Few thoughts after watching the in depth review:
- Dang that exhaust sounds good, it’s no Abarth or Hyundai N but definitely better than GRY or CTR
- Piano black bothers me a good bit. Will be looking into getting that wrapped with something that won’t scratch so easily
- The amount of dead space around the infotainment is a bit bothersome. Almost looks like a 9” screen could fit there or may even be offered in the future.
- Gauge cluster looks really nice. Happy to see someone play with it and that’s definitely a piece of tech that makes it stand out in this class
- Looks like it has the same cup holders in the rear doors the standard Corolla has. Definitely hilarious to see a car with 5 seats have 8 cup holders
- Rear cargo space is the same unlike others thought it’d be compromised. Missing the spare isn’t shocking this day in age
As for the final question? Golf R doesn’t even hold a candle.
While the exhaust doesn't particularly excite me, I'm with you on all the other points.
I do wish we got a spare. I've got a full size spare on the ST and it's just nice to know that if something happens, I'm prepared. Glad to see the cup holders sit fairly low. If I put a 20oz water bottle in my cup holder, I can't shift properly. Doesn't look like that'll be a problem here.
Overall, I like the interior. The bolstering on the seating looks a good bit less aggressive than the ST3 Recaro seats, which I'm totally fine with, and the interior looks like a nice place to be. I don't hate manual adjustments, since they don't break as much and take up less space. As a tall guy, the more headroom the better.
I'm also happy to have usable rear seats.
As for Raiti's prediction on pricing similar to the Golf R... I'd be hard pressed to believe it. The Golf R is a more luxury vehicle, with nicer features and a more "German Luxury" style. The Corolla is a driver's car with all the creature comforts of modern economy cars, plus a bell or two.
Will it beat a Golf R in a head on race? Who knows. With the DSG, the Golf probably wins. Will it be more fun to drive than the overly refined, super comfy Golf R? Hell no.