Although it is only a letter, it is associated with several firsts. The Volkswagen Golf r is the fastest, most powerful, and most expensive version. Meanwhile, the top of the Volkswagen hatchback food chain offers clever all-wheel drive technology or titanium exhaust. Is the eighth generation a pure gasoline engine that says goodbye to the hood? If so, then Volkswagen thinks about it in a very big style.
The traditional blue metal lapiz cuts the car incredibly, sparkling in the sun, making the minimalist look stand out. Surprisingly, a blurry hatchback turned into an angry bullet wasn't enough. The front bumper has a more pronounced air intake with a black frame, and in addition to the black 19, the r-performance kit adds a more pronounced spoiler to the rear, and you can't help but notice four exhaust tailpipes. In our case, they are made of titanium, and you only have to pay less than a hundred thousand for them. Space technology just comes at some cost.
But Erko has always focused primarily on engines. Even this time, it was the best four-cylinder engine the group could offer. Under the hood you will find its evolution, code-named EA888, which can squeeze 235 kw or 300 hp and 420 nm over a wide range of 2100 to 5350 rpm. In other words, this means that it can fire at 100 in 4.7 seconds, and with the r-performance kit, erko can reach speeds of up to 270 km/h.
The chassis was heavily tuned, with a lighter subframe on the front axle, more pronounced negative deflection of the wheels, and a 20 mm lower ground clearance. The reinforced brakes rely on the drilled discs in the front. All-wheel drive is taken for granted, but it is fundamentally different from the motorization of civilians. There are two multi-plate clutches at the rear, so the car can distribute the torque between the two wheels essentially arbitrarily. In addition to suppressing understeering, atv can also have a special drift mode. Yes, golf can really spin the wheels like a rally special. But only on closed roads. Mark Mark.
Mostly effective
How is everything? Honestly, the first step of stepping on the throttle didn't impress me. From three hundred and twenty horses, I was probably expecting a stronger kidney kick. But then I let the tachometer hands work properly on the scale. Two thousand, the engine took a deep breath, and then bravely pulled up to five thousand somewhere, but even so, the pull obviously wouldn't fail, so you could go on at half past six.
I didn't even have to look at the tachometer because the heads-up display on the windshield would show all the necessary information, and I knew right away that the speeds wouldn't be spoken out loud in a decent company. I pulled the right paddle, the exhaust pipe made a whistling sound, the two-clutch automaton quickly sorted out the three, and then I experienced the whole process again. Only at higher, higher speeds. Well, I'm going to take back everything I've complained about the engine from the beginning. The engine works well, has a wide range of tensile forces, is very flexible and adds a rather interesting sound to today's conditions.
I was surprised by the first turn. The front wheels are beautiful behind the wheels, and the variable gear steering provides pretty good feedback, so you have a pretty good idea of what's going on in the front wheels. And how much you can rely on them in the corner. And you can rely on a lot, the agility of the corners is very good, also due to the torque vectoring system with xds+ locks between the front wheels.
Comfortable track
Adaptive chassis have a fairly wide range of settings, and in addition to the standard mode, you can go beyond their limitations in individual settings. In the most comfortable mode, the chassis is really flexible and almost wobbly, instead you can use the purest mode on the flattest road or track.
With the r-performance suite, you get two other modes – drift has already been discussed, and the second is the Nürburgring model. Although at first glance it may seem like a marketing temptation, I personally think that this system is best suited for typical Czech regions. It combines a softer chassis setup with a sharper engine and sport gearbox for faster separation when braking.
Like a magic wand, golf r can tame lambs. All you have to do is get into Comfort Mode, the chassis will soften noticeably, the engine will go down somewhere above idle, the exhaust will be muted, and you'll suddenly have a car that can drive hundreds of kilometers at a time. This is something that many competitors can't do, they can't get rid of the sporty shell, which can be annoying during normal driving.
The Golf R can be an excellent everyday car also seen in fuel consumption, easily dropped to under 8 liters, plus nine in the occasional sports ride, sharpness is basically unlimited, but you will definitely look at double-digit values.
In the end, I deliberately kept the interior because it was very close to ordinary golf. It's full of touches that combine imitation carbon with blue tones, but beyond that, it's a classic touch that we've used here many times. What has changed is the sports seat with integrated headrests. These are not rigid shells, but a very pleasant compromise between comfort and strong body support during a sharper ride. In addition to heating, they also have a ventilation function, because sometimes you sweat a lot behind the wheels of erka. The three-spoke steering wheel is more eye-catching and has a better grip. However, even here, you will find that the touchpad is not exactly for me personally, but this was discussed in a previous test.
Conclusion and price
Golf r is a great universal product that acts as a daily companion and gives you complete peace of mind. Unlike its competitors, it allows you to comfortably travel hundreds of kilometers, and then you can easily use it to grind racing asphalt. Overall, the Golf R is very effective and not overly emotional, but I can imagine it would be ideal for many, as Volkswagen's skill cocktail has blended perfectly.
It's quite a price for a compact hatchback. But when you look at it with a car that can handle a hundred in less than 5 seconds, it can reach 270 kilometers per hour, and at the same time it can travel at a calm speed under 8 liters, and in the end it doesn't look bad at all.