C&D 10 best

[SteveSRT8]

IMO the Golf R with AWD is a bit heavy to be referred to as a lightweight. I love it dynamically, but the styling is too boxy for my tastes

It is extremely close to a Corvette at over 3300 pounds!

 

[Mykl]

The Golf R is a bit of a tank for what it is. Even the GTI is on the chubby side.

 

[ls1mike]

Originally Posted By: Mykl
Originally Posted By: ls1mike
It is hard to convey sarcasm on the internet

Was your statement sarcastic because you can't imagine why some people have a preference for smaller, lighter weight cars?

The Corvette is deserving of praise because it's an incredible machine, but if it's not the car some want for X, Y, or Z reasons why make snide comments about them?

No, small cars are fine. It for the folks who think larger heavier cars cant do the stuff a small one can. Their comments are just as snide.

 

[JetStar]

Originally Posted By: Mykl
The Golf R is a bit of a tank for what it is. Even the GTI is on the chubby side.


That might be so, but she carries her weight well. Supposed to be lighter and slightly larger in 2015 (US).

 

[FutureDoc]

Originally Posted By: ls1mike
No, small cars are fine. It for the folks who think larger heavier cars cant do the stuff a small one can. Their comments are just as snide.


They can't

That pesky thing called physics always gets in the way... just like how small cars can't do what many large cars can do. You might be able to engineer it to be better (make a big car nimble or a small car torque-y) but if you spend that amount of time and engineering effort with the appropriate car in the first place, then it becomes a mute point again.

However, the GTI should definitely NOT be on that list. There are hotter hatches, more reliable and better cornering compacts, and much better sportscars in that price-point. The MKVI is about as bloated as the MKIV. The MKV was a good re-fresh but they added too much weight... same goes for the SI.

 

[Mykl]

Originally Posted By: FutureDoc
However, the GTI should definitely NOT be on that list. There are hotter hatches, more reliable and better cornering compacts, and much better sportscars in that price-point. The MKVI is about as bloated as the MKIV. The MKV was a good re-fresh but they added too much weight... same goes for the SI.


The GTI isn't on that list because it's the best at any one thing. It's not the most reliable, the fastest, or even most comfortable. At 3000 lbs it may not be a super featherweight, but it's not overweight either.

The reason it's on the list is because it's good at everything. It's comfortable, it's quiet, it makes the right noises when it does make noise, it gets decent fuel economy, its practical and spacious, its reliable enough, it feels as fast as anything in its segment, it handles great and has fool-proof handling with enough rotation built in to be entertaining to someone who can use it.

Read most any review or comparison between it and anything else and that's what you'd see. It's being praised because it's just the right mix of compromises, which is basically all any hot-hatch is.