VW Golf R Is for Rapid

JULIAN, CA – I’d like to say that while driving the ’15 Volkswagen Golf R I dove with abandon into every sharp twist and turn on steep mountain roads east of San Diego.

I’d like to say that, but I can’t, any more than Brian Williams can say he was in a helicopter that came under enemy fire as he surveyed flood casualties in New Orleans.

It’s not as if the gutsy Golf can’t handle extreme driving in the first degree. It can. It can blast out and hang tough as my driving partner, Aaron Robinson of Car and Driver, demonstrated while behind the wheel. And then there are the racing videos to prove just how fast this pocket rocket can go. Top track speed: 155 mph (249 km/h).

But when it was my turn to drive, I ended up easing up a bit. Oh, I went fast enough and showed some derring-do. It wasn’t like oxcarts were passing me. But I didn’t go 155 into a blind curve, either.

Here’s why I didn’t feel in the mood to push what the German automaker bills as the fastest and most powerful performance VW sold in the U.S.

On the way up to this town known for a namesake pie shop (seriously), we rounded a bend and surprisingly came upon the immediate aftereffects of an accident. It involved a worker in a commercial pickup truck and a young guy in a Mazda RX-8 sports car.

It appeared as if someone took a curve too fast (my guess is the kid in the sports car) and crossed the center lane. The truck had a deep gash all the way across its left side. The Mazda was a mess. Besides other damage, a ripped-off rear wheel and tire lay in the road yards behind where the wreck of a car ended up.

Everyone basically was OK, although the RX-8 driver had blood dribbling down his forehead as he walked around in a daze.

After witnessing that, I stuffed my daredevil hat in the glovebox. Oh, I put the car through its paces aggressively enough, but more prudently than I might have otherwise. I didn’t want to report back to VW: “I wrecked a new Golf R, but, good news, I’m OK.”   

As I said, my driving partner did kick it up here and there, demonstrating to a higher degree than I did that the Golf R can grab a road and not let go (all-wheel drive helps there), do deep knee bends into curves and deftly run up and down the gearshift ladder.

At the heart of this go-go car is a 4-cyl. turbocharged direct-injection engine. It pumps out 292 hp at 5,400 rpm. It’s an advanced version of VW’s EA888 TSI.

Maximum torque is up 37 lb. ft. to 280 (380 Nm) over a broad rpm band of 1,800 to 5,500.

This another example of today’s amazing powertrain developments in which automakers offer internal-combustion engines that are both more powerful and more fuel efficient.

The R offers an EPA fuel-economy rating of up to 30 mpg (7.8 L/100 km) with the 6-speed DSG dual-clutch automatic transmission. That’s up from 27 mpg (8.7 L/100 km) for the previous manual-transmission model that had 36 less horsepower.

The dual-clutch automatic offers a launch control that catapults the car from 0-60 mph (97 km/h) in 4.9 seconds.

The ’15 Golf R is based on the seventh-generation Golf and shares the same Modular Transverse Matrix (MTQ) architecture. The base Golf is a heck of a car on its own. It won the 2015 North American Car of the Year award. The GTI version kicks it up. Get to the R, and you’re dumping on the hot sauce.

The performance-package GTI posts impressive numbers. The Golf R outdoes its competitive sibling by producing an additional 72 hp and 22 more lb.-ft. (29 Nm) of torque.

VW says to attain such output, engineers put the Golf R engine through a “motorsports-style” development program. That includes modifications to the cylinder head, pistons, injection system and turbocharger.

What, No Manual?

The new R features lots of changes like that. And then there’s kind of a flip-flop.

The outgoing R only was available with a manual transmission. The incoming model initially will come only with the automatic. Not until later this year will VW offer a Golf R with a manual. It will cost $1,100 less.

 “Offering two transmissions for the first time is huge for us,” says product planner Michael Klopotowski.

It also seems to say that not every performance-car purist thinks manual transmissions are the only way to go. Not with the refinements we’ve seen with dual-clutch technology. 

Also different: the out-going R has 2- and 4-door models. This one offers 4-door only.

The Golf R acts like a performance car but doesn’t look like one in the conventional way. Arch-competitor Subaru WRX STI does, with its sleek lines hood-mounted intake scoop and rear spoiler.

In contrast, the Golf, although sporting some nice lines, looks sort of like a small station wagon. That’s not meant as an insult. This car is both fast and functional. With the rear seats folded down, you’ve got 52.7 cu.-ft. (1,492 L) of cargo room.  

A fellow journalist tells a VW staffer, “If you put it higher up on bigger wheels, you’ll have yourself a hot little CUV.” Chances are VW won’t do that, but the R defies the traditional look of a performance car, and perhaps that’s refreshing.

In fact, VW lowered the ride height. The R is about 1 in. (25 mm) lower than the base Golf. The R’s sport suspension is specifically tuned to the car. It sits on 18-in. aluminum-alloy wheels.

The car brandishes Rs-R-Us branding. The “R” logo appears inside and out, front to back. It’s on the modified grille, black brake calipers, front fender, rear hatch and lower crossbar. At engine startup, an animated R shows up on the nav/infotainment screen.

Power comes at a price. The Golf R is not cheap. Its sticker can keep some admirers on a budget from becoming actual purchasers. Base price is $36,595. A technology-rich trim level kicks in at $39,090. Various options take it north of $40,000. No matter the model, all buyers pony up an $820 destination fee.  

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2015 Volkswagen Golf R Specifications