This didn't take long. One day after Volkswagen showed the first teaser, the new Golf R gets its official reveal. And it is a little bit disappointing. I know Volkswagen has a very conservative approach to their cars, but the new R is in the top of the range in the Golf lineup and deserved a more aggressive styling. But i will let you comment on the darkened LED headlamps and tail lights, redesigned bumpers, and the new 18-inch wheels (with optional 19-inch wheels).
Having said that, the technical specifications are amazing. The 2.0-liter, turbocharged, four-cylinder engine produces 300PS (296bhp or 221kW) and 380Nm (280lb/ft) of torque. This is an improvement of 30PS (30bhp or 22kW) and 30Nm (22lb/ft) over the previous model.
But with this increase in power, we found out that the fuel consumption has been improved to a decent 7.1 liters each 100km (39.8 UK mpg or 33.1 USA mpg) and emits 165g/km of CO2 with the manual gearbox, but if you choose the dual-clutch automatic transmission (DSG) this values drops to 6.9l/100 (40.9 UK mpg or 34.1 USA mpg) and 159g/km.
All that power and torque is delivered to all four wheels through a new 4MOTION system with a fifth-generation Haldex coupling, that allows the car to accelerate from 0 to 100km (62mph) in 5.1 seconds when using the manual gearbox. With the DSG it takes just 4.9 seconds. Top speed is limited to 250km/h, even if the new speedometer has the 320km/h mark.
The car has been lowered by 20mm (), now features a new progressive steering, bigger brakes (340mm at the front, 310mm at the back), and the dynamic chassis control (DCC) is available as an option.
Inside, we have sport seats in cloth/Alcantara with carbon-look leather, stainless steel pedals, and a redesigned radio and navigations system controlled by a 5-, 5.8- or 8-inch touchscreen.
This car will be on sale from the fourth quarter of 2013 with a starting price of €38,325 ($50.600 or £33.000) in Germany.
Source: VW