Today I learned you can't get a sunroof on a VW Golf R

"Textured Soy Protein" (texturedsoyprotein) 04/12/2016 at 11:05 • Filed to: None

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In all of the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! in my !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , I decided to see what awd performance-y cars I could find here in Madison. My local VW dealer has a fully loaded blue stick shift Golf R. But there’s no sunroof. You can’t get a MkVII Golf R in the US with a sunroof.

For those of you who say “robble robble it’s a performance car you don’t need a sunroof,” all I have to say to you is that I like really like sunroofs and I’m not about to buy/lease a $40k car without one.

I’ve resumed my dealing with shitbag Chicago-area Infiniti dealers, and have been making some progress. I may go get a G37xS this weekend. I’d like to get it before the next payment is due on my 135is. Which would be simple enough to accomplish, except I’m going to Puerto Rico next Wednesday—4/20 maaaaannnnn— I get back 4/26, and the next payment is due 4/29. So realistically I’d need to do all this crap before my vacation. Oh, and sell my Grand Cherokee too.

TheHondaBro > Textured Soy Protein 04/12/2016 at 11:11

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STi?

OPPOsaurus WRX > Textured Soy Protein 04/12/2016 at 11:12

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yea I had a sunroof in my WRX and i loved it

dogisbadob > Textured Soy Protein 04/12/2016 at 11:12

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NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

At least you can get the Focus RS with a sunroof :)

Alex Zapata > Textured Soy Protein 04/12/2016 at 11:13

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S3?

Textured Soy Protein > dogisbadob 04/12/2016 at 11:14

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Really though I’m much more interested in buying a CPO car for $25-28k than I am in leasing a brand new $40k+ car.

Birddog > Textured Soy Protein 04/12/2016 at 11:14

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Easy fix!

Textured Soy Protein > Alex Zapata 04/12/2016 at 11:14

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Coworker has one.

Textured Soy Protein > TheHondaBro 04/12/2016 at 11:18

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Thought about it. It’s real hard to find a decent used/CPO STI Limited, the ones out there are a bunch more expensive than the G37xS coupe, and my gf just got a brand new Impreza Sport Limited hatch .

One Impreza is enough for me. The EyeSight active cruise control is pretty sweet though!

Bob Loblaw Made Me Make a Phoney Phone Call to Edward Rooney > Textured Soy Protein 04/12/2016 at 11:18

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I really don’t get the vehemence against sunroofs, man. I can’t live without them, personally, mine is open at least 50% of the time I’m in my car.

Alex Zapata > Textured Soy Protein 04/12/2016 at 11:19

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Yeah, my bad I remember your old post.

M135? Used A45?

sportcompact > Textured Soy Protein 04/12/2016 at 11:19

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cool car but really now vw you can get it on a gti

Textured Soy Protein > Alex Zapata 04/12/2016 at 11:23

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Really I haven’t found anything else in the same price/age/mileage ballpark as a used G37xS that hits the features I want. A used MkVI Golf R could do the trick but really I just like the G37xS more. I’m pretty settled on my choice. If I really want to drive an awd 5-door hatchback there’s my gf’s car we just got:

Tripper > Textured Soy Protein 04/12/2016 at 11:31

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Going to step out of the bimmer and into an infiniti? Any M235's in your sites?

DrJohannVegas > Textured Soy Protein 04/12/2016 at 11:38

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FWIW: The VW sunroof leaking/clogging problems are not trivial. I’ve dodged that bullet for years, but know plenty of others who have wet carpets, wet headliners, etc. So, maybe a good thing?

Alex Zapata > Textured Soy Protein 04/12/2016 at 11:41

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Honestly I agree it’s a great choice, I think you really needed the AWD for the white stuffs as I remember.

I think the Golf R is a fantastic car, but I would expect the character of the G37 will be very very different since it’s based on a RWD sports car architecture.

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > Textured Soy Protein 04/12/2016 at 11:43

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‘Robble robble’ brigade checking in:

Good. I bloody hate sunroofs. They cause nothing but aggravation down the line. They’re a major spot for both leaks and rust ingress. They’re also utterly unnecessary weight right at the tip top of the chassis.

I fully understand the appeal, and that carmakers shouldn’t pay the least attention to what I’m saying as I’ll probably never buy new (or even from a dealer at that).

Now you can go back to all the genuinely helpful advice and leave me on my lawn shouting at other people to get of it in their sunroof-ed cars ;)

More helpfully: have you considered one of the hotter Volvo variants? Unlikely to stack up as well as the Ford or the VW, but you never know it might hit a sweet-spot with you :)

PotbellyJoe and 42 others > Textured Soy Protein 04/12/2016 at 11:46

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That’s actually fairly common for hatchbacks with small sidewalls and stiff suspension. The energy from the road has to go somewhere, with a weaker roof, often times it cracks/shatters the windshield.

You’ll see with a few that you can’t get the bigger wheels and the sunroof option together. It’s why i opted for no sunroof on my hatchback, I didn’t want to worry about it if I ever decided to change the suspension or wheels.

Rico > Bob Loblaw Made Me Make a Phoney Phone Call to Edward Rooney 04/12/2016 at 11:54

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Yeah riding around on a semi cold but sunny day with the roof open and the seat heaters on is a lovely feeling.

BLCKSTRM > Textured Soy Protein 04/12/2016 at 12:01

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I’m with you. I have a very track oriented car, but I love my sunroof - use it almost everyday.

4 windows down + sunroof open = bliss.

OneBallJ > Textured Soy Protein 04/12/2016 at 12:02

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Is it worth the drive? Probably. Head the other direction...

https://www.lutherinfiniti.com/certified/Infi…

coelacanthist > Textured Soy Protein 04/12/2016 at 12:06

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4 doors but no sunroof, that's just lame.

Ash78, voting early and often > Textured Soy Protein 04/12/2016 at 12:18

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Weight savings? Rigidity? Keep cost down? I'm indifferent to sunroofs — I've always had them, but rarely used them. As long as the interior is light colored (and I know it won't because modern cars are 85% black for some reason), I couldn't care less. But a panoramic would be sweet.

Textured Soy Protein > PotbellyJoe and 42 others 04/12/2016 at 12:32

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You can get a sunroof on a GTI.

PotbellyJoe and 42 others > Textured Soy Protein 04/12/2016 at 12:35

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Yes, but the R is different.

Textured Soy Protein > OneBallJ 04/12/2016 at 12:35

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That’s 125 miles farther away from me than Chicago. The car I’m looking at is a CPO 2013, gray which I prefer over black, 7k less miles, brand new Hankook Ventus V12 evo2 tires, and similar price.

Textured Soy Protein > PotbellyJoe and 42 others 04/12/2016 at 12:36

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It’s not that different, and you can get a sunroof on an R outside the US. VW just doesn’t offer it here.

Textured Soy Protein > Ash78, voting early and often 04/12/2016 at 12:36

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It’s none of those reasons. You can get a sunroof on the Golf R in other countries, just not the US.

Ash78, voting early and often > Textured Soy Protein 04/12/2016 at 12:39

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Oh, well that's an even easier answer from experience: Because Volkswagen.

Textured Soy Protein > DrJohannVegas 04/12/2016 at 12:39

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I will dodge that bullet by continuing to not buy a VW. ;)

Textured Soy Protein > Tripper 04/12/2016 at 12:44

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I’m downsizing from my combo of 135is + Jeep Grand Cherokee to have one year-round car, and save more money. Have other priorities for my money right now and want to spend a lot less on car(s). M235i xDrive would hit similar criteria to the G37xS but I’m looking at buying a CPO G37xS for $28k right now. Even leasing a M235i xDrive is a whole different price ballpark.

PotbellyJoe and 42 others > Textured Soy Protein 04/12/2016 at 12:47

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Maybe it’s our roads.

I’m not saying I’m 100% right on my theory, hence why it’s just a theory I threw out there, not a linked article to a technical discussion about the why and how of sunroofs and Golf Rs. The fact is that I have dealt with many hatchbacks and unibody SUVs that explicitly tell the dealer that bigger rims and sunroofs are not to be mixed.

Not that it’s an equivalent car, but when the Matrix launched some buyers were really annoyed at the 17" limit for factory sunroof cars. So they would put their own 18" wheels on them. a few months later they would come in with huge U-shaped cracks in the windshield.

Another was the Mazda CX-5, although Mazda won’t admit it’s an issue, windshields are cracking on the ones with the larger rim and sunroof at a rate higher than others and the owners are claiming they were JDA when it happened.

Those are just two examples that I dealt with personally, but I have heard of a few others.

So I was merely postulating that as a reason. If it’s not, so be it, but I know it has been an issue for other vehicles in the past.

JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! > Textured Soy Protein 04/12/2016 at 12:49

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Wow. That’s also a deal breaker for me

Oppo hates sunroofs a lot more than I expected. In devastated that my C30 doesn’t have one.

Mosqvich > Textured Soy Protein 04/12/2016 at 15:25

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GTI Autobahn with Perf Pack. I just bought and love it. Sunroof included.

Textured Soy Protein > Mosqvich 04/12/2016 at 17:38

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Looks nice but I’m going for awd only.