pbm317

Great snag! I've had an R32 and GTI in the past. Love these little hatches. Glad to see the new GTI will continue to offer a 6MT. Curious to see whether the new Golf R will also maintain 6MT. They do feel more mini Audi like and what had used to set VW apart as a European brand, before things like Passat went too cheap and "Americanized"

Perfect daily driver.

EZZ

For the price though, its slow. You can get a M340 for cheaper and it will blow the doors off the RCF and handle better with better tech (and more room and more comfort and more panache and etc...). Not competitive at all but you get reliability

The GTI is the best car in its price range. I'd find a good independent mechanic though...some of the VW dealers I know aren't so great.

arentz07

Yeah good point on finding an indy. I am going to ask around; there's a pretty strong German fan-boy community here, so it should be easy enough.

bagwell

looks great!!

I know the red caliper are stock but I'd paint them some other color, too many posers paint there stuff red...but just my .02

arentz07

If anyone has anything to say, I'll be sure and let them know that the calipers were already red when I bought the car.

bagwell

LOL! All good!!

Enjoy the car and please keep this thread updated with mods, issues, fun stuff!!!

arentz07

Thanks! Hoping to at least disable that Soundaktor and add a real exhaust... I was showing the car off to a couple friends, and one of them thought it was funny how much of a difference there was between the interior sound and, well, outside.

EXE46

Understood, despite all that I really wish I could have stayed with Lexus but as you know it's now even harder to go back once you try the competition.

I am loving my car everyday, blast to drive, super quick for a 4 door saloon and the Tech is just phenomenal lol. My spouse has also grown bored of her RX, so will most likely end up in an X3 or 330I M-Sport next year lol. If they could drop the LS500 motor in the 4IS, there's high chance I would return, I don't care for slow 4 cylinder turbo motors anymore lol. Next car most likely will be the mid cycle refreshed M340i or M2C.

SW17LS

Congrats! Enjoy, they're a ton of fun.

Johnny Mayday

There's a reason you see so many of these. I've had the opportunity to drive more than my share of them, both with the six-speed and the DCT, and they're an absolute hoot. Congrats on the purchase. Here's to many happy miles with your new ride!

arentz07

Thanks, both of you.

First day of actual commuting in this car was quite nice. Car is very livable for the daily drive but still feels ready to go all the time!

photos from yesterday, when my friend said "You went to a touchless wash? Nah, we'll give it a real cleaning." Still some crud on the exhaust tips I'll need to polish off.

Wilson2000

Congrats on your cool-car purchase! Being an old (air-ccoled) VW fanatic, I've often lusted after the R2 and GTI over the years; they always get rave reviews in the bang-for-the-buck shootouts. However, I do all my own work and find the German cars more difficult than the Japanese to work on, and too, they are less reliable. The CR April 2020 Auto issue doesn't bode well for this model, with the 2015 already showing the lowest overall reliability rating (out of five). The 2016 is the second-to-lowest. If you have lots of $ to spend on maintenance/repairs, you'll likely be happy with it for awhile. But, when done, I predict you'll be back in a Lexus or other Asian import!

arentz07

Yeah, I am prepared for some level of stuff going wrong. However, I at least made sure all the maintenance on this one was done as recommended by VW, so it's something. So far, I have already driven the car about 500 miles and not noticed anything out of the ordinary. Here's hoping!

nallis

Nice little whip!

I literally had a run in with one yesterday morning in my IS 350. Stock wise, they are not quick but I can tell it was fun to drive because when I walked by the driver his smile was so damn wide despite getting an easy and quick spanking. They have tremendous potential. I see them at the tracks all the time with minor stuff and they sure move. A guy a block away from me has a white one with suspension and wheels. So sexy! Good luck!

I have had 5 Lexus cars in the last 10 years and this is my last. The wife switched to BMW 10 years ago and never looked back. We simultaneously had the 2014 f30 335i and damn that was a fun car over my 3is. Just traded it in and she opted to get a small crossover, the bmw x1 with M Sport package. Certainly down by a lot on performance but the little thing is much more fun to mash the gas compared to my Lex. You certainly feel more energized and spirited when in a rush vs the Lex.

arentz07

Yep! Stock, it is actually still a bit quicker than my IS 300 AWD actually. However, I would think the 350 would walk away from a roll. Off the line, the GTI feels super-punchy though - driving in the city is fun because I get to use the low-end torque a lot!

Having driven a 335i, as well as an M235i, I get it. They are fun. However, I think the GTI just feels 100% more connected to the driver and road than those cars. The BMW feels even more distant than the IS for me. However, the handling was really nice in the M235i, and it sounded great as well. I think that some light modifications could really wake it up. Best of luck!