Guest Post: Owner's review - 2010 Volkswagen Golf R Mk6

Hello folks. Today we have another guest post. Firdaus Asri, owner of the 2010 Volkswagen Golf R Mk6 we reviewed and posted earlier has decided to do an owner's review on his new baby. Or Baby Elephant as he calls it. In the very passionate and technical review, you will find that he is very much in love with his new car, from the performance aspect as well as its flaws and all. It is one really detailed review too. If you wanted to know how much he has spent over the last few months since getting his Golf R do read on. The graph he prepared is an eye opener.

My Mk6 Golf TSI Convert….Err Golf R

My 6R  - unexpectedly likeable, handsome and charming

People who know me have been fully aware that I have been trying to offload my then VW 9N3 Polo GTI 1.8T for the longest possible time. It is not that the car isn’t any good or problematic, far from it really. But there is a time in later part of life that I need to grow up and move on to a matured car but can still be fast when I need it be.

For the past 7 years, there have been couple of nibbles but nothing has actually bit until recently. Where suddenly, a gentleman transferred RM57k into my bank account. In return he got himself pretty much the most looked after 9N3 Polo GTI in the country together with plenty of unused aftermarket parts as spares. This is when I kick started my hunt for a replacement, driving and owning one plus a series of miscalculations.

My requirements are pretty much simple and clear. I wanted a car that is refined, practical and would also offer classless image as well as performance at a certain price I won’t need to be a slave to keep it running. So the answer was obvious, Audi B7 RS4 Audi RS3 VW, a reconditioned 2010 VW Mk6 Golf R in rising blue from the country of rising sun Japan at seemingly paltry sum of RM175k.

It is without hindsight of a doubt that the Mk6 Golf is the most boring looking thing among the Golf generations. But the blacked 18” Talladegas, the front grille, the LED tail lamps and most importantly the rising blue paint wrap make it unexpectedly likeable, handsome and charming. In essence the appearance is conservatively more “restrained” than the GTI. It is so restrained that there have been several occasions that I’ve got pat at the back saying “Cantik la abang punya Golf Tsi…”. 

Not that I mind really because when I saw it for the first time, the want and the need was so bad that I don’t bother to look at any other car. Fools rush in, they say.

Prior signing the dotted line, the car had been sent to my regular place for a thorough checkup. Apart from radiator coolant leaks, it passed all tests with flying colors. This was after all a 5 year old car. So to avoid any surprises, I sent it back again for major ticket items to be replaced or replenished right after taking delivery. That’s where a series of miscalculations begin to sink in.

I’m embarrassed to admit that the running cost of this 6R is a far cry from my trusty old Polo GTI. For 1 ½ months, the car service and repair bills came close to RM12k. Below is a table of items that managed to put a considerable dent in my bank account (labor costs excluded):

Running cost of 6R from March to April this year 

And this, according to its specification, is a 'poverty' spec Golf R. This means it doesn’t comes with the very nice optional Recaro bucket seats with integrated headrests, Dynaudio speakers, sunroof, reverse camera and not even a reverse sensor. Yet for some reason, the previous owner did spent extra money on ACC (Adaptive Chassis Control) and the RNS510 infotainment system add-on options.

The interior is almost a carbon copy of the Mk6 GTI that brings nothing ostentatious as only little touches and badges leave you with no doubt that this is not a run-of-the-mill Golf. It is a step up from the Polo GTI with its soft touch surfaces, excellent driving position, excellent ergonomics and excellent instrument layout. It is a really nice place to be in and I can imagine myself driving this on long journeys with very minimal backache and can still be quite fresh as when I started the journey. Something that can’t be matched by its rivals: Renault Megane 265 Cup, Ver10 Subaru WRX STI and the Honda FD2R. All of which I've had a go in sometime back.

And like any VW here today, it goes the extra mile when it comes to giving you something that you don’t expect or want from an almost premium price car. Everyday and at every time I am drive the Golf 6R I can hear at least two or three different types of squeaks, rattles and buzzes from practically everywhere. Hell, my wife’s 2006 Proton Satria is quieter than this at less than 1/10 of the price. And speaking about Proton, they can truly learn something here. When you’re introducing something that is a top of the line model, make sure you incorporate these extra musical instruments and make it madly vocal and then charge the customer for an arm and a leg. A wonderful recipe to 'untung sakan' or profit tremendously. :)

Anyway what matters most can be found under the bonnet. VW has opted for the more familiar and bulletproof Mk5 FSI 2.0 engine as donor coupled with uprated blocks, pistons, conrods, camshafts, injectors, intercoolers and K04 turbo. The end result is a CDL engine rated at 255bhp and 350nm harnessed by a 6-speed DSG with Gen4 Haldex system. Strapped the car for baseline dyno at GT Auto Sunway, my 6R registers a healthy 227 whp and 328 nm. Sounds good on paper but all these have significantly contributed to the bottom line of 1,521 kg. To make things rather interesting, I’ve overlaid dyno charts of both Mk6 R and my ex Polo GTI. As you can see below there’s nothing much between them but the Polo has definite edge when it comes to weight at 1,195 kg.  

Dyno charts of both Polo GTI (when it was running dangerously lean) and 6R

But unlike the Polo GTI, the Golf 6R comes with a very much wider footprint. It carries over the old Mk5 floorpan with MacPherson strut for front, Ford Focus-like control blade links for the rear. Torque bias to all wheels is automatically distributed via Haldex controller & pumps. Another welcoming feature is Adaptive Chassis Control (ACC) providing three choices of different level of damping stiffness, steering and throttle responses. And to shave speed from what is already a bloated hot hatch, VW fitted single pot 345mm brakes for front and single pot 310mm rear.

That’s about the appearance and specs, now I want to move onto the way it moves on the road. I want to start with the veggies. The starter ‘grinding’ noise in my view is a reminiscence of the 90s hot Hondas. Iwhen ignited, the Golf 6R feels distinctively sweet and an appetizing treat to unsynthesized Sounductor-free deep but still politically correct sounding exhaust note. Yes there’s a bit of drone at low speed but as you build up the revs, it sobers down sedately as timid as the GTI.

6R doesn’t like to get stuck in traffic much. Oil temp will shoot up above 90 deg and fuel consumption can be easily as high as 13 litres @ 100kms

I purposely tendered WB 8487 E registration plate for the car that carries the meaning of Blue Baby Elephant and I don’t mean it lightly, not the slightest. It is a heavy car for a hot hatch and together with obvious K04 turbo operating range, you can easily get tired driving this thing trying to maneuver around the city below 2,500 rpm. On stock form at least, the power delivery and throttle response feels absolute lethargic. When you do get stuck in traffic, its thirst for fuel can go up as high as 13 litres/100kms.

And If I can go on further, VW did a mediocre job in setting up the DSG. On D mode, it is too keen on short-shifting; in S mode it’s far the opposite, as it’s a bit too keen to kick down and hold on to the gear far too long. I just don’t quite understand why can’t we have something in between.

But as you flick the ACC to Sport with DSG on S mode, drive it in anger you will begin to notice that Golf 6R is naturally a very rapid machine. Comparatively with the likes of remapped Mk6 GTI, it may still feel down on power but the delivery is linear and continues on pulling all the way up to 6,800rpm rev limiter before the DSG box upshifts to higher gear within almost in a blink of an eye. Every gear change feels ferociously punchy and smooth with more vocal burbs. With the launch control activated, whatever 227 whp can be laid onto the ground as cleanly and effective as the rally-bred Evos and Scoobies. So on that basis, the claim acceleration figure of 5.5 seconds to 100 kmh sounds entirely plausible.

As ever with all VWs, you don’t get a great sense of connection and clarity over the steering. But they’re getting there with the 6R. Comes with revised coils, dampers, anti-roll bars and specially tuned power steering, out-of-the-box 6R’s steering has sharper and more direct feel than any VWs I have ever driven.

In getting to know each other better, together I have been spending some quality time on my usual playground: Ulu-Yam-Awana route almost every Sunday morning. One area that it has particularly shines is the Batang Kali uphill section that offers a variety of nice flowing corners from high-speed bends to a string of tight left-right-left turns. A good piece of road to measure its agility and composure over direction changes. And to my great relief, the 6R behaves itself pretty well there.

It is certainly a far easier car to extract the performance without much needed distractions. While I do miss the sensation of interacting with the manual box of my old Polo GTI, I can’t deny that the DSG gives that extra level of shifting speed and helps me to focus more on the road ahead.

As you brake and position the car for a corner entry, the DSG is pretty obedient enough (well almost anyway) to accept double downshifts and relayed back with a perfect blip. As the car starts to rotate, you can then start mashing the throttle and if you have to, apply additional steering lock. The Haldex system will take care of the rest. It will figure out a way to distribute the torque to the most effective wheels and get you out of trouble. At times you can be deliberately stupid and still get away scot-free. It is a point and shoot car on a higher level.

During this transition, you’ll sense a bit of body movement but in no way intimidating. It is just feels composed, planted and perhaps as cold as, may I sayi it, the Nissan GTR. And as you get the hang of it and if you’re brave enough, the car could jump over a crest and can still make a turn immediately after it touches down onto the road. Coming from FWD all these years, it has been an eye opening experience on how easy it is and how much grip this system can give. It almost makes me forgive the almost 300kg of excess weight over my earlier car.

And unlike fast VWs and Audis in the past, it is far easier to modulate the brakes. The single pot 345mm on front and single pot 310mm on rear do give enough feel and bite to stop the car adequately and just in time. But prolong usage of enthusiastic braking over time will increase brake pedal travel further and slowly reduce the bite. Not alarmingly bad but a bit of shame.

But you can’t hide mass. You can mask it by throwing more power, fitting bigger brakes and wider footprint but it will come back and haunt you somewhere. And much like the Audi RS4 and the RS6, it is here in the 6R. The movement inertia through corners just feels like an overweight baby elephant and that will translate in average fuel consumption of 12.5 ltrs@100kms and shorter lifespan of rubbers. And a good set of 225/40/18 tyres do not come cheap.

Much like its performance on the B roads, its competency on the highway comes through and through. Cruising at 140-160kmh is effortless. It feels as grown-up and refined as the big brother VW Passat. Rain or shine, it will continuously makes you feel planted and safe. And for such a rapid hot hatch, it rides extremely well and the noise emitted from 225/40/18 tyres is unusually well suppressed.

After a while now, I honestly think the upsides outweigh regrets I initially had. It is amazing that VW managed to stretch 6R to another level of hot hatch. The Megane RS Cup maybe miles better when it comes to driving enjoyment and rally-bred Evos or Scooby surely cover more ground but for something to live day-in-day-out, 6R is a more compelling package. Much more practical, refined and it gives all day anytime anywhere performance. Well the 7R and RS3 are definitely a notch better in every sense except the price tag.

- Firdaus Asri