The Golf R seems to be hit or miss. The first R32 was loved by basically everyone while the second car was panned by basically everyone. And the last Golf R was, well, it was kind of forgettable. But now there's a new one, and if it's as good as the new GTI supposedly is, it'll be amazing.
The new Golf R sticks with the formula of all-wheel drive and turbo power that was in the last R, but this time there's a power boost up to 296 horsepower. Combined with the DSG gearbox, the new R gets to 60 in just 4.9 seconds.
Pretty friggin' quick, right?
It's also more economical, but do you care about that? I didn't think so. You care about speed and power. It has that. And looks. It has that too.
The Mk VII Golf took every part of the Mk VI and made it tighter. It has narrower lamps and a lot more angles. I hated it when I first saw it, but it has really grown on me. And in R guise, it looks seriously sinister.
Frighteningly so, actually. I am a little upset by one styling cue, though. The center exit exhausts, a Golf R staple, are now gone. They've been replaced by quad pipes, which I think are a bit much for a 2.0 turbo and a bit much for a hatchback. But I'm not on VW's design team so I didn't get much say anyway.
The Golf R seen here is the European version, which will go on sale at the end of 2013 over that way. We probably won't see the R until the 2015 model year if we get it (I bet we do), which is also when we'll see the GTI and Golf. So we have a bit of a wait. Like usual.
It's ok, this one looks like it just might be worth it.