Volkswagen Golf R power boost possible

If you've read our new Volkswagen Golf R review or watched the video, you'll know that we've been whinging about the fact that most markets get a 228kW version of the hot hatch, while Australians get lumped with a lower-output 213kW version.

As we’ve reported for many years, this is because Australia is designated a ‘hot-climate’ country by Volkswagen's engineering policy.

The theory is that Australia gets so hot that the cooling capability and reliability of the Golf R's 2.0-litre EA888 four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine would be compromised if tuned to its full potential, or at least its specification in colder countries.

The hot weather ruling also means Australians get low-power versions of the Audi S3, and the mooted Skoda Kodiaq RS may not be offered here based on Volkswagen's self-imposed engineering regulations.

Despite the ruling, there are many parts of Europe with sustained hot weather, such as Spain, Portugal and Greece, where 40 degrees centigrade is not uncommon.

Volkswagen Australia abides by the hot-climate classification but doesn't agree with it, said the company’s general manager for corporate communications, Paul Pottinger.

"We're deemed a hot-weather market. This is something that we don't hold with. This is something we're working on,” he told motoring.com.au.

Some owners of vehicles such as the Golf R have used aftermarket means to increase power to European factory standard levels, but this may void their new-vehicle warranty.

Pottinger said the hot-weather status affects several engines in the Volkswagen range, both petrol and diesel, and is "a classification that we accept, but we would like to change".

The Golf R is the most high-profile model to be hamstrung by the thermal determination, and Volkswagen Australia is considering its options.

However, VW’s local communications boss was quick to point out that Australia's status as a hot-weather country doesn’t quite make the Golf R a slouch.

"It's incumbent upon us to change it, we have to make representations about that. But 4.8 seconds to 100km/h [in the Golf R] is quick enough for Australia," he said.

What do you think? Are Australians being dudded on VW power outputs and missing out on important models because of this self-imposed regulation, or is engine reliability a genuine concern? Have your say in the comments section below.