8.5R order thread - post your order up here!

[Booth11]

3 hours ago, Shaz130 said:

Also guys, I saw a Lapiz Blue Black Ed in a unit recently, and I feel like the black trim is more suited to a Black or DG car.

 

If going Lapiz Blue I feel like you need to have it with the warmenau dark graphite wheels; can you still spec a standard car to have all the performance/dynamic nannies that the BE has? I think it might just be the performance pack that separates them? Not including the black trim or aesthetic pieces. 

 

Do you good fellas think the warmenau dark graphite wheels might be a bit much for a daily driver? 

 

And is this winter the final window to get a R built in Germany? There have been rumours of production shifting to Mexico but I am not too close to the VW news as much.

 

Cheers

It’s all really personal taste.  What do you prefer?  

 

Some prefer the graphite Warmenaus with Lapiz, some prefer the black Warmenaus.  I love the look of the graphite Warmenaus but I’m not fond of diamond cut finish on a daily driver. 
 

You cannot spec the graphite Warmenaus with the Black Edition.  But you can spec a standard R with them, add the Performance Pack to get same car minus the Black Edition aesthetics. 
 

I personally think the gloss black elements of the Black Edition work very well with the Lapiz, but I’m sure theyre not everyone’s cup of tea.  I also think they work well on Dolphin Grey.  On a black car you lose the distinction of the gloss black trim, but you get the stealth look.  Again, depends what you like.  
 

PS - not all fellas here.  😉

[Shaz130]

3 minutes ago, Booth11 said:

It’s all really personal taste.  What do you prefer?  

 

Some prefer the graphite Warmenaus with Lapiz, some prefer the black Warmenaus.  I love the look of the graphite Warmenaus but I’m not fond of diamond cut finish on a daily driver. 
 

You cannot spec the graphite Warmenaus with the Black Edition.  But you can spec a standard R with them, add the Performance Pack to get same car minus the Black Edition aesthetics. 
 

I personally think the gloss black elements of the Black Edition work very well with the Lapiz, but I’m sure theyre not everyone’s cup of tea.  I also think they work well on Dolphin Grey.  On a black car you lose the distinction of the gloss black trim, but you get the stealth look.  Again, depends what you like.  
 

Btw, not all fellas here.  😉

 

Good shout, those wheels are only available on the standard car, many reviews don’t mention this. 

 

I think I do like the Warmenause a lot, but conscious about whether I can justify it for a long term daily, I suppose fighting the same battle between Lapiz Blue & DG BE, but I am trying to see some cars in person before pulling the trigger, also tricky getting the test drives sorted.  

 

I am new to this thread but I am not sure how many gents & ladies to (apologies ) spec the sunroof as well for a long term daily, in warranty am sure it’s nothing to worry about either, but am not sure how reliable they are the VW roofs, out of warranty I’d get the drains serviced every year though.

 

I am trying to basically create the most special car which is friendly for a long term daily as well

[Booth11]

3 hours ago, Shaz130 said:

 

Good shout, those wheels are only available on the standard car, many reviews don’t mention this. 

 

I think I do like the Warmenause a lot, but conscious about whether I can justify it for a long term daily, I suppose fighting the same battle between Lapiz Blue & DG BE, but I am trying to see some cars in person before pulling the trigger, also tricky getting the test drives sorted.  

 

I am new to this thread but I am not sure how many gents & ladies to (apologies ) spec the sunroof as well for a long term daily, in warranty am sure it’s nothing to worry about either, but am not sure how reliable they are the VW roofs, out of warranty I’d get the drains serviced every year though.

 

I am trying to basically create the most special car which is friendly for a long term daily as well

It’s tough choosing colours and spec and you’ll get all sorts of different opinions which sometimes makes it even harder. 😄

 

hopefully someone with the pano roof will give you their view on it.  Past VW pano roofs have been problematic and many had to be replaced due to the surrounds cracking, but I think they redesigned it with the mk8 and I don’t recall any significant issues being reported here. 

 

I don’t expect you to know who’s male or female on here.  But as a female member myself it would be remiss of me not to point out it’s not just fellas.  Got to stand up for us women!  😊  Yesterday I was at a site meeting with a guy and at the end of the meeting, we walked back to our respective cars in the nearby car park.  As I walked up to my R, he said to me “What a beautiful car, I bet your husband keeps it looking like that”.    Me - “Well no, he’s a man that washes his truck with a broom, I detail my own car”.  Cute lots of apologising on his part.  😁

[Shaz130]

16 hours ago, Booth11 said:

It’s tough choosing colours and spec and you’ll get all sorts of different opinions which sometimes makes it even harder. 😄

 

hopefully someone with the pano roof will give you their view on it.  Past VW pano roofs have been problematic and many had to be replaced due to the surrounds cracking, but I think they redesigned it with the mk8 and I don’t recall any significant issues being reported here. 

 

I don’t expect you to know who’s male or female on here.  But as a female member myself it would be remiss of me not to point out it’s not just fellas.  Got to stand up for us women!  😊  Yesterday I was at a site meeting with a guy and at the end of the meeting, we walked back to our respective cars in the nearby car park.  As I walked up to my R, he said to me “What a beautiful car, I bet your husband keeps it looking like that”.    Me - “Well no, he’s a man that washes his truck with a broom, I detail my own car”.  Cute lots of apologising on his part.  😁

 

 

That sunroof opens & closes with a swipe, can’t imagine the electrical niggles in the future 😭My 2016 Tiguan (while lovely when it was working) was in the garage every month for all good electronics stuff before the gearbox died. I guess there’s not enough experience with the 8.5R with electronics reliability? but that’s a new car thing isn’t it and most seem to trade their cars in within the warranty? I’ve been looking more at a new / fun long termer to help me focus on other projects down the line, and don’t think anything else is better, I tried a M340i & maybe I got it all wrong because it has such rave reviews, but it didn’t have 1% of the feel from my current fossil 1er with a 6-pot

 

Ah for sure! I am all for girl power with my daughters now as well 😆 The toddler seems to be into Golf R’s as well going by how she goes nuts for the YT videos, while the older one wants me to get a pink/purple car but would settle for blue because grey is boring (even though she’s grown out of bluey). Aha that made me chuckle, I think I qualify for that broom as well tbh, am sure you’re keeping your car looking super minty always! That’s the thing with Golf R right, it has universal appeal all over, young/old, male/female, everyone etc it reminds me of the appeal the E30 has in a similar way, I follow Sandra Step on social media who’s so into her E30 Emerald project and there use to be a Youtuber brown car guy who had a black one, was sad when he had to let go of it due to ULEZ in London. 

[Scudgie]

17 hours ago, Booth11 said:

 “What a beautiful car, I bet your husband keeps it looking like that”.  

That made me  😆 🤣 😂 

 

17 hours ago, Booth11 said:

hopefully someone with the pano roof will give you their view on it.  Past VW pano roofs have been problematic and many had to be replaced due to the surrounds cracking, but I think they redesigned it with the mk8 and I don’t recall any significant issues being reported here. 

As someone who has had pano roof on both an 8 and an 8.5 R, I cannot remember a single fault.

[AHG]

On 15/10/2026 at 13:15, Shaz130 said:

when you park and get the birds eye 360 view, is that good enough in combination with the reverse camera to aid you or make a noise if you’re near a kerb? Or do you spend time zooming into the various camera angles?

 

As I said, I dislike reversing camera, so I look out around and back, and only use the 360 (when in the Tig) to make sure I’m parallel and at the desired costs Mr from things. I don’t think you can zoom it, but I never tried. Just a glance to get a grasp of how I a, positioned vs the surrounding. That’s why I think it’s great, it allows you to still navigate looking out while adding an overhaul better grasp of the situation, not proving you with a 120 degrees movie to watch instead of looking around and driving the car (like a reversing camera does).

[AHG]

On 15/10/2026 at 13:20, Shaz130 said:

There have been rumours of production shifting to Mexico

 

AFAIK many US clients of VW commented several times that Made in Mexico VWs has proven much more reliable and better built than Deutschland Gemacht.

So maybe Mexican VW employees are more German now than the ones in Germany. Don’t be so sure this is not an improvement.

[AHG]

Some sunroofs in the US broken due to flying stones or hard stiff falling from trees, plus a few cracking the front glass part (that doesn’t move, in front of the roof window), but overall not a huge percentage so I would t worry, if you like it, get it (drain clear, every 1-2 years).

 

Personally, I truly hate sunroofs and when I had them (GTI 6, S3) I never used them.

Also, it makes the headroom lower and brings in sun on to my very-short-haired head (I sometimes had to drive with a baseball cap in my S3). So for me a metal roof is the best way to go, less weight, less hassle, less squeaking (the S3’s did), and more headroom. Also I aesthetically prefer that the roof would look like one long piece, not sectioned.