New Volkswagen Golf R review

The Volkswagen Golf R isn’t just a hot hatch – it’s the hot hatch. For anyone under 40 we’d even go so far as to say that it outshines the legendary GTI. 

Why? Well, when VW unleashed the Mk7 Golf R on the world in 2013, the Golf GTI all of a sudden looked a bit... tame. More power, all-wheel-drive grip, sharper handling, and a meaner soundtrack meant one thing: the R was now the VW Golf to have if you wanted the full-fat fast-hatch experience.

Sales surged, and the Golf R took centre stage in VW’s line-up, often receiving cutting-edge tech and performance features before the GTI. We saw that with the Mk7.5 R and its titanium Akrapovic exhaust, the Mk8 R with its torque-vectoring rear differential, and now the Mk8.5 with its optional lightweight forged wheels and "anti-lag" turbo technology borrowed from the limited-run R 20 Years model.

The key question remains: can the VW Golf R – which is also available as an estate car – outmatch the latest Audi S3 and BMW M135? Both have been revised in anticipation of the new Golf R’s arrival, setting the stage for a direct comparison. Let's find out which is the best hot hatch you can buy...

Remember the VW Golf R 20 Years? Built to celebrate two decades of R-badged brilliance, it wasn’t just a ploy to sell a few special badges and extra blue logos.

Sure, it had those, but more importantly, it felt sharper than your run-of-the-mill Golf R, thanks to a handy power bump and some trick "anti-lag" wizardry on the turbocharger. It was our favourite R yet, but there was a problem: it sold out rather quickly. 

Fortunately, the Mk8.5 Golf R we're reviewing here is something of a tribute act, borrowing plenty from the R 20 Years. It has the same 328bhp (up from 316bhp for the previous regular R), the same clever turbo tech and an official 0-62mph sprint time of 4.6 seconds.

Now, before you ask, can you actually feel a 3.7% power hike from the driver’s seat? Honestly, no. But the anti-lag system – or "pre-loading" in VW’s jargon – is a different story. It keeps the turbo spinning even when you’re off the accelerator, so when you plant your foot again, the power’s there, instantly.

It’s unfeasibly quick, even for a modern hot hatch, and the engine is so tractable, pulling from low down in the rev range all the way past its 7,000rpm redline. When we put the stopwatch on the Golf R 20 Years in sodden conditions, it managed to sprint to 60mph from rest in 4.5 seconds – 2.2 seconds quicker than the Honda Civic Type R we timed on the same day.

That said, not everything from the R 20 Years made the cut – including the more aggressive gearbox software. So while the new Golf R’s gearbox shifts quickly and cleanly, we miss the firmer, more satisfying changes in Sport and Race modes from the special edition.

And then there’s the sound. While VW has given the start-up procedure a bit more drama – hold the button down, press the brake, and you’ll get an "Emotional Start" – the noise that follows is flat and synthetic. For a rawer, more entertaining soundtrack with a few cheeky pops, you need to fork out for the pricey optional Akrapovic titanium exhaust.

It’s a good thing, then, that the Golf R makes up for its lack of aural character with a wonderfully expressive handling balance. Where other all-wheel-drive hot hatches such as the Mercedes-AMG A35 and BMW M135 grip like leeches but lack humour, you can feel power being sent to the Golf R's rear wheels to help the car rotate on the way out of corners.

The Golf R is available as an estate car, and that version rotates just as well – if not better – than the hatchback, because it has a more evenly split weight distribution. Drift mode – available with the optional Performance package –artificially shuffles power around to let less-confident drivers adopt mild angles on the exit of corners. 

If track days are your thing, you’re probably better off with a Honda Civic Type R or even a VW Golf GTI Clubsport. Both cars offer more feedback through the steering, and the Type R in particular feels sharper and more agile, with a higher ceiling of capability than the Golf R.

But that’s not really the point of the Golf R. It’s designed for those fast, cross-country blasts, and in that role it excels. Our press car, with optional adaptive suspension and 19in forged wheels, was devastatingly fast from point to point.

In Nürburgring mode – a more forgiving alternative to Race – body control is superb, allowing you to really attack twisty, undulating roads with confidence. If you see a Golf R in your rearview mirror while driving a supercar, do yourself a favour and let it pass.

Whether you tick the DCC (adaptive suspension) box or not, this is a car you can use every day without fear of ending your journey feeling bruised and battered. It’s also much quieter than a Type R or Mercedes-AMG A45 on a motorway. It’s a consummate all-rounder.

“The optional Akrapovic exhaust is eye-wateringly expensive but I’d have to have one. Not for the increase in noise, although that is a nice bonus, but simply because it's such a gorgeous object.” – Neil Winn, Deputy Reviews Editor

The driver’s seat in the VW Golf R is figure-huggingly bolstered and holds you in place well during quick changes of direction. It has adjustable lumbar support as standard and there’s plenty of reach adjustment in the steering wheel. We also love that the pedals are placed neatly in line with the wheel and seat, helping you to feel right at home.

Visibility isn't a problem either. The large windows and relatively slim windscreen pillars make it easy to see straight ahead and to the sides. The rear pillars are fairly chunky, but front and rear parking sensors and a rear-view camera are fitted as standard, so you shouldn’t find slotting into a tight parking space too tricky. Adaptive matrix LED headlights are standard too, and can stay on main beam at night without dazzling other drivers.

So far so good, then – but then we come to the Golf R’s dashboard. It has no physical buttons, just silly touch-sensitive controls for the lights and a few other features, plus touch-sensitive sliders to adjust the interior temperature and volume. That makes everything needlessly distracting to operate while you're driving, because a touch-sensitive button is impossible to find unless you take your eyes off the road.

Even the controls on the steering wheel are part touch-sensitive. And while VW has taken the opportunity to change how the haptic buttons work as part of the car’s mid-life facelift (you now need to give them a hard press to active a function rather than simply stroke them), we still found it all too easy to trigger a driving mode change by accidentally brushing the wrong part of the wheel. 

Bafflingly, VW has already ditched the haptics on the standard VW Golf, returning to physical buttons, but apparently it was too costly to develop a unique wheel for the R’s bespoke driving modes.

It’s a shame, because VW has made big strides forward in other areas, such as with the infotainment operating system. It’s now far more intuitive than in the previous Golf R, with menus that make sense and the ability to add custom shortcuts at the top of the screen, making it easier to get to the parts of the system you use most. We also like that the 12.9in touchscreen is mounted high-up on the dashboard, making it easy to read on the move. 

What about build quality? Well, it’s not as opulent inside as a Mercedes-AMG A35 and it’s not bolted together as well as the BMW 1 Series but the optional Nappa leather seats and real carbon-fibre trim inserts make it comparable to the recently revised Audi S3. It’s just a shame those options are so expensive. 

“I think the black and blue tartan seats look superb, but if you want a more understated look you can swap the fabric out for Nappa leather, at a cost.” – Neil Winn, Deputy Reviews Editor

There's loads of space in the front of the VW Golf R. The interior is broad, so you sit with breathing room between you and your passenger, and there's more than enough head and leg room to accommodate anyone tall. 

Rear-seat space is a little less generous. The latest VW Golf has dropped behind the leaders in this area, and both the Ford Focus ST and the Skoda Octavia vRS (especially in estate car form) will offer your rear passengers more room to lounge about in.

Mind you, the Golf R is a bit roomier in the back than its closest rivals – the Audi S3 and BMW M135 – and two tall adults will be fine in the back.

There's more than enough storage space, with compartments and cupholders in the front, plus a decent-sized glovebox and door bins.

The boot space is acceptable in the hatchback version, but like the rear seats, isn’t mammoth compared with some hot hatches. It'll fit a buggy but will struggle to swallow a set of golf clubs length ways.

In our test of the pre-facelifted car, the hatch swallowed five carry-on suitcases beneath its parcel shelf, the same number as the S3 and M135, but the Honda Civic Type R took eight. The Golf R estate car swallowed a whopping nine. 

You get a height-adjustable boot floor on both the hatch and estate versions for added flexibility, plus 60/40 split-folding rear seatbacks and a ski hatch.

“The R is no less practical than a regular Golf and that’s what makes it such a compelling everyday companion. And if the five-door isn’t quite big enough for your needs then you can simply step up to the estate.” – Neil Winn, Deputy Reviews Editor

The price of the VW Golf R – roughly the same as its premium rivals, the Audi S3 and BMW M135 – might raise eyebrows, but there are some mitigating circumstances. It comes with more standard equipment, including adaptive cruise control, keyless entry, heated seats and matrix LED headlights.

There are plenty of other options worth considering, though, including adaptive suspension (DCC) and the R Performance Pack, which adds larger 19in alloy wheels (you get 18s as standard), increases the top speed to 168mph, and adds a gimmicky but fun Drift mode.

In terms of running costs, the R will cost you more than a regular VW Golf in consumables such as tyres and brake pads, but is surprisingly frugal given the performance on offer. At a cruise you can get very close to the VW’s official efficiency figure of 34.7mpg.

Standard safety equipment includes automatic emergency braking (AEB), lane-keeping assistance and traffic-sign recognition.

The regular Golf achieved a five-star Euro NCAP safety rating with excellent category scores that all but matched the best cars in its class. It scored similarly to the Mercedes A-Class but that was tested under less demanding rules four years earlier than the Golf (tested in 2022).

The R comes with a three-year warranty, but VW didn’t perform brilliantly in the 2024 What Car? Reliability Survey – it finished in 18th place out of 32 brands. That’s above Ford and Mercedes, but below Audi and BMW.

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