I know this should be taken with a large pinch of salt (as it is Clarkson after all), but he did seem very impressed with the LSD in the performance pack GTI last night.
There is no substitute for 4WD in the wet admittedly, but the Cupra 280 is significantly cheaper after discount and better equipped than the Golf R / S3. At the moment I think it will be the Cupra 280 for me this time around, but I do want to test drive one before deciding.
I have an SC FR 180 TSI. The feel of the car (total impression of interior, chassis, agility, drive-line, etc) is better than a regular A3 1,8T, my previous-gen S3, and that ol' stinker of a Golf (VI) R.