Volkswagen Golf R Grid Edition 2018 Review

Volkswagen’s hunky Golf R hot hatch has been a familiar sight for some time. In fact it dates back to late 2009 when the first version was unveiled at the Frankfurt motor show.

That 199kW/350Nm turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder was a replacement for the memorable 184kW/320Nm 3.2-litre V6 Golf R32.

Considering its length of time on the planet, the outputs for the Volkswagen Golf R have not increased dramatically, currently sitting at a recently-upgraded 213kW/380Nm.

Those figures might jump a little – to 220kW – if Volkswagen Australia comes on board with new testing regulations being enforced around the world which have required a re-look at the Golf R’s engine specs.

A re-energised Volkswagen Golf R powerplant for Australia would help: The hot VW has been leap-frogged recently by Honda’s 228kW/400Nm (front-drive) Civic Type R and Ford’s storming 257kW/440Nm Focus RS. Even Hyundai’s front-drive 202kW/353Nm i30 N sneaks close…

With its Golf R Grid Edition, Volkswagen has trodden a similar path to BMW’s back-to-basics M3 Pure which pares-down some extraneous equipment to arrive at a lower price entry point that doesn’t compromise the car’s basic character.

This means the manual-gearbox Golf R Grid Edition driven here is currently tagged at a driveaway price of $48,490, exactly $6000 down on the regular version. The downside is that the deal will only apply until October 2018 when the manual gearbox disappears and all Golf Rs are fitted only with Volkswagen’s seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, which currently brings the Grid Edition’s on-road price to $50,990.

The Golf R Grid Edition sacrifices include Volkswagen’s in-dash Active Info system (some won’t mind that at all) and leather-trimmed seats – the Grid Edition is part suede-clad – while the infotainment screen is reduced in size to 8.0 inches. Grid Edition buyers still get the regular Golf safety technology including autonomous emergency braking, in forward and reverse, pedestrian avoidance and attention detectors monitoring the driver’s state of alertness.

There’s also active LED headlights, 19-inch alloys with low-profile 235/35 tyres, sat-nav, Apple CarPlay/Android Auto and dual-zone climate control, all within the meticulously-trimmed Golf interior.

By today’s standards, Volkswagen’s warranty is sub-par at three years/unlimited kilometres but it’s known the company is looking closely at what its opponents are doing and there would be no surprise if a five-year deal pops up soon. The Golf R comes with capped-price servicing at 12 month/15,000km intervals for the first five years or 75,000km (whichever comes first).

It’s not quite a powerhouse in the same sense as Ford’s strenuously urgent Focus RS and it doesn’t have quite the lightness of being that is the Honda Civic Type R, but the Golf R is an engaging performer that, even in manual transmission form, handles the stop and go of urban traffic well with its low-rpm flexibility and happiness to rev out towards its 6500 rpm red line.

It sounds throatily promising on startup, but somehow gets more muted as speed and rpm rise. Because the part-time 4MOTION AWD is a simpler system than, say, a Subaru WRX, the Golf R spends a lot of its time aping a regular front-driver, engaging the back wheels when it’s really necessary. But most drivers will rarely notice that.

The manual six-speed shifter is slick and pleasant to use and the quick steering (just 1.9 turns from lock to lock) is well-weighted and responsive, while the suspension control is such that the ride quality, while abrupt at times, is far from hard-edged. The turning circle somehow feels more than the stated – and very class-competitive – 10.9m.

One surprise was that the Golf’s driver’s seat, despite its promisingly-enclosing shapes, proved less than comfortable and supportive after an hour or so at the wheel.

The Golf R Grid Edition rolled out of Australian showrooms at the beginning of 2018 with a worthwhile price advantage over the regular Golf R, cutting the pre-on roads price from $53,490 to $47,490 without asking too many compromises.

In fact it could be said the Grid Edition is a more pure expression of the Golf R’s essence. Pre on-roads, the regular DSG transmission Golf R hatch is tagged at $55,990 while the DSG wagon variant is $57,990.

The current Golf R Grid Edition wagon will be dropped from the range, along with the manual hatchback version, in October 2018.

No doubt the Volkswagen Golf R has carved out a reputation since 2009 as a hot hatch that delivers a mighty punch. Today’s DSG version is claimed to reach 100km/h from a standing start in just 4.8sec and, in a recent racetrack shoot-out, it circulated less than two seconds slower than a BMW M2. So for those who like to indulge in the odd track day, the AWD Golf is guaranteed to deliver plenty of competitive entertainment.

As already noted it has the engine flexibility and enough comfort and practicality to rate as a practical daily driver as well – although that driver’s seat could be a bit of a worry, long-distance comfort-wise.

In terms of passenger space, the deal is pretty familiar: The five-door hatch is pretty amenable, seating four adults with relative ease – though things can get a bit cramped up back if the passengers tend to be even a bit long-legged.

The boot isn’t bad, extending from 343 litres to a class-competitive 1233 litres seats-folded.

You don’t get too fussed at the fuel pump either as your feed the 55-litre tank with premium unleaded. Volkswagen claims 8.0L/100km, which is pretty much the same as all its rivals bar the 8.8L/100km Honda Civic Type R. On test, we didn’t so well with a recorded figure of 10.7L/100km which could undoubtedly be bettered.

There’s something of a tall poppy syndrome afflicting the Golf R right now. Perhaps it’s simply that it has been around for quite a while and has become a bit over-familiar, or maybe it’s that there some pretty impressive competitors out there these days that tend to dull its status.

Put those thoughts aside though and the Golf R, and particularly the Grid Edition, is unarguably an impressive small hatchback that does everything with a more developed sense of refinement than most of its generally more-expensive (except the front-wheel drive Hyundai i30 N) rivals.

Even detractors wouldn’t deny that there’s a great sense of occasion when sliding into a Golf R for the first time. As you survey the quality interior and experience the eager, initially vociferous 2.0-litre four-cylinder firing up, the suggestion is that you are in for something special.

And, indeed, you are – even if that special isn’t quite as stimulatingly eye-opening as you might have hoped.

In any form, Grid Edition or otherwise, the Golf R is great, but it’s not the only great hot hatch… and it’s probably no longer the best of its genre.

How much does a 2018 Volkswagen Golf R Grid Edition cost?
Price: $48,490 (including on-road costs)
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 213kW/380Nm
Transmission: Six-speed manual
Fuel: 8.0L/100km (ADR Combined); 10.7L/100km (as tested)
CO2: 183g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: Five-star ANCAP (tested 2013)