Some say, Jeremy Clarkson, an automotive journalist of 5th Gear and Top Gear and now, Amazon produced Grand Tour fame, owns and drives a VW GTI.
Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
(additional context)
What’s surprising about that is that he can afford pretty much any hot hatch on the market. A MB A45 AMG, an Audi RS3, a BMW M135i.
But no, he chose the VW GTI. Not even the Golf R.
I’ve always been a fan of hot hatches. And while I’m in far better physical shape than Clarkson, I am gaining quickly on him in years, if not pounds. So I was wondering if it’s dignified to be hooning around in cars like that when you’re over 50. It must be, since Clarkson is obviously getting away with it.
And yes, these are the kinds of stupid things I sometimes think about in my spare time.
Someone should arrest him. For being too awesome.
What would be the best year for this model?
The current MQB MK7 platform is the latest and is predictably the best so far.
The GTI is probably the most consistently rated top 10 car of every year since introduction.
The GTI is about $10K usd less than the Golf R, but performance is said to be within 90% with respect to real world use.
It’s probably a more comfortable fit. JC’s tall and likely has problems with headroom and legroom.
It could be this. I’m 6’5", about the same as Clarkson. I have a BMW 120d with an automatic and the fit is close. If it was a manual I’d be banging my knee on the steering wheel when using the clutch. I tried to get into a Mercedes A class a couple years ago and gave up after a couple tries. Haven’t tried an Audi. Plenty of room in a Golf. What I really wanted was a Scirocco but the lower roofline kills the headroom.
I think you guys have sussed it. Must be the headroom thing. Also, given where he lives (Cotswalds?) the GTI is just about small enough to get down the numerous single track lanes. I drove a MB C-class coupe around those roads recently and it was an uncomfortably tight fit.
I am 6’4" in my socks. I also have huge feet and am tall in the trunk. I go to the Goodwood Festival of Speed most years and it’s surprising - and depressing - into how few of the cars - even the high-end ones - I can fit, let alone fit comfortably.
I thought Clarkson was famous for owning a Mercedes SLS. I thought he bragged during a test of the SLS that he liked it so much he bought one. Am I mis-remembering?
He had a MB CLK63 AMG Black Edition. Everyone thought it was a “stchupid” car. He loved it, naturally.
Don’t recall him owning an SLS. He did buy a Ford GT to drive around the roads in the UK. Now that was a “stchupid” car. But beautiful.
Me too. I had my heart set on a used Jaguar XKR which is a fairly big car but small on the inside. Perversely, before the BMW I had an early generation Smart which was like a Tardis inside.
Not so different from a tardis on the outside either… :