SlowYello

Can this post be pinned so no-one else hopefully falls for this car. In the past I had a similar very similar experience with a Vauxhall.

Moving from a Polo GTi to (group 30) insurance to BMW M2 (group 42) you are going to see a jump in insurance costs, the golf is (group 34), parts on BMWs are hellishly expensive, so insurance has to take that into account. I am torn at the moment between a Golf R estate & a BMW 3 series Touring

Currently driving a 2010 Impreza STi hatch, had this from new, still love it. £500 road fund license not so much! We have two retired greyhounds & really need an estate so we have separation between hounds & passengers in case of an accident. Test drove Golf R hatch back in September, liked it, far more refined than the Subaru. Now R estates are becoming available, in some cases from dealer stock, we need to make a decision. Now trying to convince myself that the Subaru should go & be replaced by a Golf R estate, I know once the Subaru is gone I will miss it, or rather I will miss the AWD traction with LSDs front & rear. With winter tyres on it is great in all weathers. We have made a number of trips from the East Midland to NW Scotland & whilst the Subaru gets us all to Scotland fairly briskly, it is not the most comfortable mode of transport for the 500+ mile drive. Once in Scotland it is great fun for an early run across Applecross ;-) Please convince me that an estate will be as much fun as the STi. Alternative will be some sort of diesel estate & keep the Subaru D

Thanks for all your suggestions, looks like I may be able to get an estate with the long wait.

Thanks I will give them a call D

I have been considering a Golf R Estate for some time. Took a DSG hatch for a test drive last autumn in pouring rain, I was impressed, salesman less so, but at least he didn't wet the seat ;-) but then the salesman said 9 months wait for an estate! I have now noticed that UK dealers are getting used cars in (ex VAG UK?) Thought I would have a look see if any unregistered estates are available & my first 3 call to dealers found 2 new unregistered cars. Both are Lapiz blue. Anyone on here know of new cars available at dealers. If the car has 19" wheels I would want dynamic suspension, also because I need the estate to lug a couple of retired greyhounds around in don't want anything in the boot, I have seen the estate with a box like object in the boot, part of the audio system? Anyone who has been in a dealer and see a new R estate for sale please give me an heads up. Got money burning a hole in my bank account. D

I am currently driving a 2010 Subaru Impreza STi (hatch) recently I drove a Golf R DSG with the intention of placing an order for a for a Golf R Estate. The STi is fun, but I use mine as a daily driver & the Golf will be much better, although not sure how the Golf will be compared to the STi in snow & slush. I drove the Golf in torrential rain, exactly as I did the first time I drove the STi & both inspire AWD confidence, the Subaru feels RWD and can be controlled to a certain extent on the throttle, whereas I thought the Golf was very neutral, certainly not FWD. I suspect just as fast point to point on a twisty B Road. As other have said the Subaru is basically a very old design which has had tweeks over the years, but the engine in it was first introduced around 1989 so emissions are from the late 1980s. In the not too distant future Road Fund Licence will be £500, £485 at the moment, iirc. Golf R £180 The torque from the 2.5L is nice, but overall the Golf is a better all round car, it immediately felt solid & the cabin materials of good quality. I will miss the Subaru, but the Golf is a much better overall package. Need to get that order placed. Dave

Thanks for your answers. Seems like cloth it is then, no kids, dogs will be in the boot... reason for getting the estate. We will have to think very hard before speccing DCC. Dave

I took a 5dr DSG hatch out for a test drive on Wednesday in the pouring rain on the lovely roads north of Scunthorpe, unfortunately the car I drove didn't have DCC. The car drove well, despite the conditions & I only worried the sales guy once. Currently I am driving a 2010 Subaru STi hatch, which I love but times move on etc. Talking to the Mrs last evening she though the plan was that I keep the STi & she replace her Fiesta with the Golf! Thinking about it this may be a good idea. The Subaru could be let go one we eventually get the R. Anyways following the test drive I have a couple of question which current owners may be able to answer. Does the DCC make a big difference in comfort mode on long motorway cruises, whilst the standard suspension was fine, I suspect it would be better being a bit "softer" on long journeys. Does anyone have the climate windscreen, does it work in similar way to the Ford heated screen, melting through ice & releasing snow in no time? How do the cloth seats wear? I had a Skoda VRS & the cloth started to look tired on the bolsters after a couple of years. I like the look of the cloth, the car I tested had "basic" leather and that was nice, although I am not sure £1700 nice. Have R Estates actually started arriving in the UK for customers who order when the car first went on sale? I would really like to see one before ordering. Dave

Thank for the welcome. Over the next couple of days we need to finalise the spec... Pure White or Night Blue 18" wheels, prefer 19" style of wheel but ultra low profiles tyre & Lincolnshire roads don't mix. Advanced telephone connection Climate windscreen Winter pack Dynamic chassis Sunroof & keyless entry are possibles 24 weeks for delivery is a killer Dave

Hello all Currently driving a Subaru Impreza STi hatch, time for it to be replaced, having shopped around the Golf R Estate looks idea. Had a test drive in a Golf R Hatch (DSG, no DCC) and just need to decide which options we need & which we would like. If we order quickly we are looking a January delivery. Reason for estate, we have two retired greyhounds and they need a fair bit of space. Dave Lincolnshire