SPY PICS: Volkswagen Golf R goes under the knife

A facelifted Volkswagen Golf R will be released sometime in 2024 and the first barely camouflaged spy shots of it have surfaced in Germany this week, revealing a new front bumper and intakes.

Hiding in plain sight, the new flagship Golf was spotted testing at the Nurburgring in both hatch and wagon forms in full production trim and badging, with only minimal camouflage fitted to its front-end to try and disguise the redesigned bumper elements.

In attempt to make the new model look as much like the current one as possible, the black camo obscures the extra width and length of those new elements, which in turn draws more attention to the lower intakes that have also been partially redesigned.

The changes should make for a more menacing and purposeful look for the hottest production VW Golf R to date – besides the limited-run 20 Years version – even if there won’t be any significant mechanical changes.

The new exterior look will presumably be matched with an even more tech-heavy interior upgrade that could bring a similar dash layout to the new-generation VW Tiguan and Passat, perhaps including their new-generation infotainment system and digital instrument cluster.

Australia has an almost insatiable appetite for R products at the moment and so the facelifted Golf flagship is all but guaranteed to appear in local showrooms, but don’t expect to see an updated version of the stretched Golf R Wagon since it has been axed from our market along with the rest of the Golf Wagon line-up and the Arteon and Passat to make room for the upcoming wave of EVs.

Odds are the facelifted VW Golf R will be revealed by early 2024 ahead of its Aussie debut in the second half of next year, likely accompanied by some modest price increases.

Image source: Automedia

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