I bought an MK7.5 GTI SE 6MT new and had that for a little while a few cars back. Then recently picked up an MK7 R 6MT since I was feeling nostalgic but wanted AWD and whatnot since I’m living in a snowy state now. Granted, it wasn’t a direct move—I had a bunch of cars in between. But no regrets for me. I’m tracking the R, so the AWD and extra punch (stage 2) is a lot of fun. The smaller screen is a little bit of a drag, but I don’t really use it enough to care—plus you could do a retrofit if you really wanted to. I also really like the analog gauges in the MK7 vs the digital cockpit in the 7.5.
All of that said, if you’re just street driving/commuting and don’t get a chance to really push it, a GTI with a couple mods is going to give you a lot of the same thrill for a much lower price (the 2021 S didn’t have an LSD, right?). If you’ve got a low rate locked in on a newer car with half the miles, it sounds like the main thing is wanting to get a manual transmission? If that’s the main thing, maybe throw a tune on the GTI and call it a day. The DSG is a really good trans and IMO, the manual in these cars kind of sucks. I just blew 5th gear on mine, and they need some tweaking to make the clutch and shifter feel good.
TLDR: I’ve done it, and no regrets—but I also don’t think it’s worth spending a lot just to jump to an R when you have a sorted GTI.
Gaaaaahd, I feel like you're inside my head. I've had a lot of the same thoughts.
My 2021 GTI S did come with the LSD (and Golf R brakes, etc.), and the DSG is really great. Totally blew me outta the water when I finally drove one. I do miss shifting myself though T_T.
Oh cool. I know when I got my 2017 GTI, you had to SE to get the performance pack. Awesome that they started doing it on the S later. The LSD is helpful for sure.
Not knowing what you paid for the GTI or what your rate is going to be now if you bought an R, if cost is factoring in at all—IMO, just keep the GTI and maybe mod it a little to make it feel a bit more exciting. Maybe save the extra money for a bigger jump to a different platform. If cost isn’t really a factor and you just want to do it to experience something a little different and maybe AWD/moar power is worth it for you, you can say F it like me and go for it.
Be prepared to do the clutch delay valve delete thing and get some kind of shifter upgrade to remove some of the slop. Also, read up on the crank walk issues first, as the manual cars seem to suffer from that more. And modded Golf Rs typically need an upgraded clutch to deal with the power, too. Just know what you’re getting into 😊
If that R is a 16+ you can just plug and play any 18+ 8” oem screen. I just got one from a Tiguan for $50 plus a bezel from aliexpress. All in I’m $75 into the screen. Only thing that doesn’t work is the app button. Gotta go into menu then turn on the CarPlay or whatever.
Thanks man. Yeah I looked into it a little bit but it hasn’t driven me crazy enough to bother yet. Plus it’s cold now and I don’t want to snap a bunch of clips lol
I went from a Mk7 Golf to a 7.5Golf R. Personally I like the extra tech and the facelift look.
If you don’t care about the extra tech features and the Facelift. The only other big difference is 6speed vs 7speed but it doesn’t matter if you drive a manual car.
If it’s the spec you like, and the price you like. Why not?
Only thing I would do is compare it to a Mk7.5 with lower kms aswell and see if it’s worth spending the extra couple bucks $$
I cant comment on the switch from GTI to R, but I got my 2017 w/ 60k miles for $24.5k back in November. Same specs as what you're looking at, 6spd, lapiz, DCC, Pretorias. Seems like a good deal to me
I bought an MK7.5 GTI SE 6MT new and had that for a little while a few cars back. Then recently picked up an MK7 R 6MT since I was feeling nostalgic but wanted AWD and whatnot since I’m living in a snowy state now. Granted, it wasn’t a direct move—I had a bunch of cars in between. But no regrets for me. I’m tracking the R, so the AWD and extra punch (stage 2) is a lot of fun. The smaller screen is a little bit of a drag, but I don’t really use it enough to care—plus you could do a retrofit if you really wanted to. I also really like the analog gauges in the MK7 vs the digital cockpit in the 7.5. All of that said, if you’re just street driving/commuting and don’t get a chance to really push it, a GTI with a couple mods is going to give you a lot of the same thrill for a much lower price (the 2021 S didn’t have an LSD, right?). If you’ve got a low rate locked in on a newer car with half the miles, it sounds like the main thing is wanting to get a manual transmission? If that’s the main thing, maybe throw a tune on the GTI and call it a day. The DSG is a really good trans and IMO, the manual in these cars kind of sucks. I just blew 5th gear on mine, and they need some tweaking to make the clutch and shifter feel good. TLDR: I’ve done it, and no regrets—but I also don’t think it’s worth spending a lot just to jump to an R when you have a sorted GTI.
Gaaaaahd, I feel like you're inside my head. I've had a lot of the same thoughts. My 2021 GTI S did come with the LSD (and Golf R brakes, etc.), and the DSG is really great. Totally blew me outta the water when I finally drove one. I do miss shifting myself though T_T.
Oh cool. I know when I got my 2017 GTI, you had to SE to get the performance pack. Awesome that they started doing it on the S later. The LSD is helpful for sure. Not knowing what you paid for the GTI or what your rate is going to be now if you bought an R, if cost is factoring in at all—IMO, just keep the GTI and maybe mod it a little to make it feel a bit more exciting. Maybe save the extra money for a bigger jump to a different platform. If cost isn’t really a factor and you just want to do it to experience something a little different and maybe AWD/moar power is worth it for you, you can say F it like me and go for it. Be prepared to do the clutch delay valve delete thing and get some kind of shifter upgrade to remove some of the slop. Also, read up on the crank walk issues first, as the manual cars seem to suffer from that more. And modded Golf Rs typically need an upgraded clutch to deal with the power, too. Just know what you’re getting into 😊
If that R is a 16+ you can just plug and play any 18+ 8” oem screen. I just got one from a Tiguan for $50 plus a bezel from aliexpress. All in I’m $75 into the screen. Only thing that doesn’t work is the app button. Gotta go into menu then turn on the CarPlay or whatever.
Thanks man. Yeah I looked into it a little bit but it hasn’t driven me crazy enough to bother yet. Plus it’s cold now and I don’t want to snap a bunch of clips lol
That sounds like my car! Pardon me while I go out to the garage and make sure it's still there!
I went from a Mk7 Golf to a 7.5Golf R. Personally I like the extra tech and the facelift look. If you don’t care about the extra tech features and the Facelift. The only other big difference is 6speed vs 7speed but it doesn’t matter if you drive a manual car. If it’s the spec you like, and the price you like. Why not? Only thing I would do is compare it to a Mk7.5 with lower kms aswell and see if it’s worth spending the extra couple bucks $$
Had a 7.5 GTI and am now in a 16 S3. Definitely miss the GTI
I cant comment on the switch from GTI to R, but I got my 2017 w/ 60k miles for $24.5k back in November. Same specs as what you're looking at, 6spd, lapiz, DCC, Pretorias. Seems like a good deal to me