Volkswagen Golf R 2017 Review

Squeezing every last drop of performance from a high-powered car used to be a challenge. Only the most gifted drivers on the best race tracks and roads could do it. But today things are different. Take the new Volkswagen Golf R as a prime example.

Even yours truly, motoring.com.au's humble (and undisputed) go-kart champion, can admit he's no Fangio in the real world, but barrelling along in the Golf R generates the kind of confidence that makes bad auditions on talent shows so good.

"No Randy, you're a great singer, you should totally audition for The Voice..."

That sort of confidence.

Performance plus
The Volkswagen Golf R flows through corners like Guinness from the tap on St Patrick's Day, and its kung-fu grip on the road is formidable. There's just so much grip. Where the Golf GTI moves around a bit more the Golf R bites the road like a pit-bull on a postman.

It's not a full-time all-wheel drive setup like the WRX STI but it's still effective, siphoning torque to the rear axle when required.

The steering isn't the most communicative in this segment, which has been turned on its head by the likes of the Ford Focus RS, but it's nothing if not direct, the front end tipping into corners with the crispness of an alpine dawn.

You can squeeze the throttle early in bends, the Golf R hooking up cleanly and with eagerness, generating impressive mid-corner speeds.

It's an entertaining car to flog hard and if pushed to – and beyond – its grip limits the go-fast Golf to a progressive understeer slide that's cut short by the AWD system. Fast, fun and almost foolproof, the Golf R may look conservative but it stamps its authority all over corners. Point-to-point on a winding mountain pass, it's grin-inducingly quick.

What's new?
But what's actually new here? Mechanically, not a lot. The engine has been tweaked for more power, up from 206kW to 213kW, but bear in mind that European versions pump out 228kW. Australia gets penalised for being a "hot weather region", worse luck.

That comparative extra power combines with a launch control system and updated wet-clutch seven-speed DSG automatic transmission to deliver an impressive 4.8 second 0-100km/h sprint. The manual is a bit slower to 100km/h at 5.2secs but it's more satisfying to row through the gears on a snaking section of road, bouncing off the soft 6800rpm rev-limiter before another ratio is plucked.

The third-generation EA888 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder engine is wicked fun. It revs cleanly and quickly, pulls strong off the bottom end and revs hard to the top. Peak torque of 380Nm hits at 1850rpm, while peak power of 213kW maxes out at 6500rpm. That's a nice power band to play with.

It has a larger turbo than the Golf GTI and a different intake manifold along with tweaked fuelling help it attain its more muscular output. Like the GTI's four-cylinder warbler it's as flexible as a gymnast, and is just as happy cruising at 1500rpm on the highway.

Volkswagen has given the Golf R a louder, more gravelly exhaust note than the updated Golf GTI, but it comes across as a little contrived and synthetic.

Like the updated Golf GTI, the big-daddy Golf R gets updated front and rear body work, with sleeker headlights, new-look DRLs and ultra-cool strobing indicators. The indicators are almost worth the higher price of admission... which in the mid-$50K bracket seems a little high considering what competitors offer, and what the upcoming Hyundai i30 N will deliver.

Still, a bare-bones Golf R Grid Edition coming in late 2017 for under $50K should be a ripper and will have more appeal for enthusiasts.

The 19-inch alloy wheels have a new design, shod with 235/35 Continental rubber, and the interior now features a digital instrument panel in the vein of the Audi virtual-cockpit.

Combined with a large 9.2-inch touchscreen infotainment system complete with gesture control and a lap timer – both frivolous but cool – and the new Golf R feels fresh but not all-new.

Refined interior
Best bits? The new automatic gearbox is a winner – super rapid but smooth changes – and the extra power from the 2.0-litre turbo-petrol is welcome. The car's well-sorted chassis means chasing apexes is always enjoyable, even if it remains unchanged and 100kg heavier than the GTI, at around 1450kg.

Refinement levels, from the powertrain to the switchgear, are impressive – better than most of its rivals – and the improved infotainment screen and digital instrument panel give the Golf R cabin a decidedly luxurious ambience.

It's still as practical as ever and will just as happily sit in commuter traffic as it scythes through snaking ribbons of asphalt, tyres squealing, exhaust burping and farting between shifts.

But it's not perfect. The gesture control system doesn't respond when you give it the bird, there's considerable tyre roar on coarse-chip roads and on a kilowatt-to-cost ratio it gets slain by a few other 250kW+ hot hatches, Ford Focus RS and BMW M 140i included.

The 343 litres of boot space is lower than 380 litres offered on the Golf GTI and the all-wheel drive system – although very good – is reactive and part-time, not proactive and full-time like some of its competitors.

The big 9.2-inch touchscreen infotainment setup is gorgeous to look but by doing away with all dials and buttons it makes simple things, like adjusting the volume, take longer than they should. The exhaust note needs work and a five-year warranty should be standard, instead of the three years provided here.

Summing up
Nevertheless, there's plenty to appreciate and at its core the Golf R is an accomplished performer. The new look is conservative for a vehicle of this dynamic capability but the Golf R's choice to be visually uninteresting has become part of its allure.

It retains enough of the regular VW Golf to be a great everyday runabout but underneath there's a well-muscled predator ready to pounce. It doesn't push the envelope but it doesn't really have to, delivering luxury, performance and practicality in equal measure. Best of all, you don't need to be the resident go-kart champion to enjoy this car.

2017 Volkswagen Golf R pricing and specifications:
Price: $55,490 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 213kW/380Nm
Transmission: Seven-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel: 7.2L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 166g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: Five-star Euro NCAP