Great overall car: very quick, handles well, gets decent gas mileage, great interior and looks nice. Negatives: Turning radius is larger than you would expect, and I wish 6th gear was longer for better fuel mileage on road trips.

I owned a 2011 GTI and was very pleased with it. When the Mark VII Golf R debuted, I was extremely interested. I originally wanted an Audi S3 but could not justify the additional $10,000 for one that was optioned comparably to a loaded Golf R. Thus far, the R has exceeded my expectations.

I love my new Golf R, even though my only previous experience with a VW product was terrible. I'm a huge BMW fan and would have bought one if they hadn't discontinued the manual transmission. They seem to be pursuing the Lexus luxury-as-trends model instead of favoring driving enthusiasts.

Negatives about the car: - All the missing features europe gets - Locked center console - Ugly taillights with borderline-unsafe red turn signals - No sunroof - No interior color options - Very few options offered to the US market at all - Terribly ugly factory wheels, had to get rid of them the day I got the car. Everything else is fantastic.

The Golf R is an excellent blend of comfort, performance, and utility. It's like a mini BMW wagon.