VW Golf R Performance Pack
£2000 option adds a drift mode and more to Volkswagen’s superhatch. But is it worth it?
NO, THERE HASN’T BEEN A MIX-UP AT THE printers. This isn’t the same Lapiz Blue Mk8 Golf R that we reviewed in evo 284, although you’d be entirely forgiven for failing to spot the difference between then and now. The reason for there being another R in the pages of Driven is that there was one key option missing from that first example to join VW’S press fleet, and that was the R Performance Pack, which amongst its features promises some new software called ‘Drift Mode’. Hmm. Given the new torquevectoring rear axle in the Mk8 R allows for power oversteer, as exemplified by the opening image to the piece in 284, the idea of a dedicated drift mode brings to mind a Volkswagen Golf behaving more like a Mk2 Ford Escort. Could be fun.
The Performance Pack costs an additional £2000 and comprises four elements. There are the 19-inch Estoril alloys with a black and diamondcut finish (how I miss silver wheels) and 235/35 Bridgestones. Without the Pack this upgrade over the standard 18-inch wheels costs £825. The electronic speed limiter is lifted, too, releasing the R from its 155mph shackles and permitting a top speed of 168mph, so says VW. Perhaps in light of this, the pack also includes the larger rear wing as found on the Mk8 GTI Clubsport; it’s this item that’s the sole way of telling if a Mk8 R has the Performance Pack fitted or not.
Last but not least, the Golf’s already plentiful driver modes are boosted by a further pair: the aforementioned Drift mode, plus a mysterious ‘Special’ mode, the real purpose of which is betrayed by the graphic on its touchscreen button, which shows the outline of a certain German racing circuit that winds its way through a decent section of the Eifel mountains.
To avoid any confusion, the Pack has no bearing on whether the R has the four bazookas of the Akrapovic exhaust system jutting rearwards, or indeed the all-important DCC variable dampers fitted. These are still separate options, priced at £3100 and £785 respectively. You may have twigged where I’m heading with this, but despite its £47,895 price, our test car still featured cloth seats and had some option boxes unticked. Make no mistake, a well-specced R is far from a value hot hatch proposition.
I can’t tell you if the Special programme does as it should because I was a good 500 miles from the circuit it was designed for when driving this car, and while I’m sure the increase in top speed is an amusing addition when faced with a hard-charging Audi A6 in the outside lane of an autobahn, in the UK it’s strictly for bragging rights only. You may notice the rear wing, but then again, you may not.
It’s the drift mode that I’m interested in, though. Let’s face it, no one is going to take a 50-grand Golf to a drift meeting in place of a 30-year-old Japanese performance hero tuned specifically for
the task, but I do wonder whether it might make the R endearingly tail happy out of 90-degree B-road corners, which seems like no bad thing – at least in moderation.
However, it’s quickly apparent there’s a snag in this plan. To really unlock the full potential of the R it’s wise to enter the Individual mode and tailor the settings – particularly for the damping, so it’s at a level that suits our poor roads. It’s why I’d always opt for Individual over Race mode unless on a track, and it also allows the fake engine noise to be turned down and the steering weight to be set to personal preference. The unfortunate reality of the Drift mode is that it doesn’t only determine the behaviour of the rear differential, but also all the other configurables. The on-screen disclaimer makes you aware that the sort of shenanigans it might allow should be reserved for a racing circuit, and boy, they’ve pre-set the damping to suit. So I quickly swipe to Individual, expecting to see the option to set the behaviour of the diff here, as Hyundai N would have done. Alas, no such luck.
Switching back into Drift is largely a pointless exercise then (on the road, at least), but I do it anyway in the interests of discovery. Under hard acceleration it feels, subjectively at least, that more drive is going to the rear axle, as the car feels a little less directionally stable over poor surfaces. But arrive at a corner and even under full throttle the car tends to just grip and go. I spend 40 minutes searching for an appropriate corner before I can commit enough to get the back end
Above: R Performance Pack adds new ‘Drift’ and ‘Special’ drive modes. larger rear wing is the only exterior confirmation of the Pack’s presence
swinging wide under power, but even then, does it feel more tail happy than the R without the pack under the same extreme provocation? The answer has to be ‘not a great deal’.
Maybe it’s a different story on a track, but then you’d get black flagged for excessive drifting on a trackday. Still, I suppose the bigger wing looks nice…
Engine In-line 4-cyl, 1984cc, turbo
Power 316bhp @ 5200-6600rpm Torque 310lb ft @ 21005350rpm Weight 1551kg (207bhp/ton) 0-62mph 4.7sec Top speed 155mph (limited) Basic price £41,295
+ Perfomance Pack upgrade promises so much
- While delivering so little evo rating
‘It brings to mind a VW Golf behaving like a Mk2 Escort’