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Polestar vs Golf R 2015

21K views 49 replies 17 participants last post by  ShahulX 
#1 ·
So.. Debating..

Golf R vs v60 polestar.. Both awd.. Haldex based.. Polestar is a 6 cylinder turbo and the R is 4 cylinder turbo and down about 60hp.

Both are hatches/wagons.. Look good and have good reviews. Suspension better in the Volvo but more adjustable (or at least easier) in the Vw.

The Vw has a great dual clutch transmission... Both come in great blues..

Golf R with nav and adjustable suspension is 39k vs 62k in a v60 polestar.

Aside from being a volvo forum.. Thoughts? I am debating both. Most things lean toward golf R.. But the size of the Volvo makes me debate. You can get the golf r to 360hp with a apr flash for $800.... Decisions.
 
#2 ·
If you are the kind of person to modify a car then get the golf. A good friend has one and it is nice. If you want to just enjoy the drive and leave it be then just pony up more money and get the volvo.

volvos have terrible resale value and you will take a huge hit in depreciation but that won't matter if you plan on keeping the car for a long time.
 
#4 ·
If you are the kind of person to modify a car then get the golf. A good friend has one and it is nice. If you want to just enjoy the drive and leave it be then just pony up more money and get the volvo.

volvos have terrible resale value and you will take a huge hit in depreciation but that won't matter if you plan on keeping the car for a long time.
No doubt this is a legitimate buyer question. I don't think you can answer the question without driving both. If the Golf meets 80-90% of your needs I would be inclined to go that direction. I would also want to consider long term vs short term ownership. If long term I think the Volvo may have the upper hand. I was just discussing my V70R with my brother in law yesterday because he had purchased a C30 R design and wanted info on mods and reliability. When he learned I had spent exactly zero dollars on repairs in 8 years of ownership he was pretty shocked (he's been a corvette, mitsubishi, and subaru owner). I know very little of VW maintenance, but the Polestar chassis even with all the tweaks is mostly a tried and true Volvo platform. A lot to be said for that.

That being said, for $23k extra I think you would have to really get a ton of extra benefit from the Polestar to justify. That is a lot of cash.
 
#3 ·
Comes down to what you value. The interior of the Polestar is superior on both a comfort level and a refinement level but the infotainment is dated compared to VW's. The performance are on two completely different levels. I have not driven the Golf R yet, but have driven the S3 which has the identical drivetrain. When getting onto a highway in the S3 I had the pedal to the ground and was just completely underwhelmed(Coming from my Polestar). This is something that has never happened in the Polestar. The P* has felt scarily fast on numerous occasions.

There is definitely a difference in price, but don't expect to be paying anything close to $39k for a Golf R, whereas the P* is fully loaded at $62k.

This is all I have to say about the Golf R. I drove the S3 with my buddy who was waiting on a Golf R and we were both so underwhelmed that he bought an S4 that was on the dealer's lot that day.

If you are willing to spend the extra $$ it's a no brainer, V60 Polestar, but that extra performance and comfort need to be worth it to you. They are both excellent cars, so you can't go wrong.
 
#5 ·
You're comparing two different cars. As you said, the Polestar V60 is a sleeper and it's got the Volvo comfort and safety. The Golf R is a hot hatchback that has AWD and is easily modifiable. Between the two if I had the money, I'd take the Polestar because I love Volvo cars and I know I wouldn't be using all that power most of the time. However the Golf R makes a lot more sense than a Polestar imo.
 
#9 ·
You clearly do not understand the Golf R then. They are both extreme versions of everyday vehicles that only a very small percentage of people will understand. If the OP is located in the US the market of sport wagons is limited such that this is what you have to cross shop.
 
#14 ·
Well.. Honestly we don't get many options here in the US for wagons/Estates. I wish the golf R came here as the variant/wagon but it will not be coming to the US. I am used to a wagon and my Mercedes e350 wagon lease is up soon and I'm about to sell my lotus exige. I'd like to go down to 1 car for awhile. Just debating if that 23k is worth it. You can get a loaded R for 40. Even still it's the dual clutch vs the standard auto in the polestar that also gets me. I do go to several track days a year. Wondering if either are up to the task. I've had evos and stis. Great cars but honestly I don't want to go that far back in interior quality and refinement.

I have a dog and oddly the rear of the focus slopes down too much and there is no room... Same with the older Sti Hatch and why I eliminated the gla45
 
#17 ·
There is no final word on the C450 AMG wagon as far as I've heard for the US. Have you heard differently? None of these are real track cars. Once you are at 4,000lbs, track car kind of goes out the window. If track duty is something you care about, the DSG will be a big disappointment to you. Motortrend took the STI and the Golf R out to the track and loved the Golf R but felt that the DSG held it back at the track http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/sedans/1503_2015_subaru_wrx_sti_vs_2015_volkswagen_golf_r/
 
#16 ·
Both are sleeper cars, IMHO. I used to own a MkVI VW GTI and it was a fun car to drive. The dual-clutch transmission (DSG) is great and the shifts are instantaneous . The Golf is a practical performance car, just like the Polestar. I kept my GTI for 60,000 trouble-free miles and traded it for an XC60 R-Desgin. Here's where I see the differences between VW and Volvo.

- The Volvo feels much more substantial than the VW.

- In my experience with the GTI, I noticed a lot of body flex, creaking and rattles. This seems to be very common in performance Golfs. Other than that, the car was rock-solid reliable.

- There are tuning options for the VW. I left mine stock. On the VW forums, it seemed like issues started after a Golf was tuned.

- The DSG is a great transmission, but $$$ to maintain and even more $$$$ to replace if it fails.

- While the infotainment in the Volvo may seem a little dated, the fit and finish of the Volvo is much better. It can be argued that the Golf is very Audi-esque inside, but IMO the Volvo materials are higher quality. Besides, you buy a Polestar or a Golf R to drive, not play with the infotainment system.:)

- I would take a Golf R/GTI any day over the other hot hatch offerings, the Golf is grown up. That being said, the Volvo is even more grown up than the Golf. That's a good thing, IMO.

-The sleeper quality of the Polestar is very attractive. While the Golf R doesn't scream "performance" to the casual car owner, nobody expects to have their doors blown off by a Volvo!

- It's easier to change the Golf suspension by pushing a button. However, there's something to be said about manually adjusting the ride settings. There's less to go wrong a few years later.

Overall, I think the Volvo is the better choice, at least based on my experience with both brands. I love both Volvo and VW, but I could justify spending $60K on a Polestar over $40K on a Golf R.
 
#18 ·
yea I know...its kind of a weird comparo...I understand the people that think it is weird i'm comparing the 2... if the Volvo had a DSG then it'd be a no brainer. I'm just wondering if people like Matt farah and AutoCar are over analyzing the auto... but for track days a DSG would be nice...

The plan is to keep the car and buy another sports car in a couple years to go along with it (cayman GT4?)...which is why it needs to be practical and 4wd..

It's funny how I teeter back and forth.. If I tune it would just be a stage 1 on the R to get it to 340hp.
 
#19 · (Edited)
#21 ·
One thing to point out is that while they may both have Haldex, they are setup different. The Polestar is the only one with the ability to be rear biased. It will only be this way with the ESC OFF, but it's a good option to have.
 
#29 ·
The Golf R IS faster.

1:16 min vs 1:18 on short course Hockenheim, tested by SportAuto.

But this is just normal, the Golf is more than 300kg (!) lighter
I just don't see how this is possible. The S3 felt so damn slow when I drove it and the Golf R has the exact same drivetrain. I had the pedal to the floor over and over again and it just would not go anywhere. I can count on my hand the total times that I have been able to floor my P*.
 
#28 ·
Are you ignoring Pobt's issues with the DSG shifting at Laguna? Neither of these are proper track cars and both transmissions will have issues at the track. If you care that much about the track and shifting, you should be considering the manual Golf R this summer.
 
#26 ·
not sure why you even compare these 2 cars ,

compare the golf r to the sti or evo x instead and polestar to the m3s, amg.s and audi s lines

if your going with a cheap sports car the evo x is the way to go just look inside at the interior =>
 
#30 ·
I cant imagine "it did not go anywhere" - maybe there was something wrong with the car... I mean the car has 310 HP and is 1450kg... It has less torque, thats why it probably feels slower on a straight line. (Even though the Golf R is faster on track than the S3 because of the whole setup). The Polestar has a really bad balance of weight (its 60.3% front to 39.7 % rear) due to its heavy six cylinder engine. Polestar did a great job with the Öhlins suspension to hide that bad weight balance. But the Polestar still carries 350 kg (!!) more than the Golf R (this is a HUGE difference when it comes to trackdriving, its a different world) and has a slower transsmition. So it is nothing but normal that the Golf is faster.
 
#32 ·
This could be the issue. In the US it is 292hp, 280ft-lb. When I say it did not go anywhere, I mean compared to the P*. I was on a highway entrance ramp with the pedal to the floor and was just shocked at the lack of power. In the P*, I constantly have the opposite feeling. I hit the gas and am instantly going much faster than I want to be and have to slow down. It's the difference between the power build up of a 4 vs a 6.

The S3 reminded me of my Legacy GT that only had 250hp with a 4cyl turbo.
 
#34 ·
For what it's worth, I agree that the P* is crazy, ridiculous fast. When you hit the pedal in sport mode this car launches forward and you're at a much higher speed than you should be in the blink of an eye. I've never had a car with this much crazy mid-range torque, and the feeling of being thrown back in your seat is awesome. The P* is also a great handling car for its size, but I'm not sure how it would compare to the smaller "rally" size cars on the track. Having said that, I'm taking it to Lime Rock in May and will see for myself :)
 
#44 ·
I dont know why these are the 2 cars Im shopping, but they are...I love the polestar.. If i see a used blue v60 then I'll be talking to them...if not then I'll just get the Golf R.

Honestly I just wanted a hotter hatch/wagon and we have so few in the USA.. prefer awd, 300 or so hp...

Old S4 avants- old.. miles, old tech
CTS=V wagon...nice but rwd only
E63 amg...pre 2014 were rwd only... above 2014 are $100k
GLA45 AMG- $60k.. but also little trunk space
V60 polestar- great car, $60k.. tranny
Golf R- not as much trunk space as I'd want

the real car i want is the Golf R wagon (variant)... http://www.caranddriver.com/news/2015-volkswagen-golf-r-sportwagen-photos-and-info-news

we don't get it in the USA, same with the new S4/rs4 avantsand C450 AMG sport wagon
 
#45 ·
I totally understand you. It's exactly how I ended up with the P*. I wanted a little more power than my Subaru and a wagon for the dog. The Golf R just wasn't big enough for me. I considered getting a 328xi wagon and modding it, or an Allroad and modding it but neither really interested me enough to take the warranty risk. I always liked the CTS-V wagon but the A pillar is so big that you can't see out of it and it's a lot to handle. Same thoughts on the E63. Once the P* was shown in Chicago, my search was over. I was in the dealer and on the list. I couldn't be happier since getting it in December and I am a picky pain in the butt with purchases of any size.
 
#47 ·
If you have the need for speed, APR's ECU upgrade makes the Golf R with the DSG transmission a very quick vehicle, VW Vortex first drive article

"For about $800 and about an hour of your time, APR claims that their software will add 74 hp and 98 ft-lbs of torque when used with 93 octane fuel. More impressively, the firm measured a new 0-60 time of just 3.8 seconds (nearly a second off the stock time and just as quick as the new 'vette) and an improvement of nearly ten seconds when going from 0-140mph."

 
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