Compact rocket
VW Golf R: With a performance boost to the top of the range
The most powerful Golf of all time is back at the starting line. To mark the 50th birthday of the compact classic, Volkswagen's R tuning department has given it a new crown, or rather two. In addition to the hatchback saloon, the estate is now also making its debut following a power injection.
With 333 hp under the hood, the standard sprint from 0 to 100 km/h is reduced to 4.6 seconds. And with the "Performance Package", the top speed can also be increased to 270 km/h. This makes the new Golf R models (together with the Arteon R Shooting Brake) the world's fastest production Volkswagens.
Of course, the new power cannot be seen from the outside. Instead, the top-of-the-range duo can be recognized by the modified front end with optional LED matrix headlights, the VW emblem illuminated for the first time, air curtains in the bumper, new LED tail lights and the optional 19-inch "Warmenau" forged wheels, named after the Volkswagen R headquarters just outside Wolfsburg. "We are proud of our origins - and we want to show that," says Reinhold Ivenz, Head of Volkswagen R, referring to the new rims.
The importance of the Golf R for the performance forge is shown by the figures: Of the more than 300,000 R models sold since its debut in 2002 as the R32 with a 241 hp six-cylinder engine and its four successors to date, more than 250,000 can be attributed to the sporty spearhead of the model series.
More "PS" also for the operating system
The interior details include the new infotainment system familiar from this year's Golf update with a visually freestanding 13-inch display and a more user-friendly menu structure. The new system is clearly arranged, runs smoothly and has the option of saving many functions as favorites. An accelerometer and a GPS lap timer have also been added to the "Digital Cockpit Pro" in the versions with the Performance package.
Also new on board is the IDA voice assistant, which can activate the driving profiles as well as the air conditioning, telephone or navigation. For the first time, the voice control also uses artificial intelligence via ChatGPT to answer all conceivable knowledge questions.
One unpopular element remains
It is a shame that the multifunction steering wheel once again features the annoying touch surfaces instead of the physical buttons that have returned to the Tiguan, for example. "We simply couldn't manage that on the Golf," was the statement from a spokesperson.
It may also have been due to the blue "R button" in the left-hand steering wheel clasp, which can be used to activate the various driving profiles including the "Race" mode and which would have been too costly to redevelop. Instead, in addition to the Comfort, Sport, Race and Individual settings and in conjunction with the Special and Drift performance package, the range is now supplemented by an Eco mode, which is also designed to make leisurely drives more sustainable. Even if that sounds rather unusual at first.
Because the natural pace of the new leader of the Golf pack is anything but leisurely. Even the start is an acoustic exclamation mark: If the driver presses the start button without stepping on the brake for at least 1.5 seconds and then starts the engine by pressing the brake pedal, the engine speed automatically increases briefly to 2500 rpm, accompanied by a sonorous "backfire roar". The sound of the titanium exhaust system from Akrapovič also reacts with an even throatier tremolo when the throttle is pressed. Inside, however, a sound actuator ensures that the engine sounds even rougher and builds a bridge to racing.
The Golf R comes with all the necessary features as standard. For example, the familiar driving dynamics manager has been recalibrated to control the electromechanical functions of the all-wheel drive and the electronic differential lock torque vectoring in a coordinated manner. And the previously optional DCC adaptive chassis control is now always on board as standard.
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