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What's this?
The fastest, most powerful Golf ever, that's what. Golfs started getting R treatment in 2002 with the V6-engined R32 and since then the power has kept on coming. So now we're up to this one - the fourth R generation - with a 2-litre turbo making 296bhp, that's 29bhp more than the last R and a healthy 70bhp more than a GTI. It also comes with the newest version of VW's 4Motion four-wheel-drive system, and MQB chassis goodness as per all Mk7 Golfs. That puts it in the dropzone of superhatches like the Audi S3 and Merc A45 AMG.
Give us more numbers.
In double-clutch DSG form it'll crack 62mph in 4.9 seconds, or 5.3 should you go for a good old stick shift like the car we have here. It weighs 1476kg, which is 46kg less than the Mk6 Golf R, but 93kg more than a GTI with performance pack.
What else is new?
All Rs get XDS Plus. XDS is the electronic differential system you'll find on a GTI, only here, the ‘plus' bit brings the rear axle into play. 4WD. You can have active suspension, to soften or stiffen the dampers, although this isn't fitted to our test car. It does, however, have the standard-fit Driver Select System, which has a Race mode for added noise (there's an artificial sound booster) and weightier steering. Incidentally, the rack is just as quick as a GTI's, at 2.1 turns from lock to lock, which should be good for skidding around a frosty pond all day...
You're on a lake?
Correct. Unless you have a quiet corner of Swedish Lapland at your disposal, this test may not seem entirely relevant. But this is where VW wants to show us the car for the first time, and I s'pose it gives us a chance to really see the diff at work, to turn the traction control completely off - that's a first for any road-going ESC-equipped Volkswagen - and muck around for a while. This could be a very good thing. Or bad. There are moose on the loose up here, and they plod out from the pines without warning.
Give it a go...
Let's start with a second-gear sweeper. Brake carefully. Turn in and let the front wheels do the initial work. Where a permanent 4WD may push you into the corner, the R doesn't. When you've sorted your approach angle, steer a bit more and it'll start to slide. Then, when you need a little power to remedy inevitable understeer - on a glassy lake, that is often - the rear axle is awakened after the briefest of thoughts. So instead of quite literally ploughing into the snowy border, the back end swings in a gentle arc and you're into an elegant four-wheel drift.
You're going to crash now...
I thought so too. But if you think you might spin, a bit of throttle sorts things out - often more so than actually steering with your hands. Honestly, I thought I was beyond the point of no return several times, but once the back tyres are out of luck, the fronts take over and pull you out of trouble. The Haldex differential (now reprogrammed and updated) makes quick - yet dependable - decisions, sending up to 100 per cent of power to whichever end needs it most. Some diffs - and permanent 4WD systems - can be rather aggressive. This one's not, which makes it really well suited to this sort of work. The result is a progressive, controllable and ultimately very friendly car. It's actually really hard to cock things up. I should point out that the studded tyres definitely helped, too.
What happens when you turn the traction control back on?
Written By:- Dan Read
More of this article on the Top gear website
