55NF

I had one on my Golf R..... now in my C Class .. if you still want a pic? It looked ok in the Gold & was hidden behind the mirror quite well. I had the rear cam also and the wires were hidden.

Picture of my daily workhorse.

Standard is crap........... and nowhere near as good as standard BMW. I still wouldn't pay for Dynaudio thhough, I;m only interested in the driving experience. Hence, standard car, cloth seats etc

I have an 18 plate 7.5 R and a 68 Plate GTD If I drive the R like a loon I get around 26mpg over a 50 mile country drive. In the GTD, same run & driving style I can't get it below 38MPG, however hard I try !!!! Not much difference considering derv is approx 10p more per litre I don't take any notice of the MPG tbh and just ful up............ just change the displahy on the dash if it bothers you that much !

Good points re the alloys. I bought an E350 from JCT Sheffield & the diamond cut 19s were fine on collection. Within a few hundred miles they were wrecked, and I don't mean slightly... they were white corrosion style!!! They collected the car from me. 90 miles away & DROVE IT BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP, returned to me, and the wheels did it again. So again they collected it!! a 400 mile trip (ON MY CAR) to sort their problem out. Be sure to keep a watcful eye on the alloys and agree it with the dealer that if it happens, they need doing properly

Which FB group is it? I'm nosey!!

Mine was the standard car, only option being the Performance Pack (wheels, brakes etc) It was actually cheaper than the 330d to lease.......... but as you rightly say, the 330d is the better all round car. The xDrive, as good as it is killed the enjoyment & I felt detached from the car. The one time I found the Xdrive useful was in the snow, any other time I don't think it's a neccesity in the UK.

There’s a few posts on here or pissedonheads titled ‘R or GTD’’? As you say, totally different cars... but the question has been asked in the past, so I’ve answered it... as I have both 7.5 cars which most people don’t.

Ok if you can’t fathom the comparison , in comparison to my 335d M Sport xdrive 2016, which the R replaced. 335d averaged 37.7 over 23k. Fast in a straight line, handled like a sack of potatoes. Heavy lumpy front end. On Business contract hire it was 180.00 GBP more per month than the 7.5 R. Nowhere near as much fun, more expensive overall than the R. Compare the GTD to the 335d. I would take the DSG GTD as a daily, which is the reason the wife has one now. The only downside is lack of 4WD on the rural country back roads I use in the winter to get to the A1, but that is where the R fills the void. 

Ok, if you can’t fathom the comparison , in comparison to my 335d M Sport xdrive 2016, which the R replaced. 335d averaged 37.7 over 23k. Fast in a straight line, handled like a sack of potatoes. Heavy lumpy front end. On Business contract hire it was 180.00 GBP more per month than the 7.5 R. Nowhere near as much fun, more expensive overall than the R. Compare the GTD to the 335d. I would take the DSG GTD as a daily, which is the reason the wife has one now. The only downside is lack of 4WD on the rural country back roads I use in the winter to get to the A1, but that is where the R fills the void.

Of course it should go in the same sentence. Some potential buyers will benefit from the MPG & running costs quoted. That is the reasoning behind this post if you read it. If you can’t afford an R, get a GTD. Although at the MPG of my R stated by the pics I’ve posted, there’s minimal difference. I’ll post up a 7.5 GTD comparison of the identical journey shortly when I take the wife’s GTD.

250 mile round trip in the R today, mainly slow moving Friday afternoon congestion on the M62. Impressive results with economy, not so impressed I didn't get much of a chance to have a 'fun' drive though.

I I've only covered 1K miles in the GTD, mixed, motorway & 3K in the R. I agree; the GTD is a good car and all the car I really want & need. I don't miss the R when driving the GTD, but that's maybe as I have both. Averaging over 37MPG in the GTD in comparion to the R Long Term.... it makes the R not a noticable difference in cost to run at 10mpg Long Term difference. Insurance cost doesn't matter at my age and is minimal for the R.

Correct, it's the options which delay it. I just wanted a cheap daily so went standard. Once you start adding options to lease it becomes too expsnsive to justify. Very very cheap standard car on business lease deals though. My days of waiting for a car are over, I wouldn't wait. I once waited 12 months (late 90s) for a 2.8 Z3 which I collected from a dealer in Munich & drove back to the UK.

I got mine more or less immediatly with the lease company......... same with the GTD lease.

Too many scenarios to consider, unless I was seriously searching. I tried the R Line 150 petrol before gettingt the GTD and the petrol was 'flat'. Real world MPG on the 1.5TSI Golf 150 R Line is 43.5 Cost over 20K miles 2736.01 £388.90 per month (although I would say it can be found cheaper) GTD 5 door manual £341.00 per month There's hardly anything in it with the fuel cost I woud go back to derv until they're priced off the road but for city / town driving I wouldn't have the 335d M Sport Xdrive again, I would opt for the 320 xdrive. The six cyl was just too lumpy around town & not sharp. Great on the mtotway thouigh.

I've calculated it as follows Golf R . 20K miles in 24 months Long term Average 29mpg Cost 130.9 per litre £4250.00 fuel cost Golf GTD . 20K miles in 24 months Long term Average 47mpg Cost 132.9 per litre £2570.96 fuel cost GTD is £1679.04 cheaper to run over the length of my 24 month lease. £839.52 more per year to use my R. Insurance is negligable at £500.00 pa for both cars. Both cars leased so I don't care about the uncertainty with diesel. As mentioned; for the sake of a few hundred quid... enjoy yourself more in the R.

You can get nicked in ANY car ... makes no difference whatsover if you're in a Golf R. I don't get in mine everyday & think to myself............ "Right, I'm in my Golf R, I think I'll go over the speed limit". ?!!!

Don't be alarmed....... my 37.5 MPG figure quoted in my first post was driving like an absolute nonce at 40mph - 50mph. My Long Term average is 28.4mpg. Was 27.1 yesterday. It's not until you start looking at the MPG & investigating you notice it. My R costs me about 25 quid per week more to drive than the GTD or my previous 120d.

Sounds about right. I can see me using the GTD more than the R. Wife potters around town & I do around 15K per annum.

Collected a Golf GTD manual yesterday, 68 plate 7.5 standard car.Over an 80 mile or so identical journey with my wife following driving my 7.5 R ... these are the results. Maybe of interest to some here looking for a daily if running cost is an issue. Obvious but predictable results.The GTD really is a good car and more comfortable / less crashy than the 120d M Sport with RFTs and M suspension, but just as comfortable as the R. 80 miles in the R at 131.9 per litre & 37.5MPG = 12.79Same journey in the GTD = 8.66Saving 4.13 over 80 miles in the GTD

Found it! single button in the cosole, which you can't see when it's dark. Thanks

When I unlock the car & open the door .... the interior lights do not illuminate. The blue LEDs on the doors & sills do, but the interior lights don’t. Have i changed a setting somewhere? Used the FAQ in search and nothing.

I just see my R as a daily workhorse to stick 24K on in 2 years. I really should take pride in it.

It'll be interesting to find out over the coming months. GTD arriving 3 September on a new 69 plate.