Nostromo

Test drive complete..! Now, which one to go for? White silver,lapis blue or stick with the Audi? A lot to think about. Any thoughts on the two colour choices? Cheers.

I know it feels like that! Might be RS4 to RS5 to Golf R... RS4 is great but too expensive really for me now as a daily driver. Hoping that the R will still be an "event" to drive..

Great news... Thanks.

Ok guys, so I'm going for an extended test drive in a new Golf R tomorrow. I already had a brief accompanied drive a month or so ago and was suitably impressed. Tomorrow they are lending me the Golf for an hour or so whilst they carry out an MOT on the RS4. So, is there anything that I should be looking out for whilst I have the opportunity to test this car? Reading comments about the 4wd not being permanent, will this car give you the confidence the same as the quattro? What I mean is can you pull out in busy traffic on a damp road without wheels spinning or is there a noticeable delay before this happens? Any other annoyances that you have come across as owners that you don't see at first that would put you off now? Thanks.

Thanks all for the help and advise. More soul searching before a final decision me thinks. White silver is the one I have my eye on, and caught my attention from day one..

Cheers, That's something else then to factor in. Still I think the first years RLF on the RS3 is £1200...

How does the RFL get this vehicle value do you think? Would the dealer give the list price w/out optional extras or would they have to inform them of the true invoice price? I have seen buyers say that they spec their car to keep under the threshold and then add the things like wheels and exhaust on aftermarket to avoid this extra cost..

Needs scratching, but wont be in a position to change again for another 2.5 to 3 years, so I need to get it right..! Me too! TBH I think I'd settle for Adele

Agreed. But if I spilt up with Cheryl Cole (or Tweedy or whatever) and ended up with Kimberley Walsh I wouldn't be too upset. However, I may not feel the same if it was the ginger one... A bit off piste there..

Chaps, Thank you all for your views and replies. This feels like when I moved from the B7 RS4 to the 2011 RS5...the RS forum said I'd be mad to change but it was an itch I needed to scratch. Well, I scratched for 4 years and it was still a great car despite what the motoring press thought about it. I need to make a decision around financial year end (31/3/18) and I think if the boss will stretch to the RS3 then that might be the way to go (subject to driving and liking) since I guess the running costs whilst inside warranty period will be reasonably similar to that of the Golf. If things aren't that rosy, then it's a toss up between keeping the gas guzzler or switch to the R I think. I'd have to say that this forum is great for peoples advice and opinions without any real biases or the like...! Cheers.

Wise words Phil... I suppose what I'm looking for is a vehicle that I can use at the weekend (after using it all week to commute) that I don't begrudge the burning of fuel..! If the Golf can give me 80% of what the RS4 can then that would help me accept the change knowing I'd moved to a decent car with great performance with reduced overall savings. I do like the idea of having the majority of 3 years manufactures warranty to fall back on. The 4 will be about £1000 to renew the warranty and comes with a £250 excess. A visit to Audi to compare the RS3 against the Golf should be next. Incidentally, I did consider an S5 Coupe since the interior and tech look spot on...however I reckon I'd be wishing I could have stretched (and failed) for the RS version every time I saw one.

I'd have to say that the R was a nice place to be..! I'm not sure if it was just because it had that new car appeal. The media set-up is much nicer than the B8 RS4, but from what I can tell, the RS3 is still somewhat behind in that respect. People have said that Audis virtual cockpit is better than the VW version, but overall, the RS3 looks a bit plain inside? Don't get me wrong, the 4 is a nice place to be, but really only comes on song when the revs are really high, and by then you are in licence losing territory... The R or the RS3 look like they could have more day to day useable performance?

The company will base the change of vehicle on some personal factors..and it hasn't been a fantastic year..! Is the RS3 interior that much better than the Golf? I've not had the chance to drive the Audi, but from what I've seen on-line they certainly sound good. I think realistically, I could suggest a change of vehicle with a "cost to change" of say £15,000. That buys a very nice R...but a limited spec RS3 Sportback, and not much in the terms of an RS3 Saloon.

Hi Guys, Just looking for some thoughts as I just can’t get my head around what to do! Long story: Currently have 2014 Audi RS4 that I’m thinking of changing for a new Golf R. Whilst the Audi is great, it is starting to be a bit of a financial burden in relation to the running costs. I’ve had it for 2.5 years and an RS5 for 4 years before that so the V8 sound is probably going to be the thing I’ll miss most. My situation is somewhat strange as the vehicle is a company car that is not under the normal company car tax rules. This is because the company owner pays for the vehicle and I pay for all the running costs and nothing goes through the accounts. So, essentially I can negotiate a vehicle change to some degree but without taking liberty’s! So, I have test driven this new R and I was surprised how modern it was inside compared with the Audi. People have said that VW interiors can’t compare to Audi, but that wasn’t the impression I got. Will the interior be rattle free after 50,000 miles like the Audi’s have been? My proposal would be to get this Golf after it has been registered in March and been run by the dealer for about 3,000 miles and then will be around £37k down from its £44590 list price. The cost to change being px plus around £10k. The other car on the radar is a new RS3 saloon, and the cost to change there is around £28k for brand new or £22k for slightly used. So, if you are still with me so far, I can’t try and convince myself to move from the 4 to the 3 for that kind of cost, albeit that the performance will be similar but running costs will be lower. As the 4 gets older the warranty and consumable costs will get larger I’m sure. That leads me on to the Golf. That makes more economical sense I suppose since the cost to change is a lot lower than to the RS3, and it feels like a different car completely. I have read that a lot of R owners are looking to “move up” to an RS 3 and my potential move is doing things in reverse. Any thoughts on this, and am I going to think I should have just stuck where I was….. Cheers. Spec below of Golf: White Silver Metallic Black 'Vienna' leather R Alloy wheels, 19" 'Pretoria Black' Door mirror casing in black Heat-insulating tinted glass 90% Panoramic sunroof Dynaudio Excite soundpack R performance titanium exhaust Keyless entry Climate windscreen DCC Rear view camera