REVIEW: Volkswagen Golf R grows up — maybe too much

While SUVs and small hatchbacks enjoy the lion’s share of sales in SA these days, the VW Golf remains one of the few survivors of the fading midsize hatchback class which has seen the demise of cars like the Renault Megane, Ford Focus and Peugeot 308 in recent years.

It’s only the high-performance Golf versions that remain, in the form of the front-wheel drive 180kW GTI and the all-wheel drive 235kW Golf R. These iconic niche cars still garner enough local interest to justify VW bringing them in, and serve as halo models for the brand. High-performance Golfs have a rich legacy in SA with more than 50,000 GTIs sold since 1982 while the Golf R has sold nearly 6,000 units since its introduction in 2007.

After being delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic and global chip shortages, the Golf R which premiered in Europe in 2020 will finally arrive here early in 2023 at a price still to be announced, though VW SA confirmed it will be cheaper than the Tiguan R which was recently launched here for R999,900. It will certainly carry a hefty premium over the R733,200 Golf GTI.

While hot-hatch customers eagerly await its delayed showroom debut, we spent a week with the new Golf R and took it for high-performance testing at Gerotek.

The first few days commuting around town delivered little to garner enthusiasm. The Golf R is so slick and polished that it’s almost watered-down in character. Driving it normally you wouldn’t think it’s much more than a regular hatch, except for its firmer ride and spirited power.

Without the titanium Akrapovic exhaust that is available as a factory-approved option, this hot hatch makes a rather anodyne sound as it silently blazes trails through suburbia.

It’s only in Race mode — the most exuberant of its driving programmes — that a hot-hatch presence starts to make itself known with a rortier growl, but the Golf R doesn’t continuously charm your ears like a five-cylinder Audi RS3.

It’s when you unleash the Golf R in anger onto a twisty road that the thing comes alive. Sporty Golfs have always handled well and the new R does nothing to disavow it of that reputation.

While the extra muscle is marginally better than the previous Golf R’s 228kW and 400Nm, the chassis and aero upgrades have turned the new Golf R into a much better track car. Its seven minute, 51 second lap time around the Nurburgring Nordschleife is a full 19-second improvement over its predecessor.

Its corner-attacking ability is aided by a torque vectoring system that shifts engine power between the front and rear wheels and also between the rear wheels, improving cornering speed and reducing understeer.

There are four driving profiles: Comfort, Sport, Race and Individual. The car blitzed around Gerotek’s handling with exceptional poise, with rear-biased all-wheel drive handling that allows some playful tail-sliding action if you reduce or disable the stability control intervention. A not-too-light steering that provides good feedback makes this a driver’s car that will satisfy anyone’s boy-racer lust.

The electronically governed 250km/h top speed can be raised to 270km/h with an optional performance package.

The car is very brisk in a straight line too, setting the 0-100km/h sprint ablaze in 4.8 seconds according to our Vbox timing equipment — exactly matching the figure claimed by the factory. There’s a launch control system to ensure such sub-five second sprints, while power delivery is strong throughout the 2.0l turbo engine’s rev range and the 400Nm of torque ensures you’ll never struggle to punch past a long truck.

There is no manual available but the seven dual-clutch transmission does a slick job, and there are steering wheel paddles for drivers who prefer more involvement.

Fuel consumption is quite impressive at 9.7l /100km and this included our high-performance testing session at Gerotek.

The Golf R is visually vamped up with aggressive front bumpers, matt chrome mirror caps, R-specific rear diffusers and four tailpipes. Inside you’ll find unique R décor, R-specific gearshift paddles and digital cockpits with lap timers. A unique steering wheel has a blue R button to toggle between driving profiles.

Overall the cabin décor looks quite classy but in this nearly brand-new car I was surprised to see the leather on the driver’s seat was already wrinkled as if it had been through a couple of years’ use.

I’m not a huge fan of the digitisation that’s happened in the Golf 8’s cabin — particularly the touch-sensitive buttons on the steering wheel and the sliders for adjusting the temperature — and I’m happy to hear that VW is planning a return to more analogue controls in future.

Thankfully, the current car does have a user-friendly physical button to access the climate control menu in the infotainment touchscreen. The touchscreen itself works fine, and the glitchy infotainment systems of early eighth-generation Golf models have been fixed through software updates.

The car is reasonably well equipped but there are a number of extra-cost options available that could push the price over the R1m mark — and I wonder whether this will be a psychological barrier for even the most ardent Golf fans. These include adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping assist, features that made life a little less miserable when I got stuck in traffic jams.

A Harmon Kardon sound system, parallel park assist, blind spot monitor with rear traffic alert, rear view camera and LED Matrix Headlights are other items that are absent from the standard spec sheet.

The option I’d tick first, however, would be the louder Akrapovic exhaust. In terms of its performance and driving dynamics the car does justice to its forebears and the Golf R has become quicker and better handling. But it’s become so grown up in terms of polish and refinement it’s become a little sanitised in character; the Akrapovic would help bring out more of the wild child.

Tech Specs

Engine

Type: Four-cylinder petrol turbo

Capacity: 1,984cc

Power: 235kW

Torque: 400Nm

Transmission

Type: Seven-speed dual-clutch automatic

Drivetrain

Type: All-wheel drive

Performance 

Top speed: 250km/h (270km/h with optional performance package)

0-100km/h: 4.8 seconds (claimed); 4.8 seconds (as tested)

Fuel Consumption: 7.1l/100km (claimed); 9.7l /100km (as tested)

Emissions: 163g/km

Standard features 

Cellphone inductive charging, panoramic sunroof, 19-inch Estoril alloy wheels, Adaptive Chassis Control including driving profile selection, Light and Vision Package including high-beam control light assist, Nappa leather seats, climate control, keyless entry, automatic wipers, automatic headlights, electric front seats, infotainment system, USB ports, stability control

Ownership

Warranty: Three years/120,000km

Service plan: Five years/100,000km

Price: TBC

Competition

Hyundai i30N, 206kW/392Nm — R764,900

Audi S3 Sportback quattro, 213kW/400Nm — R883,100

BMW M135i xDrive, 225kW/450Nm — R910,537

Volkswagen Golf R

WE LIKE: Power, handling

WE DISLIKE: Finicky digital controls, so-so sound

VERDICT: Hot-hatch icon grows up

Motor News star rating

Design: * * * *

Performance: * * * * *

Economy: * * * *

Ride: * * * *

Handling: * * * *

Safety: * * * * *

Value For Money: * * *

Overall: * * * *