Volkswagen Golf R Special Edition 2018 Review

If you shape your hot hatch tastes around pomp and ceremony or hardware wizardry, there’s a chance Volkswagen’s Golf R might have escaped your attention in the past.

Whereas the Ford Focus RS has made headlines with its drift-worthy all-wheel drive system and the Renault Megane RS has attracted attention for its polarising rear-steer system, Volkswagen’s enduring Golf performance flagship has trod a largely Teutonic path to hot hatch stardom.

But that perception may now be subject to change. Volkswagen has unleashed a new variant of the Golf R, strictly limited to 400 examples.

Called the Golf R Special Edition, the newcomer is priced at $61,990 (plus on-road costs) – a $5500 premium on the regular Golf R and another step towards the Golf’s cousin, the Audi S3.

Central to the Special Edition’s appeal is a lightweight Akrapovic exhaust system installed from the factory.

Akrapovic designs and builds exhaust systems for several European car manufacturers, but is perhaps better known for its motorcycle exhausts, which are used on everything from motocrossers through to factory MotoGP machines.

What’s more, Volkswagen has offered the Akrapovic system in Europe before as a standalone optional extra, but the Special Edition marks the first time it has been available in Australia.

Small as it may be, the addition of an exhaust should help leverage the Golf R into new territory. You’ll definitely hear one before you see one, which hasn’t really been the case before with the VW Golf R.

The Volkswagen Golf R received a light makeover in 2017 with the introduction of the Golf 7.5 update, however, it has stayed foundationally the same since the Golf Mk7’s Australian introduction in 2013.

Volkswagen Australia acknowledges a new Mk8 Golf R will be released around 2020 but, until then, the 7.5 version definitely holds its own.

From a technology perspective, a 9.2-inch touch-screen bristles inside the cabin projecting Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, matched by an equally well-specced digital driver’s instrument cluster.

Safety is likewise a strong, thanks to installation of standard features such as adaptive cruise control, lane assist with adaptive lane guidance, traffic jam assist and blind spot monitoring.

There is a decided European sophistication to the internals – one that outshines like-minded rivals from Subaru, Renault and Ford.

Soft-touch materials adorn the contact points, the electric, leather-appointed front seats are low slung and comfy, and there are brilliant storage options through the first and second rows.

From the outside, the defining feature of the Special Edition is its four exhaust outlets. Bulbous in shape and highlighted by a mesh outer lip, the exhaust shaves 7kg of weight off the Golf R and provides a deeper, more resonant thrum and ear-prickling crackles and pops between gearshifts and during rev overrun.

The exhaust system is joined by bigger 340mm front disc brakes with performance pads that shed 2kg, while black Pretoria 19-inch alloy wheels drop another 4kg in total.

Elsewhere, the Special Edition runs the same hardware as the regular Golf R; in fact, even with the exhaust in place, VW doesn’t quote any increases in power or torque.

That means you’re getting 213kW and 380Nm – enough for the manufacturer to claim a 4.8-second 0-100km/h acceleration time when torque is shuffled via the car’s seven-speed automatic transmission.

And therein lies a potential problem for some Golf aficionados. The Golf R is no longer available in manual form – however, its clever all-wheel drive system, extended electronic differential lock and swift-shifting auto should address most concerns.

Fuel use is rated at 7.2L/100km – an achievable figure in economic driving – on 98-octane unleaded.

The Volkswagen Golf R Special Edition also features black mirrors, a rear ‘R Performance Options’ badge and a Dynaudio Excite 400-Watt premium audio system.

The Special Edition hatch takes on the regular model’s extensive suite of standard equipment – available in full here.

VW Australia is offering a five-year warranty on vehicle sold before year’s end, while servicing is rated at every 12 months and 15,000km.

Our test of the Golf R Special Edition starts out at a soaking wet Luddenham Raceway, a brand-new 1.3km circuit in Western Sydney.

First things first, the sound: it’s amazing! It is immediately noticeable on start-up, offering a bassy burble at idle.

Switch the car to its most dynamic mode and it is clear the Akrapovic has eschewed the regular R’s digital note for a much more mechanical edge. The car parps aggressively on upshifts and will crackle and pop as desired.

Silly as it sounds, it feels as though there is substance to Volkswagen’s claims the unit is freer flowing, such is the Golf R’s willingness to rev. And when you turn the driver modes back to comfort, the Special Edition settles back into a more subdued yet more noticeable bassy tenor.

On the slippery Luddenham layout, the Golf R Special Edition simply enamours and complements the driver, such is its ability to power down throughout the tight, snaking circuit.

The all-wheel drive and stability control systems are key here, working in tandem to help ensure constant control, but not in a way that impedes progress. The Golf R’s communicative chassis is another import conduit, ensuring excellent feel and feedback around the circuit.

The Golf R settles quickly into corners, plying down faithful levels of grip from its Michelin rubber. The steering is well weighted and accurate, while body control is exemplary, especially considering the circa 1450kg kerb weight.

While playful, it is clear there are limitations with the all-wheel drive system, which isn’t nearly as willing to oversteer as Ford’s Focus RS.

The engine is the key talking point, finding its straps early with a slight elasticity in the way it generates power. Middling revs garner more soul-stirring vocals, before the engine revs emphatically to redline.

While we mourn loss of the Golf R’s manual transmission, the dual-clutch automatic does an admirable job of stringing the drivetrain together.

If anything, the lack of a true manual mode (the DSG will override where it deems necessary – even in the manual gate) can find the engine and transmission in a quandary on occasions, pushing for higher gears or not shifting down as you please.

Piling into the pits after our session, a hint of smoke still sintering off the Golf R’s impressive and faithful brakes (hand up here, I should have done another cool down lap), your correspondent throws a bag in the car and begins the journey home.

On this section of the drive, the Golf R Special Edition is everything the regular Golf R is: quiet, refined and maintaining a sporty edge on the road without it becoming a nuisance.

The DSG’s gearing is still a little short for highway speeds and low-speed bumps do tend to niggle through the cabin, but on the whole, the all-paw hatch deserves praise for its ability to ably mix sportiness and comfort.

And that, in essence, is the Golf R Special Edition’s modus operandi. Difference is that, in this case, your understated hot hatch now has the bark to match its proven bite.

How much does the 2018 Volkswagen Golf R Special Edition cost?
Price: $61,990 (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 ANCAP