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Listen to everyone who thinks the all-wheel drive VW Golf R is one of those boring Hot Hatches. The new Mk8 Golf R wants a word. And that word is “drift”.
Yes, the all-new super-Golf can slide, apparently. It’s thanks to a new active rear differential with intelligent torque vectoring that it can transfer large amounts of the engine’s 316bhp between the car’s rear wheels. But there is a catch.
The problem is, you have to specify something called the R Performance Pack to get the necessary rear differential, Drift mode, and a ‘special mode’ that has been specifically tuned, you guessed it, to make the Golf R go through the Nürburgring Nordschleife as fast as possible. . In the hands of a racing driver, VW has already circled the Ring in 7m 51s, 17 seconds faster than the old Golf R.
That’s all thanks to the handling. It’s certainly not due to power: the new Golf R develops 316 hp, only 10 hp more than the last car. There’s no manual gearbox this time around, because customers paying £ 40k for a hot hatch demand paddles, VW insists. The 7-speed DSG comes in handy for times from 0 to 100 km / h, naturally: VW ensures a sprint of 4.8 seconds, with a top speed of 155 km / h as standard or 164 mph with the speed package.
VW says that even when you’re not trying to slide the R, the new top Golf uses its party piece of power to limit understeer and cornering more forcefully.
Underneath is a wealth of technology and engineering. You get a locking front differential and a new on-board computer that constantly monitors your speed and your inputs behind the wheel. The Golf R slides 20mm lower than a regular Golf and now slides further with stability control in Sport mode. Or you can turn it off completely, and “off” means “off.” It is “off” in Drift mode; watch out for “watch this” demos, folks.
Of course, you don’t need to go full throttle with all the safety nets loose to let everyone know you have the fastest Golf.
They will first detect the quad leaks and the grumpiest face. If you see a Golf R with this double-deck wing and bigger brakes, those are clues that the R Performance Pack has. So keep your distance at a roundabout. You get 18-inch wheels as standard, with 19 on the option list, along with stickier Michelin tires. There’s even a lightweight Akrapovic exhaust available, which saves a few pounds and gives the R a rougher soundtrack.
Inside the Golf’s screen-infested cabin are added more support seats and plenty of R logos. There’s now an ‘R’ button on the steering wheel to toggle between all driving modes, and you can choose G-gauges and boost pressure gauges. for the instrument cluster. And look at those longer paddles. On a golf course!
So will the Golf R be the floating hatch of choice, or would you work overtime and save for the Mercedes-AMG A45 S?
