We owe so much to the Volkswagen GTI. It’s arguably the frequent ancestor from which all fashionable scorching hatchbacks and sporty compacts arose, and practically each technology of the mannequin–since 1983 stateside and 1976 elsewhere–has been stronger and extra competent than the final.
The newest Golf R–essentially the most radical GTI provided by the manufacturing unit–represents the final word kind of the present Mk8 platform, which makes use of an advanced model of the company MQB platform launched in 2012. The R mannequin packs the platform with efficiency and know-how within the type of all-wheel drive with a torque-vectoring rear diff, an aluminum entrance subframe, and 14.1-inch entrance and 12.1-inch rear disc brakes.
Then add in a number of drive modes that remap most of the digital aids for steering, throttle, stability management and torque biasing to supply some profoundly totally different experiences behind the wheel.
Yeah, all that sounds thrilling–and, to be truthful, it’s–however there’s a worth: an almost $45,000 sticker, with the one choice being an $800 upcharge to swap out the six-speed handbook transmission with a seven-speed dual-clutch paddlebox.
Which transmission you select can be a matter of private desire–our loaner got here outfitted with the twin-clutch choice–however whereas the R mannequin will get an upgraded six-speed clutch from the common GTI, the traditional knowledge from tuners is that the DSG is extra sturdy and able to dealing with extra energy and torque than the six-speed.
Anyway, again to the worth. Now we’re at practically $46,000 for a VW Golf–albeit a really, very particular VW Golf–and that’s so much. And with sellers tacking a number of thousand {dollars} in “market adjustment” onto boring vehicles and a number of other extra thousand onto cool vehicles, these scorching hatches are in all probability even pricier now.
A limited-edition Anniversary bundle will even be out there, tacking one other grand onto the MSRP whereas including some particular badging and deleting the sunroof (and the extra high-center-of-gravity weight that comes with it). Sellers have in all probability already booked their ski holidays primarily based available on the market changes on these fashions.
Quick and Fierce
Fortunately, you’re getting so much in your greenback right here, and if the earlier technical specs didn’t persuade you, unleashing the 315 horsepower and 310 lb.-ft. of torque from the two.0-liter turbo-four will finish the argument.
The Golf R’s engine has some pleasantly old-school traits, with the increase hitting more durable than in most fashionable turbo vehicles. VW claims peak torque at 1900 rpm, and we don’t doubt that, however reaching that peak torque requires the turbo to be totally spooled. And when you simply hopped out of an everyday GTI, which barely feels turbocharged, that’ll take a readjustment of your throttle foot on observe.
However studying the throttle timing is price it as a result of the Golf R’s thrust is spectacular when it’s allowed to do its job. And that’s the subsequent factor we should always speak about, as a result of getting the absolute best lap time on this automobile requires a little bit of talent to work round digital intervention that by no means fairly disappears, irrespective of the way you set the assorted modes.
Even with the steadiness management all the best way off, which is selectable not by the drive modes however in a submenu within the DIC the place you possibly can monitor particular person elements of the automobile, there’s nonetheless some throttle intervention if you actually grasp issues out. The bummer is that the automobile could be very controllable at and even past the restrict, so feeling that momentary pause in energy might be irritating when you already know your slide is totally affordable.
So we experimented with the settings and drive modes and ultimately produced our quickest lap in Drift mode. Sure, that’s precisely what it appears like: A car as soon as synonymous with front-wheel-drive efficiency now affords a drift mode.
Every of these drive modes–Sport, Race and Drift–affords its personal methods for steering help, exhaust notice, throttle curve, torque biasing, traction management and stability intervention. Race mode is fairly stable–we’d put a novice out on observe in that mode they usually’d be taught so much–however it does intervene a bit an excessive amount of when issues get actually slidey.
Drift mode, the place we discovered our quickest instances after a couple of laps, permits for a lot of rear slip angle, even seemingly encouraging it on nook entry. We’re not 100% certain that is what was happening within the Golf R’s digital mind, however from behind the wheel, it appeared that so long as the rear slip angle was higher than–or solely barely much less–than the entrance slip angle, the Golf R allow us to do no matter we needed. Yeah, full-on, Rockford-style oversteer slides had been out there on this little German hatchback.
If the entrance slip angle ever grew to become an excessive amount of higher than the rear slip angle, nevertheless, there was a momentary throttle interruption to assist deliver issues again in line. Consequently, producing the quickest lap time grew to become a contest of rapidly getting right into a cornering perspective with a little bit of rear slip angle–however not a lot that we had been shedding ahead momentum–and ensuring we by no means let the automobile transition to an exit push as we tried to straighten out the wheel after which energy right down to the subsequent nook. When it labored, it was spectacular, propelling the Golf R off of corners with authority–notably in third gear.
However in a pair corners on the Florida Worldwide Rally & Motorsport Park–these the place the exits flatten out and even go off camber a bit–this put the automobile right into a pure understeer state. A lot of the important thing to touchdown a superb lap got here in anticipating these areas and ensuring the automobile didn’t push a lot that there was throttle intervention.
Consequently, we weren’t shocked that our theoretical quick lap was significantly sooner than our precise quick lap. We’ve little question we might have gotten right down to that theoretical lap time, however it could have taken extra laps and extra driver changes. Plus, we didn’t need to return the automobile as a smoldering husk.
However though we couldn’t hit the best predictive lap that our Garmin Catalyst tried to goad us into, we nonetheless scorched the FIRM to a brand new quick lap within the scorching hatch division. The Golf R’s 1:21.35 lap put it a pair tenths forward of the earlier chief within the class, the Hyundai Veloster N, and a pair extra tenths sooner than the opposite R automobile, the earlier Honda Civic Sort R. The one locations the Hyundai appeared to drag forward had been in transitional areas, and we predict the Volkswagen’s additional 300 kilos yielded the benefit.
Even a cursory look on the knowledge traces reveals the place the Golf R (blue) beats the Honda Civic Sort R (crimson): in acceleration and braking. The Honda has higher pace by gradual (1) and quick (2) corners, however the VW powers down the straights and produces higher deceleration into the corners (3). The thrust distinction is much more obvious when the Honda wants fourth gear. As quickly because the Civic makes that shift (4, 5), the VW simply retains accelerating and runs away down the straights.
Quick and Pleasant
The Golf R’s lap instances jibe with our expertise behind the wheel: explosive exits, sturdy energy down the straights, predictable grip and, most notably, distinctive efficiency in braking. The large 14.1-inch entrance discs aren’t only for present, as in addition they ship the whoa. And though the Golf R produces some blistering straightaway speeds, we discovered ourselves braking later and more durable into some corners because of the ability and stability of these brakes. Paired with Drift mode’s intense need to hang around the rear, they ship some extraordinarily assured path braking.
The Golf R is extra than simply quick lap instances. We discovered the pedals and wheel to be completely positioned, whereas the grippy leather-based seats provide loads of adjustment vary. The sunroof steals some headroom, however even with a helmet on, we didn’t encounter interference and will sit in our desired place–which is pretty vertical–with out having to compromise.
The DSG transmission is a superb observe companion, banging off up- and downshifts rapidly and cleanly. Our one criticism: When the DSG finds the engine bouncing off the rev limiter, the following upshift is closely delayed in comparison with an ordinary upshift. We predict the ECU is giving the engine a while to stabilize rpm earlier than executing the shift, however even when we’re incorrect in our assumption, the massive factor is shifting earlier than hitting the rev limiter.
The Golf R affords extra than simply loads of energy. It additionally has plenty of inside area, all of the brakes and a snug driver place. After a bit longer with the automobile, we determine, we’ll heat as much as the DIC.
Off-track and within the common world, the Golf R is, effectively, a Golf. With 4 actual seats and a 20-cubic-foot cargo space, it’s each bit as helpful and sensible as Golfs have all the time been–simply that this one will get you to that subsequent storage sale waaaay sooner than the remainder of the discount hunters.
We’ve only a few good issues to say concerning the DIC controls, although, that are both dash-mounted, touch-sensitive areas with no haptic suggestions and poorly outlined activation areas, or deeply embedded menu gadgets in a Byzantine touchscreen UI.
Apart from that, we like it. However look, it’s virtually cliché to complain about infotainment controls lately. Should you personal this automobile, you’ll get used to it fairly rapidly. Is it nice? Positively not for somebody who has solely per week to determine it out, however these are automotive author issues. Push by the educational curve and also you’ll be superb.
Moreover, all these issues about these clunky controls are going to vanish in Flip 1 of your first observe day.
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