Volkswagen has been making cars for over 80 years. Although their start and funding came from a time best avoided, the longevity of "the people's car" has reached every corner of the globe. Through years of trial and error and serious innovation, a car rolled off the Volkswagen production line that would completely change the world of motoring. That car was the Golf.
The Golf was groundbreaking. Small, affordable, and an absolute blast to drive. It was nimble enough to get a move on but safe enough to have the kids in the back. It ticked all the boxes from the very get-go. Now, after 8 generations, the Golf is still going. The product today is an incredibly complete package for a somewhat affordable price, and there is a trim and engine option for everyone.
Sitting at the absolute top of the food chain is the VW Golf R. The Golf R is the sportiest and most performance-oriented of all Golfs. With an incredibly powerful four-wheel-drive system and a snappy double-clutch gearbox, the Golf R is a serious bit of kit, with loads of the latest tech and features crammed in, let's take a loot through and try to find our favorite one.
The Volkswagen Golf R Engine
While the packaging is incredibly drab, the engine in the new MK8 Golf R is in fact excellent. The powertrain is a familiar one, with the 2-liter four-cylinder turbo back for its fourth generation, it’s now much cleaner and also slightly more powerful, with a peak output of 316HP and 310 LB-FT of torque, a slight increase over the MK7 R. The TFSI direct-fuel-injection technology that has done Volkswagen so well in the past continues to deliver, that combined with the lovely Garret turbo and clever 4-motion all-wheel drive equates in some serious thumps into the back of your seat.
Look, I'm not going to sit here and tell you that this engine is a masterpiece that has broken boundaries in the engineering world. However, what this engine does have is one crucial thing that falls in line with the nature of the car; versatility. Being able to comfortably reach 40+ miles per gallon on a long run but also being able to show your heels to most other cars on the roads as soon as you put your foot down is a lovely blend of traits for a hatchback to have.
The Volkswagen Golf R Gearbox
There is no manual gearbox available for the MK8 Golf R, and that is not necessarily a bad thing. Hear me out here. The dual-clutch box found in the Golf R is properly fast. It bangs through the gears like nobody's business and shifts with a snap every time you flick those paddles. The paddles themselves in fact feel very solid and sturdy, not like some of the plastic tack you've felt in the past.
Now, when you're in manual and in sport mode and getting to the higher spectrum of the rev range, the paddles are an absolute dream when combined with the nippy 2-liter turbo. The actual gear selector comes from the same parts box as VW group brother Porsche, for the eagle-eyed readers amongst you, you'll have recognized it from the 992 generation of 911.
Handling Of The Volkswagen Golf R
The Golf nameplate has always had handling on the top of the importance spectrum. The MK1 Golf GTI made itself a name for being especially good around the bends. A tidy front end that felt well-sorted and capable on the twisty stuff. However, on this iteration, it's nothing particularly special and won't be taking home the prize for the best feature. It lacks in sharpness and direction that you would expect.
Even in comparison to the previous model, the handling on the 8 R feels squishy. The front end’s outright grip and control just aren’t there. Brake very hard into a tight corner, and you can get the tail swinging to help turn-in, and once in the corner, it’s possible to get on the power very, very early, sometimes it fires you out of the corner satisfyingly and this might be the only redeeming quality in the new Golf R's handling characteristics, although this is half thanks to the sticky rubber on the Golf R.
"Special" Mode For The Volkswagen Golf R
As with all modern cars of a sporty variety, there is an abundance of driver-specific modes to choose from. Along with that, you'll be able to completely modify your suspension, gearbox, and throttle response through individual mode for whatever occasion you might have in mind.
But as a German company, VW has a secret hidden feature installed to dial in the Golf R for a very specific task at hand. Once you've navigated its admittedly tricky new user interface, you'll stumble across the "special" mode. This mode has been designed with one thing in mind, the Nürburgring Nordschleife. Turn this on, and you'll be using the best possible settings for your laps around the green hell.
Another honorable mention is "drift mode" which does what it says on the tin and the silliness inevitably begins. For us, the special mode, which stiffens up the squishy handling, sharpens the shifting and perfects the throttle response is the Golf R's best feature, simply because it showcases the best of what this scorching hot hatch has to offer.