R favourite is still the greatest of Golfs
4X4 HATCHBACK IS AMONG THE BEST VWs ON THE MARKET
THERE has been a lot of hot Golf action over the last few months. Volkswagen launched the latest GTI last year, then more recently the GTI Clubsport and also a Clubsport 45 to celebrate the 45th birthday of the original GTI.
Now we have the new Golf R which is the best of the bunch – in fact, it’s one of the best fast VWs I’ve driven in years.
You might well own, or have owned, a previous generation Golf R because, unbelievably, one in 10 Mk7 Golfs (that’s the previous generation model) were Rs. That says both a lot about how good the car was and how much we Brits love our high-performance hatchbacks. It also helped that there were astonishingly good leasing deals available on the Golf R and that the car was also available in estate form. The basic price for the new R is £39,295 but I’m sure great PCP deals will be available as before.
As with all the new Mk8 Golfs, the R is longer, wider and lower than the Mk7.
It may be a 10th a second slower to 62mph (at 4.7sec) but you won’t notice it because this Golf R is even better to drive than the previous one.
But the piece of hardware that makes the most difference to how the new Golf R drives is what VW calls its R Performance Torque Vectoring system.
Put simply, this is a pair of electromechanical clutch packs fitted either side of the rear differential that can send all of the torque at the back axle to an individual wheel. Also fitted to our test car is the optional Dynamic Chassis Control system which gives you three different adjustable suspension settings – Comfort, Normal and Sport. It’s a £785 option which is well worth the money.
The interior is also a bit down on subjective quality which on an entry-level Golf is not too big a deal, but on one costing almost 40 grand it’s not so good.
This will soon be forgotten when you drive the car. There’s no manual gearbox option so a seven-speed DSG gearbox is your lot.
No matter because it just makes the R even easier to drive quickly. Grip is phenomenal, and there’s no feeling of torque steer even under the most forceful acceleration.
Only one thing would stop me from buying this Golf R and that’s the knowledge that some time later this year the estate version will be launched.