Volkswagen Golf R review

Despite the slight uplift in power (torque is unchanged at 310lb ft), the 'EA888' turbocharged 2.0-litre feels much as it did before. Almost lag-free, it doles out satisfyingly elastic performance as it pulls hard and smoothly from idle all the way through to the 6800rpm cut-out. Combined with the four-wheel drive, it makes the Golf a clinically efficient point-to-point machine with the sort of easily accessible pace that delivers slingshot corner exits and stress-free overtaking. 

Outright urge is as strong as you'd expect, with VW claiming 4.6sec for the 0-62mph sprint and a top speed pegged at an electronically limited 155mph.  Our Black Edition test car also featured the R Performance Package (usually a £1950 option on the standard version), which  raises the top speed to 168mph – and adds a ‘Drift’ mode, natch.  

Its composure, traction and faithful responses make it an easy car to drive quickly, but keen drivers who really push it will be rewarded by tail-engaging torque vectoring.

Richard Lane

Deputy road test editor

Also available is a lightweight and wallet-crunchingly expensive (£3315) Akrapovic exhaust that promises to give the Golf greater voice, especially if you press and hold the start button for at least a second and a half without touching the brake pedal to initiate a theatrical flare of revs to 2500rpm once the engine churns into life. One for those neighbours you can’t abide, perhaps…

Even so, when fired up in this manner, the Golf still lacks the instant aural drama of the old Audi RS3, or even the admittedly much pricier Mercedes-AMG A45. There’s a greater baritone timbre than before, but the R remains a fast hatch that would rather let others play the peacocking game. 

That said, the sound actuator that pumps synthetic engine noise into the cabin has been given a more gravelly delivery, the synthetic nature of which won't be to all tastes. Thankfully, it can be switched off through the enhanced driver mode set-up that offers greater customisation and even a new Eco mode, which softens the throttle response and serves up earlier shifts from the seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox.

That gearbox shuffles cogs quickly and decisively. Better still, in the raciest driver modes the transmission now holds gears when in manual mode, refusing to shift up when you hit the rev limiter. It can still get wrong-footed at low speeds, especially when pulling onto a roundabout or out of a junction, but in all other situations, it performs with snappy precision. Even so, we can't help feel a pang of sadness that there's no six-speed manual alernative to inject a little extra driver involvement.

The brakes are up to snuff too. With ventilated 357mm front and 310mm rear discs, there is strong stopping ability even after repeated use during track driving. There's a little too much bite at the top of the travel, which means a delicate touch is required, but past that point pedal feel is good, providing the driver with confidence when wiping off speed in a hurry.