Volkswagenâs Golf has come a long way since its humble beginnings in the early â80s when it was first introduced as a kind of successor to the very first âpeopleâs carâ. It truly was affordable transport for the masses, just like the Beetle was at its launch in the 1950s.
Of course itâs grown up since then, like most car nameplates do. Nowadays the Golf is something of a mid class car for middle class people. Transport for the masses is covered by newly introduced line ups like the Polo Vivo and Up!
One of the spin offs of all this maturity the Golf range has grown into is the introduction of premium version upon premium version. Obviously the GTi badge has been around since the early days, however Iâm talking even more premium than that. Specifically the Golf R, a fire breathing, all wheel drive monster disguised quite cleverly, not in sheep’s clothing but rather the equivalent of a dinner suit.
Youâll note the subtle exterior differences. The âRâ badging on the front grille, a revised bumper with air dams, larger wheels and subtle lips and skirts are pretty much the only tell tale signs of what lies beneath.
The interior gives the game away a little more with its sportier seats wrapped in leather, along with a few more âRâ badges dotted here and there. Obviously this is the most premium iteration of the Golf so the interior equipment as standard is fairly premium stuff, like a fully digital dashboard and a panoramic sunroof. There are a few optional extras that might be nice, like blind spot monitoring but actually it’s quite well equipped as standard.Â
Accordingly itâs a fairly nice place to sit, both while commuting in and around town or on a longer journey. Seats are comfortable, itâs spacious both front and rear, the boot is big, everything is well laid out and it’s all fairly intuitive to use. Of course youâd hope so, considering the price tag the R commands, which Iâll get to a little later.
Under the bonnet is Volkswagenâs widely used 2.0 litre turbocharged petrol engine, boasting its highest current state of tune at 228kW. This figure was revised recently which is why weâre spending time with the Golf R again. Previously the R could only muster 213kW due to âSouth Africaâs hot weather climateâ which I donât fully understand as not too much has changed on that front here on the southern tip of Africa. Anyway we now get the full beans which gives a 0-100km/h sprint time of just 4.6 seconds.
Along with itâs all wheel drive system and a seven speed dual clutch transmission the Golf R is a very accomplished package. Itâs fast, stable and easy to drive that way. The version we tested had an upgraded exhaust package (at a cost of R41,300) so it makes all the bangs and barks that have become associated with turbocharged performance vehicles. In my view we could do without all that artificial noise.
For my taste the drive in a Golf R is a little bit muted. As much as VW touts its all wheel drive system as a permanent one it just isnât as power is only transmitted to the front axle most of the time. Accordingly the R largely feels like a front wheel driven machine until a computer decides otherwise, like in a launch control situation or if it thinks youâve got yourself into a pickle. On top of which it’s heavier than a front driven car thanks to additional drive shafts and the like so it doesnât possess the nimbleness of a GTi Clubsport. From a driver’s point of view that left me feeling that the R is for people who just want to go fast but not actually have any fun while driving.Â
On the matter of pricing, the Golf R will cost you some R710,000, further driving home my point about how grown up the Golf has become. Granted it now feels much more like an Audi than the old Citi Golf but at that price youâd hope so.
My conclusion about the Golf R then is that itâs not terribly fun but perhaps that isnât the point. What the R does terribly well is play the part of a hot hatch while at the same time shown a level of sophistication that isnât normally associated with that segment of the market. Ford paints its premium hot hatches in wild pastel colours, Honda attaches wings that make the Fast and the Furious crew look like amateurs and Renault offers a race car with a number plate. What VW offers is an entirely different kettle of fish. This thing is fast enough to keep up, or outrun many of the competitors but you can turn up to a dinner party in it as well.