If you want a hot hatch that has enough performance to embarrass most sports cars but looks pretty much like every other hatchback on the road, then the Volkswagen Golf R has been unrivalled. Now there’s a new version and just like its predecessors it has a hell of a lot of power, but it doesn’t like to shout about it.
The recipe is pretty much identical to the old car, albeit the new one is based on the VW Golf Mk8. The new R is powered by a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine, producing 316bhp, 19bhp more than the outgoing model, and 420Nm of torque, which is distributed across both axles. Floor the throttle and you’ll jump from 0-62mph in 4.7 seconds, around 0.2 seconds faster than the old car, before galloping along to a limited top speed of 155mph. You can, however, opt for the Performance pack that removes the limiter, taking the car’s top speed up to 168mph.
The pack also includes a driving mode that puts the car into the optimal set-up for lapping the Nurburgring and there’s now a drift mode that will allow a degree of tyre slip. What’s more, you get a more aggressive rear spoiler and a set of 19-inch sports wheels.
As standard, the car only gets a handful of visual tweaks over the base Golf. The front end has been lightly tweaked, there’s a small, gloss black diffuser tucked beneath the rear bumper and topping it all off is a quad-exhaust system. And, just like the old car, you can spec an Akrapovic exhaust system, which will not only make it sound meaner but shaves off 7kg. Unfortunately, VW doesn’t plan to reintroduce the old car’s manual gearbox option, meaning the new R only comes as a DSG. A shame, but hardly a surprise.
There’s no word on pricing just yet, but the Golf R is expected to arrive in showrooms within the next few weeks.
Keyword: Volkswagen Golf R Mk8: the super hatch returns for 2021