make a strong comparison.

Andrew , Very good try but you haven't converted this old fart, R man, as an everyday / all year round car to have. Plus I can wait 2020/21 for the R 400 MK8 Plus. Plenty of high spec used Golf R mk7.5 2017 -2019 at sensible money £30k and lower. Manual or DSG ,with 3 or 5 door choice. Always love your enthusiastic and detailed videos mate. Now get to 10k sub asap. Enjoy your new daily commute car when you get it . Look forward to your long term reviews on the TCR !

Thanks for this video, I’m considering both the R and the TCR 🔥

Got a sunroof on my 2016 Golf R, so there is some black on it 😁 Lapiz blue is a swirly monster tho :/ An end of spring stage one machine polish will have her looking her best again

Is this tcr lower than the gti Performance Pack ? If it is does anyone know the actual measurement? Hope someone answers

Iv been in the R and by the way it drove I’m after an R in the very near future,just need to own a mk5 gti ED30 dsg first...an itch that i need to scratch badly after driving one that was 377bhp she 413ft/lb SAVAGE

Basically the TCR is more of a drivers car

love the videos,more voice sound would be amazing tho...liked...

If I wanted (or needed) the safety blanket of AWD, a saloon car sound and to see plenty of others in order to convince myself I'd bought the right car, I'd have an R. I don't, so for all the reasons VW Wizard sets out I'll keep my TCR.

Dude where is your video gone of you going through explaining the infotainment set-ups? Can’t seem to find it?

What’s the GTI like driving fast in the wet through bends and twists..the R begs to be pushed hard..

The R although a great feat of engineering, its just too easy to drive, it's so planted and stable and any novice driver can thrash the pants off of it and the car will look after them. These are great features of course, but a proper hot hatch should be lively and you should get out what you put in. With the R as I've said, it does everything for you and it does it well, I love them but that doesn't equal excitement which is partly what a hot hatchback is all about. The balance between excitement and practicality.

Excellent review and your knowledge and intricate details such as the front brake/disc info

what engine oil do vw use in golf gti performance manual need top up i know the engine code is dlb any help appreciated.

Agree with point 9, altho not a VW, I drive an S3 which because it does everything perfectly , borders on being boring

Great video with some interesting info. My son has just sold his R which I drove and was very impressed. However I really like the GTIs for their interiors just looking a little better, even though the conservative R is very good. However I am considering either a performance GTI or an edition 40 ... I’ve seen your videos and you really rate the DSG 40. Any thoughts Andy?

Ive had both. Golf R any day. Theres no comparison

One of the only things that making me choose the R over the TCR is the AWD on the R

It’s a lot better than the R. And everybody got an R!

my golf r any day. 0 to 60 great fun at lights and better grip in the wet.i'll never go back to front wheel drive. tcr maybe a little bit better on a track on a dry day. 0n the road the golf r is better all rounder

As an R owner the one thing that makes this car better is the colour and the sports LSD. Otherwise I'll keep my R with the AK pipes

I’ll keep my R thanks

TCR would have been perfect with manual transmission and AWD...

Really like the tcr Gti Will definitely be a collectors car I wish I owned one I’ll keep doing the lottery:) Great video Vdub :)

I test drove a demo TCR but bought an ex demo I30N for £23k and they are so evenly matched. £7k more for a GTI, I don't think so, a no brainer. Nice Golf but not worth the extra. Golf R is a mature version of the GTI and you can add body kits if you want to. The i30N was cheaper to insure as well.

Wish we had them here, but any limited low production car like this ends up commanding too much of a premium in the US market because we have so few cars like this.

great video with a refreshing point of view thank you

Still going to buy a golf R and APR stage 3 it 👌🏻 I’ll wave at you when i pass you 👋🏻👋🏻👋🏻🤣🤣🤣

Boot is better than an R. But acceleration from rest? Wet road driving in UK better in R, rains a lot here. Bald tyres on an R will give you the same thrills as this. Haha

After the effort VW put into the functional aeshetics and configurations available on the CS & CS-S the TCR is a bit of a let down in my view.

I have a gti its an icon been around for years the R is not only just came into light

Do parts off these cars / Clubsports ever come up for sale from a recycler / scraper or something like that?

When your hair and fleece match the paintjob

Lol, the mental gymnastics to try and argue it’s better not to have AWD because you get 10% more boot space 😂

Big fan of the regular pieces. Thoughts Vs Club Sport S?

A léon cupra with different badges and a better interior and so much more expensive

Mines the normal GTI but I’d definitely go for the TCR over the R

Looks really nice, My Golf R was a real disappointment , quiet, manual and sorry to say it dull...

Nice review, helped me with my purchase.

It’s a nice car but I wouldn’t swap it for my 7.5R and would disagree with about 7 of those reasons. Obv I can’t counter the track argument but my r is a daily not a track car

You dont see any golf r owners trying to convince themselves that it's better than a gti loll

I would swap my Mk7.5R only for hgp 3.2 turbo R. 😁 That is only reasonable step up...

am i the only one who has an original golf 7 and just bought the tcr front and r rear bumper because they seemed pretty sporty and not to agressive like any other bumper bodykit and stuff