Under the Golf R's hood is a turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four-cylinder that makes 315 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque—up from 288 horsepower and 280 pound-feet in the last-generation R. Compared to a standard Golf any GTI is 15 mm lower and any R is 20 mm lower. Fender to wheel center distance: Golf: 380 - 385 mm GTI & GTD: 365 - 370 mm Golf R: 360 - 365 mm The lower value applies to front, the higher to rear. There are tolerances though, depending on equipment, door count and age/mileage. 01. The powerhouse in the compact class: in the 1970s, the Golf GTI – now in its eighth generation in 2020 – was a cult car from the word go. We reveal what makes the punchy front of the GTI so special, and how this has developed over the past half century. Marco Pavone, Head of Exterior Design for the Volkswagen Brand, explains the The GTi badge was first popularised via the Volkswagen Golf GTi in 1975, and then cemented with the Peugeot 205 GTi. But that’s what GTi stands for, not what it means, and for that we need to 5. Travel assist. The Golf 7/7.5 offers the driver safety features such as rear traffic alert and optional adaptive cruise control but, the Golf 8 steps up the safety features with its new Travel Assist. This includes adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assist, automatic emergency braking, pedestrian monitoring, trailer assist, and even an As for luggage space, VW claims the Golf R’s bay can hold 341 litres, which is slightly less than the GTI’s figure due to the presence of the all-wheel drive system on the rear axle. Compared with other performance hatchbacks, the Volkswagen’s load bay is smaller than those of the BMW M135i xDrive (380 litres) and Mercedes-AMG A35 4Matic I "test drove" a mk7.5 MT recently to see if my memory of it was right or if I was just being nostalgic. Turns out the power difference between the two is real, and maybe I had fun in the 7.5 but getting used to the mk8's power, turbo, and better handling made the 7.5 feel like it was 90% there but not enough. I have owned 2X MK 7 Golf R's and 2X GTI MK 7's , all with APR stage 1 DSG. Here is some of my thinking: Golf R, a bit more weight (vs GTI) makes a difference. Steering feels more weighted, dull on center & tends to understeer. Unflappable, will not lose traction under WOT and sticks to the road almost freakishly. Dec 24, 2021. #2. Look at the headlights. If the lights make horseshoes it’s a 7. If it has the Corolla L style, it’s a 7.5. If they’re halogen you’re plain SOL. EQT Stage 2 / ACT Street Lite clutch / cp-e Engine mounts / Powerflex Hybrid puck / Baun DP & FMIC / Bilstein B8s / H&R RSB / H&R Sports / Booster seat. Both the Golf GTI and Golf R are powered by an updated version of VW’s immensely tuneable EA888 turbocharged, 2.0-liter four-cylinder, now producing 241 horsepower in the GTI and 315 hp in the R GtFrS3e.