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2012 Volkswagen Golf / GTI Pros and Cons at TrueDelta: Owner Pros and Cons by dfrankhaley

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Reviewed: 2012 Volkswagen Golf / GTI

4dr Hatch turbocharged 256hp 2.0L I4 6-speed manual AWD

Why Not the 2012 Volkswagen Golf / GTI?

Powertrain performance

Both the TDI and the R are much slower cars than the Nissan 370Z I am trading in. So the difference between them is much smaller than their difference vs. the Z. They are both slow cars, relatively. But both are fun to drive, which is what I care about.

Color choices

Such boring colors. The Germans have no sense of whimsy. Where are the yellow cars, or the Tangerine, or neon green? Tried for a red one but just not many available. Maybe I'll add racing stripes?

Handling

Again, compared to the 370Z neither the Golf R or the TDI are sports cars. Yet they both handle nimbly and are fun to drive. It's just a long way to fall... I liked the steering response much better in the Golf R.

Feature availability

I wish I had purchased the tech package with the xenon headlights and LED DLR's. The low beam headlights of the TDI are clearly weak compared to the Golf R.

Safety & braking

The three biggest advantages of the R for me were the all wheel drive, the better steering precision and the much stronger brakes in the R. But compared to the Nissan 370Z, the steering and braking was inferior, by far. I wish for a TDI version of the R

This review was originally a two-car comparison review. Read the other half here.

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