VW Golf 8 R (2022): New special model for birthday

Presentation and price: Golf 8 R from under 52,000 euros

VW put the R in the Golf 8. Behind the well-known recipe – four cylinder, all-wheel drive – lies dynamic fine tuning, which will help the top Golf to have significantly more fire and driving pleasure.

Discount

VW Golf 8 R with discount at carwow.de

VW Golf 8 R is available for savings of up to 9590 euros on carwow.de (as of 24 May 2022)

The best evidence of this is the new drift mode, with which the Golf R can also be driven across corners, as well as the new R performance pack with increased Vmax. The 320 hp Golf R is available for a base price of € 51,835, for the station wagon version of the Variant at least € 53,115 is due.

20 years of Golf R: New custom model for birthday (update!)

In 2002, VW launched its sportiest compact model, the Golf R32. Its 3.2-liter VR6 produces 241 hp and makes the R32 Golf the most powerful VW has ever built to date.

In the summer, the sport of golf celebrates its twentieth birthday. VW took this opportunity to place an exclusive special model of a compact sports car with the “20 Years” suffix on the wheels. The two-liter four-cylinder turbo engine has been tackled again and now produces 333 hp. It has 13 hp more than the regular Golf R. The custom golf can be ordered from June and will be under construction for about a year.

The first VW with real carbon in the interior

In Golf R “20 Years”, power plus has been staged with an emotional start that can be chosen by the drivers. Speed overshoot is enabled on the 2500 tours, and the acoustics in particular should set the mood for the ride. The transmission and engine tuning have been adjusted to improve driving dynamics.

The Wolfsburg-based company also provides a visual touch, an R-Performance package with a “drift” mode and a larger rear spoiler standard here. The design of this special model is again emphasized by blue details such as the rims and rear view mirror caps. In the interior, Lower Saxony uses real carbon on the instrument panel and door panels for the first time.

Used car: VW Golf 7 R already available for around 20,000 euros

Anyone interested in a used Golf R from the previous generation has plenty of options to choose from. Well-preserved pre-facelift models start at around 20,000 euros on the used car market. For the facelifted model, around 5,000 euros more will be due, with the performance issues of 300 or 310 hp not playing a major role. For a Golf 7 R station wagon you will have to invest around 23,000 euros or more.

VW Golf in the used car market AUTO BILD

Golf R variant: Sports golf with lots of room

For all those who don’t have enough space for a compact five-door car, VW has also provided a performance update on the Variant. The 4.63-meter-long Golf R Variant trunk holds between 611 and 1642 liters with the rear seats folded down. Sportswear is also available with an optional trailer tow for a towing capacity of 1.9 tonnes.

So much for practical capabilities, but of course the R Variant also has to be really sporty. It relies on the same drive combination as the five-door model and, together with the Arteon R Shooting Brake, is the most powerful sports station wagon in the portfolio.

Thanks to 320 hp, seven-speed DSG and all-wheel drive, the 1,630 kilo Golf R Variant sprints to 100 km/h in 4.9 seconds (0.2 seconds slower than the five-door model) and has a top speed of 250 km/h.

Engine and transmission: First production golf with a top speed of up to 270 km/h

Propulsion is the EA888 two-liter turbo four-cylinder in the Evo4 expansion stage. Among other things, fully electric cooling control is new: it shortens the heating phase and thereby optimizes drive efficiency. Like on the Arteon R, this unit produces 320 hp and 420 Nm of torque.

Depending on the configuration, that’s 10 to 20 hp and 20 Nm more than its predecessor – and ten hp more than the Audi S3. With DSG, four-wheel drive is capable of sprinting from 0 to 100 km / h in 4.7 seconds. The R-Performance package, which costs 2265 euros, is optionally available. This increases the top speed from 250 to 270 km/h.

The performance package also includes a larger rear spoiler, 19-inch alloy wheels (for the 2021 big AUTO BILD summer tire test) and two additional riding modes “Special” and “Drift”. In the drift program, the standard seven-speed DSG offers a real manual mode, so it doesn’t fire itself at the limiter.

Drive: VW Golf R with drift mode

In the eighth generation Golf R too, power is distributed to all four wheels. Thanks to the new rear axle drive, 4Motion all-wheel drive can distribute torque not only between the front and rear axles, but also between the rear wheels – and up to 100 percent to one wheel.

In addition to the limited-slip differential and standard DCC adaptive suspension, all-wheel drive is also part of the integrated driving dynamics manager in the Golf R. This means that understeer should no longer be a problem, and all-wheel drive should also guarantee optimal traction, better cornering agility. , and better driving precision. You can read how things went in the comparison test with the Porsche 718 Cayman.

Compared to the GTI, the R has three additional driving profiles. “Race” disables the sailing function, sharpens the exhaust sound and sets all systems to attack. The “Special” arrangement is designed for the bumpy, familiar Nürburgring from GTI Clubsport. This would give the R a 17-second time advantage over its predecessor at the “green hell” of the Nürburgring.

Totally new drift mode. In the “ESP Sport” position, the all-wheel drive system distributes power so that it can corner sideways, similar to the Ford Focus RS or Mercedes-AMG A 45 S.

Suspension and brakes: Optional semi-slick for full lateral dynamics

The Golf R features DCC active damper control as standard, and is 20 mm lower on the road than the production Golf. The spring and stabilizer rates have each increased ten percent compared to their predecessors, and the front wheels have been given more negative camber.

A stiffer aluminum subframe lightens the front axle by as much as three kilograms. Brakes with 357 mm discs up front are also 600 grams lighter on each side. If you want to use your last tenth on the race track, VW offers an optional 19-inch semi-slick for the Golf R.

Appearance: VW Golf R with titanium exhaust from Akrapovic

The front of the R features a clubport-like apron and its own grille with horizontal slats. The LED headlights are connected by a light strip with a blue decorative stripe and the R logo. New rocker panels and special R rims stand out in profile. The base is 18 inches, 19 inches is available as an option. The rear is decorated with a center R logo, a black diffuser, and four exhaust flaps.

As usual, a titanium flap exhaust from Akrapovic is available at an additional cost. That makes the Golf seven kilograms lighter and the wallet around 3975 euros lighter. If you choose the R-Performance package, VW will attach a larger rear spoiler to the trunk lid. The more refined R emblem includes glossy black accents and a silver exterior mirror cap.

Interior: Larger shift paddles in the cockpit of the Golf R

There are no big surprises in it. The driver and front passenger sit in the famous integral sports seats, which come with black and blue covers on the R. The carbon trim, multiple R logos, black roof liner and stainless steel pedals create a sporty feel.

Other accents in the same direction are the steering wheel with the 6 o’clock mark and – finally – the larger shift paddles. In addition, the buttons for setting the driving mode have been moved from the center console to the steering wheel.

Behind the mosquito net sits the Digital Cockpit Pro with its own R graphics and two additional displays. What’s new is that the rev counter can be placed in the middle. “R-View” features a horizontal rev bar, numeric display, and shift light.

The digital cockpit also has a lap timer and all kinds of vehicle data – from boost pressure, transmission temperature and G-force to current power demand and all-wheel drive torque distribution.

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