Because it’s being hailed as the most powerful small car ever offered by the company, I was delighted to see the new Golf R available to drive at this year’s IMPA Test Days. In fact, for a moment I thought I might have to arm-wrestle my Auto123.com colleague Matt St Pierre for the keys — that is, until he spied the new Beetle Turbo!
Both of us are what you might call VW wingnuts. Matt being younger, he tends to lean towards the Golf and Jetta models, whilst I can’t pass a rear-engined VeeDub without stopping for a closer looksee. Strangely, we wound up in each other’s vehicles. Matt in VW`s latest re-creation of one of my first-ever automobiles (a 1966 Bug), and me in what he probably views as the über-Golf.
My first thought was, this looks like a fairly typical three-door Golf, at least from a distance. Then, as I got closer, the vehicle started to transform in front of my eyes. The R has a much more aggressive look, with huge, blacked-out inlets in the lower front fascia, gloss black grille, LED daytime running lights and bi-xenon headlamps, and it sits a half-inch lower to the ground. The Golf R also sports some fine-looking 18-inch, five-spoke alloy wheels and upgraded brakes; flared door sills and a blacked-out rear diffuser help complete the look. Oh, and two fat rear exhaust pipes were added just in case there was any doubt as to the purpose of this vehicle.
Climbing inside, I was pleased to discover that the R features a leather-trimmed sport steering wheel with a race-inspired flat bottom, well-bolstered bucket seats, and an option package that includes a sunroof, automatic climate controls, keyless ignition and on-board navigation.
Power up the beast and any remaining thoughts of this being your run-of-the-mill grocery-getter with a few niceties added truly disappear! The turbocharged 2.0L inline-4 that replaces the 3.2L VR6 sounds wonderful. It has a distinctive burble at idle that portrays power without being over-the-top loud. Although this is basically the same unit used in the Audi TTS, it sounds altogether different in the Volkswagen.
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| It is perhaps the ultimate factory-made sleeper vehicle. (Photo: Mathieu St-Pierre/Auto123.com) |
Both of us are what you might call VW wingnuts. Matt being younger, he tends to lean towards the Golf and Jetta models, whilst I can’t pass a rear-engined VeeDub without stopping for a closer looksee. Strangely, we wound up in each other’s vehicles. Matt in VW`s latest re-creation of one of my first-ever automobiles (a 1966 Bug), and me in what he probably views as the über-Golf.
My first thought was, this looks like a fairly typical three-door Golf, at least from a distance. Then, as I got closer, the vehicle started to transform in front of my eyes. The R has a much more aggressive look, with huge, blacked-out inlets in the lower front fascia, gloss black grille, LED daytime running lights and bi-xenon headlamps, and it sits a half-inch lower to the ground. The Golf R also sports some fine-looking 18-inch, five-spoke alloy wheels and upgraded brakes; flared door sills and a blacked-out rear diffuser help complete the look. Oh, and two fat rear exhaust pipes were added just in case there was any doubt as to the purpose of this vehicle.
Climbing inside, I was pleased to discover that the R features a leather-trimmed sport steering wheel with a race-inspired flat bottom, well-bolstered bucket seats, and an option package that includes a sunroof, automatic climate controls, keyless ignition and on-board navigation.
Power up the beast and any remaining thoughts of this being your run-of-the-mill grocery-getter with a few niceties added truly disappear! The turbocharged 2.0L inline-4 that replaces the 3.2L VR6 sounds wonderful. It has a distinctive burble at idle that portrays power without being over-the-top loud. Although this is basically the same unit used in the Audi TTS, it sounds altogether different in the Volkswagen.
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| The turbocharged 2.0L inline-4 that replaces the 3.2L VR6 sounds wonderful. (Photo: Mathieu St-Pierre/Auto123.com) |