Car of the week - June 2 - VW Golf R

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  • VW Golf R.

    In the world of the hot-hatch the VW Golf has long been king. The GTI is legendary and is currently celebrating its 40th anniversary and continues to rule the roost with a GTI Clubsport and even faster Clubsport S keeping it ahead of the game.

    But if you are looking for legendary performance then the Golf R is a car that ticks that particular box and much, much more.

    True, the Clubsport S, when it arrives on the scene, will be faster than the current R but more about that later. For now, the R remains the fastest of the Golf family and by far the best fun to drive.

    The R, previously known as the R32, is one of those cars that looks the business but you never know how good it actually is until you have driven it and it’s fair to say that it exceeded my expectations by some considerable distance.

    I have to admit to an eye-brow raising moment when I was told, with a smile, that the car I would be driving was the ‘violet’ one. Violet!?

    Golf front fascia

    I was a bit worried it would be a bit blingy and I would look like a ‘boy’ racer who never grew up and would have to don my sunglasses and possibly a false moustache to disguise my real identity, just in case I saw someone I knew.

    I needn’t have worried because this colour actually suits the car down to the ground and you can see it looks really classy, particularly sitting on those lovely 19-inch ‘Pretoria’ wheels which sets the whole vehicle off rather nicely.

    The R looks like it wants to be driven fast and have fun and  absolutely oozes performance, right down to the two-branch exhaust system with four chrome tailpipes which complete the picture.

    It also has bi-xenon headlights, LED daytime running lights (DRLs) matte chrome wing mirrors, a redesigned bumper with bigger air inlets, modified radiator grille, dark red LED rear lights, a sunroof and the inevitable R logo to let people know this is no ordinary Golf.Golf rear end

    Inside, it’s what you would expect really; nothing too spectacular and quite a lot of plastic but there are also some very nice touches with carbon-fibre like trim, dual-tone leather sports seats and a leather flat-bottomed steering wheel.

    A good sized touch-screen dominates the dash board where you can access the infotainment system and select the driving mode.

    The chequered flag motif of Race mode had this strange magnetic effect which made selecting it irresistible and that’s what I stuck with during my test drive although you can also select Eco, Comfort, Normal (no idea why you would want to drive a car like this in normal or Eco) and Individual which allows you to set up the car the way you like it. I liked it very much in Race mode with everything tightened up and hunkered down for action.

    The test of a true hot-hatch is obviously its performance and handling, both of which are spectacular in the R.

    It doesn’t have a monstrous  engine, just a four-cylinder 2-litre TSI 4Motion set-up with 280bhp and maximum torque of 380nm hooked up to a six-speed dual-clutch gearbox, but it is highly potent this car is seriously quick.

    Put pedal to metal in Race mode, which tightens everything up and gets the maximum performance out of the sports suspension system, and you will find yourself hurtling from standstill through the 100kmh barrier in five seconds and the noise that accompanies that performance is magnificent.

    There is a deep throated guttural roar you would expect from a much more powerful engine and although it is artificially enhanced it really ups the ante on the fun front.

    It weighs 1,476kg and with a top speed of 250kmh the whole package – performance, handling,  agility all helped by the permanent four-wheel-drive system, and engine note, ticked all the boxes for me and I really enjoyed driving this car as fast as I could without being prosecuted for speeding  – as if!

    Golf interior

    You can really chuck this Golf around and the handling is truly magnificent thanks to the aforementioned 4Motion system which basically monitors your driving style and road conditions to maximise grip.

    Another  big bonus with the Golf R is that it is really spacious so it is ideal as family car as well as a hot-hatch driving by the Fast and Furious gang. There is not much this car can’t do and although it now has some serious rivals from the likes of Mercedes and Audi, for me this is still the hot-hatch to beat.

    As mentioned earlier a Golf GTI Clubsport S is on the way which will be faster than the R but fear not because VW will produce a stunning new, mind-blowingly fast R, which will keep it at the top of the Golf performance ladder.

    Called the Golf R420, it will apparently have 400bhp and it really looks the business with a first appearance expected before the end of this year. For now, though, the current R reigns supreme.

    Capture

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