Should you buy the $80K Audi RS3 and get that lovely 270kW/465Nm in line five cylinder, or save your cash and buy its baby cousin, the $55K 206kW/380Nm Volkswagen Golf R? Dan Prosser from Evo is here to tell you what he thinks.
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Tag: Golf R
Volkswagen Australia will launch the Golf R Wagon locally in September and when it does it will be sold solely as a limited-run model badged as a Wolfsburg Edition.
It’s expected “limited-run” will translate to around 200 examples with a similar number of Golf R Wolfsburg Edition five-door hatchbacks also to be up from grabs from September.
The Golf R Wagon Wolfsburg Edition will be priced from $58,990, while the hatch version will be a bit cheaper at $56,990 ($1750 more than a regular Golf R).
Based on MY16 Golf R specifications, the Wolfsburg Editions will be available with a 6-speed DSG only and feature the standard 206kW/380Nm engine plus a list of equipment and cosmetic enhancements.
Those enhancements include 19″ Pretoria-style alloy wheels, black wing mirrors, black roof rails for the wagon, Carbon Nappa leather seats with front heating, Adaptive Cruise Control, Front Assist with City Emergency Braking, Proactive occupant monitoring system, blind spot monitor and, of course, a special Wolfsburg Edition badge on the rear. The only option available is a panoramic glass sunroof ($1850).
The Wolfsburg Editions will be available in three colours including Oryx White Pearl, which will be exclusive to the Wolfsburg Edition range. The other colours have not been specified in the available press material but judging by the supplied pics you can lock in Lapiz Blue metallic and we expect the third colour will be Deep Black Pearl Effect.
There’s a few more pics from Volkswagen and their official press release waiting for you after the break.
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Volkswagen Golf Racing revealed
Volkswagen Motorsport dropped these images to our inbox overnight and we like what we’re seeing. This is the 243kW/410Nm Golf Racing. It’s been built to compete in the final four races of the 2015 Touringcar International Series (TCR) and will make its competition debut at the Red Bull Ring this weekend.
The production-based concept will test the waters for Volkswagen Motorsport to see if there’s a market to offer this as an ongoing customer racing model for the 2016 season. The Volkswagen group is already represented in TCR with the Seat Leon and Audi TT.
Taking power from an uprated 2.0 litre Golf R engine the Golf Racing puts its power to the ground through the front wheels only, using a 6-speed DSG and 18-inch wheels and tyres. The somewhat extreme bodykit is in keeping with its competitors and is 400m wider than a standard Golf VII.
Officially still in a development phase, the Golf Racing will be run by Liqui Moly Team Engstler for the remainder of the TCR season, which has rounds to follow Austria in Singapore, Thailand and Macau.
“The newly created TCR category provides a promising platform for customer racing—on a national and international level,” said Volkswagen Motorsport Director Jost Capito. “With exciting races, production-based technology and reasonable costs, it offers a new outlook for private racing teams.”
So you’re carving through the mountains in your hot hatch, having a fun time and then some bloody upstart in a station wagon rocks up sticking his nose in where it’s not wanted. Except it’s not any old upstart and he’s not driving any old wagon.
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Volkswagen Golf R wagon revealed
Thank you Volkswagen. Thank you, for finally making a red hot version of the Golf wagon. This the the Golf R Variant, stuffed with the same 221kW/380Nm 2.0 litre four pot from the popular Golf R hatchback.
The cost of that practical 605 litres of cargo space (1620 litres with rear seats folded down) is just 0.2 seconds off the 0–100km/h time, which is quoted at a rapid 5.1 seconds. Full technical details are yet to be revealed but it seems as though the go fast estate will be available exclusively with a 6-speed DSG transmission.
Now on public display at the LA Auto Show there’s no word yet from Volkswagen Australia confirming the Golf R wagon will be offered for sale down under, but let’s hope that announcement is not too far away.
This is one seriously cool car!
The Volkswagen Golf R is the best wet weather performance car money can buy. At least that’s the deal according to British mag Autocar who has just published its results from a seven-car comparison.
Included in the test were (ranked in finishing order):
- Volkswagen Golf R
- Porsche 911 Carrera 4S
- Audi RS4 Avant
- Nissan GT-R
- Range Rover Sport
- MINI Cooper
- Toyota GT86
In the five tests conducted the Golf R finished no lower than fourth and came first in the Lateral G and Lap Time test. It also came second in the 30–0mph test. The cars were awarded points for each test (lowest score wins) and when they were all tallied up the Haldex V-equipped Golf R won the test by a single point from the Porsche 911 Carrera 4S, which came first in three of the five tests (a full table of results is available below). So why didn’t the Porsche win overall?
The 911 finished first in so many tests that it could have won, such is its traction and the water displacement properties of its tyres. In lateral grip tests, however, that was less of an issue and its inherent rear-biased weight distribution unsettled it to the extent that the Golf R nips ahead of it. Strong everywhere – under acceleration, braking and laterally – the Golf R is the ideal way to make a car for wet conditions. It goes, stops and grips like no other.
But, the thing we enjoyed the most from this piece was the intro:
How entirely fitting it was that the day of this test was that day that always comes each autumn. You know the one. It’s Monday morning. You leave the house in darkness. It is pelting with rain. You know that you’ll not return before darkness. There is no question about it: you will need a decent coat, from this very day forward, until the return of spring.
Thank god for Australia!
[Source: Autocar]
This Volkswagen Golf R estate spied at the Nürburgring in recent days makes us very happy. This will undoubtedly become the coolest Golf money can buy. Word is it will be launched at the Essen Motor Show in late November.
The all-paw estate is likely to weigh around 100kg more than its hot hatch sibling, meaning performance from the 221kW/380Nm EA888 2.0 litre engine shouldn’t suffer too much. We should be looking at mid 5s for the 0–100km/h dash.
Thankfully the current Golf wagon is a much nicer looking car than the previous generation. And with a makover from R GmbH it looks even better—just look at those phat quad exhaust tips.
Volkswagen Australia, if you do not bring the Golf R wagon down under we will destroy you!
[Source: Auto Express | Pics: Automedia | Thanks to Charlie for the tip]
The current trend from Euro car makers to create big power out of 2.0 litre turbocharged four cylinder engines could be showing the first real signs of stress. Last week we brought you news of a Mercedes-Benz A45 AMG on fire in Sydney and now there’s reports of turbo dramas affecting the latest range of Volkswagen Group hot hatches.
While the cause of the fire in that A45 AMG is yet to be established, getting 265kW from a 2.0 litre with such high boost has raised many eyebrows for those considering long-term reliability. That’s not to say it can’t be done, but a quick look at relevant forums will show there’s plenty of A45 owners with issues of varying types.
Similarly, the latest EA888 engine from the Volkswagen Group which is tuned to produce up to 221kW and used in the Audi S3, Seat Lean Cupra 280 and Volkswagen Golf R is attracting a number of complaints, mostly to do with turbo failure.
According to an article published by Motor Authority the part number of the faulty turbo is 06K 145 702 N which they report is made by IHI Turbo. The relevant engine codes are CJXB and CJXC.
Motor Authority’s investigations point to a production fault for turbos made between April and May 2014, where there is a fault with the manifold sealing surface. Outside of this date range some owners of 2013 S3s are also reporting similar problems.
It’s been suggested Audi will be fitting a new turbo design for future S3s and has in turn delayed the launch of the TTS until the problem has been satisfactorily resolved.
Which begs the question, is the Mercedes v Volkswagen four-cylinder war one that is really worth winning?
[Source: Motor Authority | Thanks to Wayne for the tip]
Take two Volkswagen Group products to the track, in this case the Golf R and the Leon Cupra 280, thrash them about and see if you can come to a conclusion as to which is best.
The circuit in question is the tight and twisty Cadwell Park and Autocar scribe Steve Sutcliffe is telling the story. The Golf has a bit more power but thanks to its 4motion all-wheel drive system has a bit more weight than the Leon. Both cars share a 6-speed DSG. Remember, the Leon Cupra 280, for a brief moment, held the FWD lap record at the Nürburgring.
What do you think will happen next?
[Thanks to Mark for the tip]
Regardless of what the new owners will have in store for the Nürburgring when they takeover next year it’s clear the industry pool is still in full swing.
Here’s four videos thanks to Dale from Bridge to Gantry which show a Mercedes AMG GT, an Audi R8 of some description (possibly turbocharged), a Jaguar XE Saloon and a VW Golf R Wagon being put through their paces.
What a lovely way to spend an afternoon!
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VIDEO: Golf R v A45 AMG v S3
Now that the new Golf R has been launched in Australia it’s timely to check out this video from Dutch car mag Auto Week. Up against the Volkswagen are the Mercedes-Benz A45 AMG and VW stablemate the Audi S3.
Remember, all three cars are all-wheel drive and all three use a Haldex-based system.
When watching the video make sure you turn on the English subtitles, otherwise it’ll just be a series of crackles and farts, plus a trio of double-clutch hot hatces.
[Thanks to John for the tip]
Volkswagen Australia has followed the launch of the GTI Performance with the all-wheel drive Golf R. Powered by the same 221kW/380Nm 2.0 litre turbo used in the Audi S3 the Golf R is priced from $51,990 with a 6-speed manual, or $54,490 with a 6-speed DSG.
In the Volkswagen Group stable we think a Golf R with 6-speed manual looms as the value pick. It’s $8000 less than an S3, which does offer a manual gearbox but as a no cost option, that is, a manual S3 is the same price as an S3 with an S tronic gearbox.
The Golf R offers full leather seats as a $3150 option, whereas leather is standard in the S3. There are other spec differences too, but that’s perhaps the biggest standout when comparing the two.
In comparison with its Golf stablemates the R is the only that offers ESP Sport, as the VW press material explains:
When the driver presses this switch briefly, Electronic Stabilisation Program (ESP) switches to the “ESP Sport†mode. In very fast driving with lots of bends—such as on a race track—the ESP system reacts with a delay, which enables even more agile handling properties. When the ESP button is pressed for longer than three seconds, the system is fully deactivated…
More details can be read in the suite of press material available for you after the break, which includes the full Australian press kit.