VW Golf R // Who needs a 911?

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The latest uber Golf is a car that has 255bhp @ 6,000rpm and a stump pulling torque figure of 330Nm @ 2,400rpm. It demands your respect! Agreed, the sonorous V6 has left the party but in a way that is no bad thing. The previous generation Golf R32 was an accomplished beast, however it’s fair to say, having the heavy powerhouse up front would leave it a sitting duck when met with a mildly modified GTI with a simple map and a down pipe. Not a good situation to be finding yourself in with the supposed king of the range.

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Mind you, having said that, the loss of that noise will be sadly missed for ever and a day. However, times are a changing ladies and gents and with the advent of regulations driving cars to be cleaner, leaner and more effecient, VW have decided to produce their ultimate Golf missing two cylinders.

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Thankfully the VW group had one of the best 4 cylinder units ever made sat ready and waiting, which with some extra boost and some inlet and exhaust tweaks has given the latest car more power than the outgoing six.

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The four pot does sound quite muted, but anything would in comparison to the outgoing engine, but with a rather cheeky burble and popple on lift off and over run, it entertaining in it’s right. I might point out at this stage that having a Mk5 GTI with a very liberal/free flowing exhaust system fitted up, the 2.0 can sound proper cool. Muted it is but you will be more than thankful when you are hacking it day in day out..

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The most important thing over and above engine noise is that VW have successfully made a flexible and tractable unit that is strong across the whole rev range, with little if any lag that is quick revving and has plenty of gee gee’s.  Just think… back in the late 90’s a 911 had a similar power output.

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The initial impression is that the R feels fast – proper fast. Bizarrely though it has the odd ability to really gather pace, to the point of illegal territories, without giving the impression in the cabin. However, we digress, channeling all that power through the front wheels was never going to happen in the way that VW would want and with the four wheel drive system the car has onboard it simply fires out of corners and feels sensational.

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The system, which is basically a version of the 4motion kit found in the Tiguan, has been tightened up and fettled to give quicker reaction times and a more lively fee. The haldex clutch sends power to the back in such a way that you honestly don’t feel any discernible delay… a clear hint to the more driver focused approach to this generation than previous.

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Quick pause to check out the sexy black black black 19’s…

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The cabin, is as you would expect from VW is not a delectable piece of sexy design but rather it is a superbly solid, well built piece of Germanic creativity. Right up my street then!

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Back to the story… So what we have here is all of the practicality of the Golf GTI, the stunning build quality, refinement, mixed with harder looks thanks to deep front bumper, gaping inlets, side skirts and some super sexy twin pipeage action poking out of the back…Oh and not to forget the extra power and 4wd.

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The big issue with this car is its a grower.  The more you drive it, the more you want it. Km after Km, its just keeps getting better and better… Yes, I’ve done the sums over and over in my head and I want one badly.

So don’t think of it as a replacement to the R32 but more of a car in it’s own right… A GTI with a chaser as such.  It’s certainly not a truly hardcore hatch like others on the market but one that is so utterly capable and devastating, along with being comfortable and easy to live with on a daily basis.

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Now, if you see one out on the roads of the Middle East you know the owner certainly has his or her brain wired together in the correct way. It takes a certain person to step up and buy a car like this… one that gets it and isn’t just after a brand or a look.

So there we have it – The Volkswagen Golf R; Devastating, stunning and bonkers when pushed… a proper wagon!