Your thoughts?
In Canada, all three are being price at ~$40k cdn msrp with 6 speed manual transmissions and basically come fully loaded in their "base" trim.
Which would you own and why? Or would you buy something else?
Seems like a hell of a lot of car for the price of $40k nowadays.
You can't go wrong with any of those three. I am a Subaru guy but I think the RS will likely be the best performer there until Subaru brings the new STi engine with more power. Although that's just a guess. I am not discounting the R either. Most likely they all wiIl be with in a couple of ticks of each other. I thought Ford hadn't released pricing on the RS yet? And it's my understanding the RS won't be available for another 12-18 months anyway and then in limited numbers only. Maybe things have changed? Still this is the segment of cars I enjoy so it's a great time to be an auto enthusiast. Too bad the Evo is going away. A four way battle would be even better.
I vote the RS. VW probably won't let you fully defeat the stability control. STi will probably still be more prone to understeer. Ford has been nailing it lately with their suspension setups.
RS, ooooor in a plot twist, used Cayman S 
New Golf R has completely defeatable traction control. STI is out until they put in a better motor and release the hatchback again.
Of the 3 the R is the only one with a DSG available. Chris Harris also reviewed this car in the EU and said its Haldex awd system was pretty amazing.
The focus will probably have the edge on handling BUT a big but will be if it has real LSD/Diffs or if its all Ediff stuff.
docwyte wrote: New Golf R has completely defeatable traction control. STI is out until they put in a better motor and release the hatchback again.
Oh that's good to hear. I might still give the edge to the RS as it will likely be cheaper. Wonder what the weight difference is between them.
I'd go with the Focus RS.
The RS will probably be the only one of the group that a home mechanic will be able to repair. Most rewarding and fastest.
The Golf R will probably be the easiest to drive. It'll make up for its added weight and less power in its superior AWD system.
The Subaru will cheapest and slowest.
RS for me. Possibly for real at some point.
If I am buying a new car, I want it all, especially interior quality. Sure, having the torque vectoring in the rear of the Focus would be AWESOME, but do I really care?
No I don't. What I care is that I can plant my ass in the driver's seat and drive 6+ hours to go snowboarding in the mountains and not feel tired at the end.
I'd build a wicked is300 sportcross. Berk $40k subarus or focuses and berk vw.
Oh wait…. I am building one! Build thread coming soon
What car has the best flappy paddles? Without any other information, I am going to assume that it's the Golf because the TT-R's paddular flappitude is supposed to be second to none.
Manual transmissions are nice but they're almost hipstery in their retroness. Twin clutch transmissions can do everything a manual trans does, but better.
I've mentioned this once before, but one of the appealing facts of the Golf R to me is how understated it is. It doesn't look like a $40k car, or any different than the standard GTI to a non-enthusiast. I'm also intrigued by the DSG, especially since it's documented as being quicker. Lastly, I think resale value might be higher on it as well, but that could also depend on how well-received the RS is, how many are produced, and how long the model run lasts, etc.
My money is on the golf having the nicest interior of the three and best fuel economy also. Fords ecoboost motors have done terrible for mpgs unless you really baby them
In a theoretical world dropping that king of coin on just one car to purchase new as a high performance daily driver, I'd have a hard time not going for a Mustang GT + Performance Package + Recaro seats.
Driven5 wrote: In a theoretical world dropping that king of coin on just one car for to purchase new as a high performance daily driver, I'd have a hard time not going for a Mustang GT + Performance Package + Recaro seats.
Maybe in a warm climate. In a climate that's cold and snowy six month's of year a Mustang GT makes no sense as a daily driver. It can be done, I've done it.............but it's no fun.
In reply to Feedyurhed:
All of the places I've lived like that, also heavily salts the roads. I can't say that I would be interested in subjecting any kind of car to such abusive winter 'beater' duty, if I didn't financially and emotionally consider it to be disposable too.
If history serves, VW will have the interior quality by so far as to make it almost embarrassing for the other two. It will be pretty great to drive too. You will also not be able to left foot brake properly because pressing the brake will retard the throttle and it will have preposterously expensive, complex aluminum A arms from an Audi and axles that fail at 65k.
The STi will be a Subaru. If you like them... it will be great if you don't it won't. It's mostly a known entity.
THe Ford is an unknown I'll go test drive because I want it to be everything I hope for. I love the idea. I love the look. But then like the Capt. said... I'll probably buy a used CPO Cayman because it will be so much better than any of them that comparison is futile. The kids will have to deal with me making multiple trips to take them along ;)
Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote: You will also not be able to left foot brake properly because pressing the brake will retard the throttle
They said ESC would be fully defeatable... whether that applies to LFB is another story 
Golf R is a luxury car not on the same level as these others. If you want to include that might as well include the Volvo S60R or something.
VW will have the interior quality by so far as to make it almost embarrassing for the other two.
And the people buying the other two don't care about that because they want a no compromises performance car with things like 4 pot brembos and all the performance trimmings. Not a car for people kind of wanting a performance car but really wanting a luxury car.
I don't get why people keep pretending that the Golf Rs over the years REALLY compete with cars like this. They don't. They never have. They never will.
I vote the RS. VW probably won't let you fully defeat the stability control. STi will probably still be more prone to understeer.
You will be fooling yourself if you think the VW isn't prone to understeer.
The Subaru will be slowest.
Quick google reveals this isn't true. Golf R gets similar but slower 0-60 and quarter mile.
I think people here are biased to the Golf R from the posts i'm reading.
I would avoid the STI until they put a modern engine in it, ie. direct injection with decent economy and ditching the failure prone unit they are reusing, and wait for the Focus RS.
Twin clutch transmissions can do everything a manual trans does, but better.
Except for maintenance costs. And repair costs. And replacement costs. For this forum that is the opposite of better because most people here will want to tune that car which means the warranty on that transmission is not likely to be honored. For a nice luxury commuter car like the Golf R? Yes it's great.
Kanaric-
I'm not a brand loyalist by any measure - disclosure- I own my first VW, a 2015 GTI - but I think you're saying the VW's are lux cars, which I take to mean, heavy pigs. Funny- I'm just doing the fwd apples to apples here, but the '15 GTI is at least 75lb lighter than it's major competitors. Sounds like a good head start to me, and I would expect the addition of the awe system to add similar weight to all. Also- its interior is far and away better than competitors... and I'm one of those guys who didn't care until I sat in it, and then I was like... oooooooh- that's what they're talking about.
Focus ST 3223
GTI 3031-3150
MS3: 3281
In reply to Teh E36 M3:
New VWs are "luxury cars" in the sense that they are much more mature feeling. They are more understated and reserved in styling and feel.
That's my take, anyway. Sometimes driving a boy-racer car seems like a cool idea, but the rest of the time it's not.
Oh, believe me- I'm with you Sir. I came out of an '02 WRX wagon. Test drove all the competitors- and even if Kanaric were correct, that VW's are more show than go, I would have gone with the VW. I went that way despite my massive misgivings about VW reliability- that's how much I liked it over the competitors.
Feedyurhed wrote:Driven5 wrote: In a theoretical world dropping that king of coin on just one car for to purchase new as a high performance daily driver, I'd have a hard time not going for a Mustang GT + Performance Package + Recaro seats.Maybe in a warm climate. In a climate that's cold and snowy six month's of year a Mustang GT makes no sense as a daily driver. It can be done, I've done it.............but it's no fun.
How are the DSG boxes in slippery conditions?
I expect that awd would help out in the snow, but does a DSG really modulate the clutch properly to avoid traction control constantly intruding when leaving a stop on a snowy road?
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