8:51AM, Thursday: Castle Donington
A new power has risen in the realm of the everyday hot hatchback – which, for the purposes of the next few pages, is rural Derbyshire. That’s where we’re heading. Right now, though, we’re waiting… for a nice chap in a Volkswagen Golf R, long-standing lord and champion of the realm in question (up yours, Mr Darcy), and another nice chap with a camera or two.
It’s two degrees below freezing and, after a few unseasonably mild months, the British winter has finally bitten. Around here there’s only about an inch of snow on the ground, but elsewhere the wintry barrage has been more severe – in the West Country, south Wales and the far north in particular.
And yet every national radio traffic report I’ve heard for the past few days has referenced those enigmatic passes of the Peak District, which have been opening and closing like a doorman’s umbrella. Snake Pass. The Woodhead Pass. The Cat and Fiddle. UK roads aren’t generally like the Great Ocean Road or the Route Napoléon; they’re not showbiz enough to make it beyond an alphanumeric identity. But when they’ve got this much nomenclative charisma, you can’t help wanting to drive them, can you?
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AMG has the interior and the
AMG has the interior and the informationment system and a nice style, but the golfs has the performance and nice frontage. semi incomparable.
Golf R or A35
I've had a reasonable test-drive in an A35 today & I'm not really impressed.
Apart from the two pedals & a steering wheel, none of the controls are logical, the the dashboard & infotainment screens are unduly complicated, adjusting the climate system wasn't explained & the invisible transmission selector was unusual.
The drive was quite pleasant, the car was in comfort mode so it shifted early, visiblity through the smallish windscreen adequate, but all in all I'm not convinced that I want to own one.
A Golf R might not have the same "Premium" status / image but it seems to be easier to live with, the interior is of decent quality, & the anciliary controls seem to be logical & easy to use.
DC
Terrible review
As these two cars are on my shortlist I was really looking forward to this review. Quite frankly I was disappointed with the content...definitely not up to usual Autocar standards.
Not entirely sure what conclusion was reached and even less sure of its relevance given the differing tyre usage/weather conditions.
Total waste of time and money...as previously mentioned it would have been better to postpone the test.
Come on AC, you can do better than this.