CHRIS HARRIS ON CARS - GOLF R v BMW M235i

With its m135i, BMW redefined the performance benchmark for fast, small

cars

, now it has unscrewed the same engine into the body of the smaller, lighter and stiffer 2 Series Coupe and called it the

m235i

. All this Bavarian attention is deeply focused on VW because, after all, this is really their way. so the new Golf R has a 300hp turbo engine and some very positive reviews behind it, let's hope it's better than the last R and the one before it, let anyone complaining that the m3 is getting too complicated sit up and listen right now these fifteen hundred. and the thirty kilogram cooper has 326 walls of power, a 6 speed manual gearbox and an optional locking rear differential, it's basically an e36 m3 with more power, better steering and a better chassis, the suspension is a little more sign that the 135 eyes and this is a car that I've been running for a few months and it has a lot of cosmetic performance parts installed, they are a little cheeky, but the personality of this car is a little cheeky when it has 332 pound-feet of torque, while the

golf

has 280, it also runs on michelin.

Pilot Super Sport rubber, the Gulf has four exhaust tips, this is a bit excessive, the rest of the bodywork is really subtle, but it has four exhausts like a Ferrari, what more can you say about a four-wheel drive Golf wheels and a lot of power? it's not that exciting to see, it's a very high quality item and this one is also nice with the 6 speed manual gearbox, sticky rubber, however it's not standard. In the meantime, we'll discuss the history of the Golf GTI in 1.3 minutes, let's get started Jen. one great car created a revolution in popular hatchbacks mark 2 another great car 8 valve 16 valve arguments about which was better I always prefer the 16 valve brand 3 I put on a little weight not so kevin mark full brand 5 Wow, a return to form mark 6 pretty cool, the ultimate fantastic car, lighter, faster, more responsive, this is the R version, so do we have something slippery?

Should it be faster and better to drive, or are we a little guided by marketing for me in the

golf

6, the GTI remained the most pleasant and rounded. package, but this new version, but there is a strong suspicion that this is the car that has 300 horsepower, Haldex 4-wheel drive, a lot of performance, usability, that golf presentation without pictures, which they do so well, What's it like to drive? It's actually a lot of fun because there's always I have a suspicion that great golfers are more competent than fun, so can we have some fun? I think you can, this guy is equipped with dynamic shock absorbers, it has three settings for almost everything, you have normal and sports comfort, the most surprising aspect of this car for me is that when I put the chassis in sports, it doesn't pull on the Peters, it doesn't get too firm, this car has a lovely pull, extremely talented, I would say the balance of control comfort damping and yet not feeling too firm, is very well judged, superbly judged and you can also use the three shock settings, so in comfort it's more comfortable than a kind of normal golf with big alloys in the medium setting it has great control. but you don't lose too much comfort and when you get to the sport setting I usually see things fall apart and become a mess unless you're at Hockenheim, but I've been driving the car in sport, it's been actually quite good, so what?

The answer is excellent. I have driven this engine in the s3 and was really impressed. It potentially has something a bit more in this application, as a width seems to be a bit sharper at the top end. I guess the calibrations are moving away. there at about three thousand rpm it just responds very well to the problem and it's worth taking it out from six and a half to 7,000 because it keeps accelerating so you have the best of the two words that you have. torque and you also have to read the card immediately, so what more could you ask for?

Also, in this sporty setup, you have a pretty nice induction noise coming out of the cabin and it almost sounds like a 5-cylinder, there's some faking going on. so I'm not going to complain, so you want to pretend they're an Audi Quattro, right? But I'm not going to answer that question, mathematically, me and the new good guys, it sinks into flipping. variety, it doesn't have such a horrible understanding on the road you turn on and the exit feels quite neutral. The front action of the car is just incredible, you can really lean into it to soak up the bumps and you get the feeling of Its flexibility allows the tire to really grip the asphalt and pull out sand, it finds grip in places.

It's the best example I've found this year of a car that gives the driver so much confidence that you can really grab it by the horns so inevitably. you drive it quite fast, this is a 6 speed manual - a really impressive gear, but I suspect it's even faster and crazier with the DSG, it probably has a mini GTR feel in that state, but so the gear change is a little good. artificial, doesn't have much life through the gear change, CT position is great, nice and low, wheels are in the right place, wheel has a good shape, it's flat bottomed which is a bit silly , but here we go, the seat has grip and support, just what I want.

It has this horrible kind of carbon effect, a brick which I'm sure is optional and it looks tacky and cheap, other than that it's a golf hut, this is not a cheap car, but my key is capable, it's capable, yes , I. I hate to say it mr. BMW

m235i

you will have to be really good, not only to match how capable this car is, funny, the history of the m235i is much shorter, there is the m235i, well there is the m135i, which has created a huge stir and huge discussions on the forum on whether it's As good as people say, I've been a big supporter because I think it's a really exciting package.

I know it's not perfect, but the idea of ​​having a lovely turbocharged inline six delivering all that performance in such a practical package for so little money was always exciting to me, it's still Sonia, the m235i is smaller, prettier, more agile as I think the rear axle with better support, slightly firmer suspension all around and the same amount of performance, is a pretty attractive package, plus we have the complication of this being a car and running at the moment and has had some performance goodies added to it, some of which are brilliant, some of which are quite bland.

It has a sticker on the side that may have to be removed soon. It has a steering wheel with dials and shift lights. which is lovely, it's got Alcantara and a fancy carbon gear shifter, none of that really matters to me, but it's got a two gram worth locking differential on the rear axle and that adds another dimension to the car, so what with finished? Do we end up with a baby m3? I'm not sure because it still doesn't feel as connected and aggressive as an M car, but it's very impressive, it's agile, it's very quick for me, the Golf has more initial torque, but the BMW seems to reward more in the top range and, Also, on noise, something that is certainly a bit false in this VM, the BMW wins hands down as a luxury, there is an expensive Ness in the arena in the BMW that simply cannot be denied to these

cars

. running a 2 by 5 section Michigan Super Sport in the rear, so it has a lot of mechanical grip, so you would be in the dream that anything you come out of each corner completely sideways is not, but this car always It feels rear-wheel drive. and to me, the student feels less corrupted and the rear axle feels like it's there and the angle of the car, the attitude of the car can be controlled by how brave you are and how much gas you want to put in it and I love that sensation.

When it leaves the Lima curve, the mass goes all towards the rear of the car, a little crushed under the suspension. I just think it's a great feeling and it's not available in any other package. I think golf is the most competent. The handling of the car is really a weirdo. It seems like it just has a more expensive suspension. Its shock absorbers seem more sophisticated. It will soak up road surfaces that the BMW finds a little trickier. Although this car has more composure than the M135i, it's definitely a date night. No, it's not and I would say that given what's at stake it's fun, I think the BMW reverses the trend.

I think this is a real hoot, golf is a lot of fun, but there is a sense of mischief about this m235i that is completely convincing, it really is. To the point where I've watched other people driving this car since I've had it and they've both driven it like a bit of a Wally, they just got in it and had a blast and I think it's got that guy it's got character, it's got a loud sports exhaust, this one installed has carbon end pipes which are a little shiny for me but makes a bit louder noise, the baffles are all a bit smaller on the inside, it has slightly larger disc brakes but they don't. no difference they are fake perforated discs.

I don't really understand that either. I wouldn't bother with them. It's a really very compelling package. In fact, they are two great cars. I can't really choose them. Besides, the Golf is technically more competent since I said the BMW has a more effervescent character, I don't know, maybe we should go to a circuit and take them for a spin and see how they behave at the extremes and if that influence is my decision at this moment now. I see them as road cars, so maybe we should go to a circuit to show them for free doing things that aren't really legal on public roads, the track was wet and horrible and then a little more dry than wet again, but then this it's over, neither of these are a track tent, you could really have a lot of fun on a track day and they wouldn't fall apart sooner or Drive golf has easily the most fun version of the Haldex four wheel drive system.

I've tried, he wants to run, is there anything you can overcome? It's very, very fast. The brakes are powerful and don't fade too much and the engine pulls at the top end more convincingly than the BMW's. The shorter gear helps do that and has done that. It's a feeling of fun that I haven't experienced before in a Golf, but the 235 I has that unfair advantage of being rear-wheel drive in many ways, it's not as composed as the Gulf, the damping is less sophisticated than the gearbox. too long and it breaks a little more prone to fading, but the steering isn't compromised by the driveshaft and of course you can turn off all the systems and enjoy the fruits of the optional locking differential in terms of personality, this one is an old BMW. school and I really like it that way, the new R is the best fast golf to date, it is a fabulous car in bad condition and for road use it has the better chassis of the two cars and you could also argue that its engine is the most cash. of the pair and I didn't expect to enjoy driving it as much either, it's the better car of the two, so why that BMW?

Because it fits what I want from a high-performance small car, a rear-wheel drive chassis, 6 lower gears and six-cylinder noises. perfection without the silly stickers