Remember, remember the 5th of November, when the VW Golf R created the fireworks!
While admitting that he is not the greatest fan of the ‘Golfate’, the eighth generation of one of Europe’s most popular hatchbacks, Iain Robertson is fully aware of the impact of the R model and its value to the VW brand as a necessary halo product.
Volkswagen is determined to highlight the great potential of the current Golf model. After all, it has no choice, because it is VW’s biggest volume seller and not to do so would incur untold damage. In the not too distant future, this important compact class mainstreamer, which has been reproduced significantly more than 35million times, will be capable of covering an output range of between 87bhp and the 316bhp that is generated by the new Golf R.
Naturally, the ubiquitous Golf is available with an enormous choice of power units, from petrol engines (TSI), to diesel engines (TDI) that feature cutting-edge twin dosing technology (for reduced CO2 and higher performance levels); natural gas engines (TGI), and both as a 48V mild hybrid (eTSI) and, with plug-in technology, a full hybrid drive (eHybrid) option. This wide range of variations and its organic and contemporary design stance make the Golf one of the world’s very few high-production, big volume models that can stand apart from other conventional brands.
For a number of years and five generations, the R designated Golf has been the ‘king of the castle’. Its introductions have always been timely. Introduced in 2002, the very first Golf R32 became an overnight success story. Powered by a punchy 3.2-litre V6 engine that generated a wholesome 238bhp, it was a risky decision to build the most potent Golf, not least because of the chunk of reciprocating mass that was suspended above the front wheels.
It made a fantastic noise, from roadside throttle blip, to full-cry rev-limited surge. Fortunately, engineering nous meant that it was also equipped with four-wheel drive, which was the best way to manage its road manners and reduce murderous understeer. Ford launched its Focus RS in the same year as the R32 but, despite incurring the ire of its ardent fan base, it handled like a pound of steak mince, even with a twitchy Quaife differential controlling the power flow across only the front driveshafts.
The Golf was quick, despatching the 0-60mph sprint in a mere 6.3s, however its fuel consumption was tragic, dipping regularly into the high-teens, if driven with any vigour. Yet, it sold three times better than had been anticipated. Not quite a year later, it became the world’s first Volkswagen available with the dual-clutch, automated-manual gearbox (DSG) that had already debuted in the Golf-platformed Audi TT. You need to remember that VW’s prodigious hardware sharing strategy meant that almost anything interesting in one brand, could appear imminently in another.
In 2005, the second Golf R32 made its debut, this time armed with 247bhp and a pair of adjacent exhaust tailpipes jutting from the mid-rear of the car, just below the rear licence-plate. It was intentionally more powerful and even better trimmed overall. It was not until the 2009 International Motor Show, held in Frankfurt, that Volkswagen celebrated the world premiere of R32’s successor, with the sixth generation of the Golf. The company made a critical change-over from the glorious, if gutsy V6 naturally aspirated motor, to a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine from its TSI family.
There was outrage! The visceral attraction of the R was emasculated. Yet, just as Ford had learned that 4WD was better than two, for its hottest of hot hatches, VW recognised that the new 2.0-litre was 21% more efficient. The letter and number combo was dropped in favour of just R and the power screw was turned up to 267bhp. Fortunately, it still made the right noises (in the cabin). In September 2013, Golf 7 arrived and the R model was very much included in the line-up.
The latest Golf R is the range’s most potent to date. It blitzes from 0-60mph in a mere 4.4s, before scorching on to a top whack of 155mph. Opt for the extra-cost R-Performance package and the top speed limiter kicks in at 168mph and sod the ‘German gentleman’s’ political agreement. Accompanied by bags of torque (309lbs ft) across a wide rev-range, the new R delivers driveability in abundance. The revised all-wheel drive system and high-tech running gear merge seamlessly to create a comprehensive raft of innovation, in the process offering remarkable agility allied to total driving pleasure.
The reason lies in the torque vectoring technology, with a new black box directing the driver’s demands on the engine to each of the four wheels. A revised rear final drive distributes the energy not just between the front and rear axles but also variably between the two rear wheels. As such, the car’s electronics package translates driver input into handling perfection. It reacts instantly and is all but idiot-proof. Whether braking late for a Welsh hairpin, or rocketing down a deserted Lakelands lane, the Golf R manages the torque spread to perfection.
Unsurprisingly, the all-wheel drive is also networked, via a Vehicle Dynamics Manager (VDM), with other running gear systems such the electronic differential locks (XDS) and driver-selectable adaptive chassis control (DCC). Thanks to the close integration of the different systems, the new Golf R offers optimum traction characteristics and neutral handling, with the utmost level of precision.
Incidentally, the new set-up of the R was fine-tuned on the Nürburgring Nordschleife (stop retching!). With the R-Performance package, which includes 19.0-inch diameter alloys, there is also a dedicated Nürburgring driving profile, known as ‘Special’ and I agree that you might have to be ‘special’ to enjoy it. While the results may be measurable (according to factory tests, the latest R is up to 19 seconds quicker per lap around the Nürburgring circuit than its predecessor…07:51 minutes), I would rather that the largely nonsensical setting was deleted.
Once again, VW is proving that it does possess an enthusiast’s heart, even though the head may still need to be sorted. Expected to cost from around £37,500, factor in the R-Performance package and the latest R will top £40,000 easily.
