Volkswagen Golf R 2025 Review

As you might’ve guessed, making the 2025 Volkswagen Golf R even hotter has come at a price and it now retails for $70,990 plus on-road costs (ORCs).

However, that’s only $500 more than the outgoing Golf R so, considering Mk8.5’s updates and additions, it’s a relative bargain.

Then again, if you don’t mind shedding some power and all-wheel drive, the recently updated Golf GTI’s $58,990 plus ORCs will save you around $12K. Food for thought.

The famed EA888 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol that also powers the GTI is at the heart of the Golf R Mk8.5, but now it gets a host of software-based upgrades that boost maximum outputs to 245kW and 420Nm (up 10kW and 20Nm), as well as a new motorsport-inspired turbocharger preload system aimed at improving engine response and reducing lag.

For track use, a new GPS lap timer can ‘learn’ any route with up to three section times, while an accelerometer can give you a digital readout of quarter-mile, 0-100km/h and 80-120km/h sprint times.

Returning is the Golf R’s seven-speed DSG automatic transmission and 4MOTION all-wheel-drive system. The latter gains an improved torque vectoring system, able to send up to 100 per cent of engine torque to an outside rear wheel – and it’s much quicker at doing so than before, says VW.

Standard equipment is decent for a $70K car and includes 19-inch Estoril alloy wheels wrapped in Bridgestone Potenza rubber, Matrix LED headlights, tinted rear windows, Nappa leather-appointed seats with heating and ventilation up front, three-zone climate control, a head-up display, a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster for the driver plus a rather tasty nine-speaker Harman Kardon sound system.

A larger 12.9-inch central touchscreen is an impressive new addition to the Golf R and brings Volkswagen’s latest IDA voice assistant, along with satnav, digital radio and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

The new R also brings a revised front bumper and headlights so that car spotters can tell the difference at 50 paces, as well as a smarter Park Assist Plus.

In terms of safety and driver aids, the Golf R comes equipped with autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, adaptive cruise control, front and rear parking sensors, rear cross-traffic alert, blind-spot monitoring, nine airbags, and plenty more besides.

Just about the only thing it doesn’t get is real-time speed limit updates via a traffic-sign recognition system.

Like every Golf, the top-spec R is covered by VW’s five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty and if you purchase a five-year capped-price servicing ‘Care’ plan, your first five visits to the workshop will total $3640, or $728 on average per annum. Service intervals are pegged at every 12 months or 15,000km, whichever comes first.

After more than 20 years of hot-hatch evolution, countless autobahn sprints and repeated Nurburgring punishment, you’d expect the 2025 Volkswagen Golf R to be the ultimate package by now.

And, we’re happy to inform you, it’s pretty darn close.

Despite half a day of pouring rain and treacherous conditions at the R’s launch in regional NSW, it didn’t skip a beat.

The extra power – a four per cent increase over the outgoing Golf R – cut the hatchback’s 0-100km/hour sprint by 0.2 seconds, to a claimed 4.6 seconds.

Behind the wheel, it’s a difficult figure to argue with and not just because the GPS timer wouldn’t work in our test car. It really does feel that quick, squeezing you into your seat with brute force when you plant the throttle from a standstill.

It’s also worth noting a Performance Package that is optional overseas comes standard on Aussie-delivered versions of the Golf R, stretching the hatchback’s top speed to a whopping 270km/h.

The beauty is – and contrary to the reckless stereotype with which most Golf drivers are tarnished Down Under – you don’t have to drive like a maniac to enjoy yourself, because it’s equally rewarding cruising around even the most average, pothole-ridden B-roads.

Pushed closer to its performance limits, the latest Volkswagen Golf R is supremely agile and grippier than a handshake at a successful job interview, the AWD system delivering serious traction. Yep, even in torrential rain.

The clever adaptive dampers (dynamic chassis control or DCC in VW-speak) mean you can switch from family cruiser to feisty apex hunter by punching a button. But even in its firmest set-up, the suspension does a great job of ironing out just about any road surface, keeping cabin occupants largely protected from crude road surfaces.

There’s also a new ‘Emotion Start’ feature that sees the Golf R come alive with rumbles and pops on start-up with higher (2500rpm) revs. To activate, you hold the engine start button for at least one-and-a-half seconds, then depress the brake pedal.

It’s a great little feature to get you primed for a blast and another plus is you can now fill it up with cheaper 95 RON fuel, rather than 98-octane as before.

Speaking of high-octane, we had a couple of hot laps at Sydney Motorsport Park in the Golf R and it’s just as competent – and confident – lapping a racetrack as it is attacking apexes on the open road.

The connection between car and driver isn’t quite as pure (or perhaps raw) as some hot hatches, but given how flat it sits through corners, how effectively it gets power to the ground and much fun it is at full tilt, there’s definitely something here for track-day enthusiasts.

The brakes (then the tyres) will probably be the first thing to protest after repeated racetrack abuse, but a more robust set of brake pads would sort that right out, no worries.

Meanwhile, if you’re quick off the mark, you might be lucky enough to snaffle one of just 300 Golf R ‘Black Edition’ models ($72,490 plus ORCs) coming to Australia, with a host of darkened features inside and out, lighter 19-inch Warmenau alloys (6kg at each corner versus the standard Estoril’s 8kg), black brake calipers and black badging.

A new Warmenau package is a $6500 option that brings meaningful additions, including the same lighter 19-inch Warmenau alloys as the Black Edition, plus genuine carbon accents and, the pièce de résistance, an Akrapovic titanium exhaust system.

Options aside, the Golf R is a deeply capable, fun, and surprisingly clever hot hatch that is arguably a better all-rounder than many other iconic hot four-cylinder performance cars.

Of course, no car is perfect; not even the 2025 Volkswagen Golf R.

Unlike lesser Golf variants that have re-instated physical push buttons on the steering wheel rather than haptic touch-sensitive buttons, the Golf R retains the latter.

This is a shame given how easy it is to unintentionally bump the buttons, even though Volkswagen executives told us the updated switchgear now requires a firmer push to operate; we still managed to bump the cruise control.

Elsewhere, the larger and much-improved 12.9-inch ‘Discover’ touchscreen is a welcome addition with fantastic clarity and response, but those wanting physical dials and buttons for the climate control will be disappointed because most of its operation is done via the touchscreen.

And, although fuel consumption is probably less of a worry for most hot-hatch drivers, it’s worth mentioning our test car’s average fuel consumption of high 10s (litres per 100km) after a circa-200km road drive on regional NSW roads.

That’s a little up on VW’s claim of 8.3L (which is also up from the last car’s 7.8L/100km), although the higher figure doesn’t come as a surprise given the fast and flowing country roads we were on, taking full advantage of the Golf R’s M+ mode, which holds your selected gear without upshifting or kicking down in the Sport+ drive mode.

Naturally, that higher figure dropped the following day during our commute from the Blue Mountains to Sydney Motorsport Park, closer to 6.0L/100km, which shows that it can be a frugal commuter.

At just over $70K plus ORCs, the Golf R is getting very close to premium rivals like the related Audi S3 ($78,800 plus ORCs) and BMW M135i ($83,600 plus ORCs).

Yes, it’s very well equipped and properly quick, just as powerful as the S3 and a cut above the M135i’s 233kW/400Nm, but the Golf R doesn’t feel like the outright bargain it used to be.

If we’re honest, the outgoing Mk8 Golf R was just as enjoyable and you’d have to be a rocket scientist to notice that four per cent power bump.

And in a downer for fans of the more practical estate or wagon body style, Volkswagen says there are no plans to offer a Golf R wagon in Mk8.5 form.

If you can drive the 2025 Volkswagen Golf R without cracking a smile, you’re probably doing it wrong.

For a hatchback, it’s shockingly practical and with its blend of brutal speed and everyday comfort, the Golf R is a genuine all-rounder that’ll impress just about anyone who steps inside.

Is it a massive leap over the Mk8? Not quite. But for just $500 more, it’s a no-brainer.

2025 Volkswagen Golf R at a glance:
Price: $70,990 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 245kW/420Nm
Transmission: Seven-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel: 8.3L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 190g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five stars (ANCAP 2022)

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