After a long wait, we finally meet the most powerful Golf of current days: the new generation Golf R. The new Golf R now reigns supreme as the product line’s most powerful model to date. With its drive technology, it tops everything that has been launched with the Golf label up to now. The fifth edition of the sports car accelerates to 100 km/h in just 4.7 seconds. The top speed is electronically limited to 250 km/h. However, the Golf R can also be ordered with an optional R-Performance package, which enables the top speed to be increased to 270 km/h.
The 4MOTION system with R-Performance Torque Vectoring is the new control centre that distributes the engine’s output to the four driven wheels. A new rear final drive distributes the drive power of the turbocharged petrol engine in the Golf R not just between the front and rear axles, but also variably between the two rear wheels. This makes it possible to significantly increase the agility particularly when cornering. As a world first, the all-wheel drive is also networked via a Vehicle Dynamics Manager (VDM) with other running gear systems such the electronic differential locks (XDS) and adaptive chassis control DCC.
The new Golf R’s setup was fine-tuned on the Nürburgring Nordschleife. When combined with the R-Performance package, the Golf R even comes with a dedicated Nürburgring driving profile, known as “Special”. As part of this driving profile, all key drive parameters are geared towards the legendary race track – including the new all-wheel drive. And the results are measurable: as shown during in- house test drives, the Golf R – which is equipped with a 7-speed dual-clutch gearbox (DSG) as standard – is up to 19 seconds quicker per lap around Nürburgring Nordschleife than its predecessor (07:51 minutes).
