Sure, you’re not going to be left alone by VW heads when you park in public.
When something is this good at its main mission, who cares?
Volkswagen has long spearheaded the hot-hatch game with the “mainstream” GTI and the uplevel Golf R. The biggest separator between the two, of course, is the all-wheel-drive system in the Golf R. Power is the second biggest separator - the Golf R makes 328 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque, while the GTI makes 241 horsepower and 273 lb-ft of torque.
Both have ditched the clutch pedal - sad! - in favor of seven-speed automatic transmissions.
Torque News Takes The 2025 Volkswagen Golf R To The Road
All the Golf R wants to do is play. It’s loud even at idle, and it feels rev-happy - trundling around town, it feels like it’s pushing against a leash restraining it.
Eventually, it relaxes enough to make it mostly drama-free for a grocery run, but you still hear the engine, just waiting, waiting, waiting for you to plant your foot.
Meanwhile, the steering alternatively feels a little too heavy and too light - and all artificial - when you’re just puttering around, but it firms up appropriately when it comes time to corner.
You have Eco, Comfort, Sport, Race, Drift, Special, and Custom to choose from when it comes to drive modes, and Sport and Race were the best choices when attacking an off-ramp.
The backroads and on-ramps of this nation are where this car shines. It handles sharply, tracing whatever you place it on, with very little steering adjustment needed. There’s a skoosh of body roll, but just a skoosh. It’s agile - quick transitions are easily handled.
Keep the motor in the right rev band and you’ll rocket out of the corner. You can access the full peak of torque at just 2,000 RPM.
The car’s brakes are more than up to the task of slowing it all down. This is a track-ready car - get the full insurance, take a lesson or two, and run some hot laps at the track nearest you.
The main downside, aside from engine noise, is a stiff ride. The front-strut suspension has lower control arms, and it has springs that are 10 percent stiffer than before. Adaptive damping up front keeps things from being even stiffer, and helps the different drive modes achieve the proper setup. VW has given this car a four-wheel independent suspension and a cross-differential system with an electronic center locking differential.
Despite this Golf R’s fun factor, and despite some engine noise and a stiff ride, the Golf R still works well enough for grocery getting. Cargo space isn’t remarkably plentiful, but it’s enough for a Whole Foods run, and hatchback utility makes life easier.
Torque News Says Haptic Touch Brings The Experience Down
Volkswagen is currently building some fun-to-drive vehicles that are let down by their interiors. The excessive use of haptic-touch instead of knobs and buttons is frustrating. Maybe it wouldn’t be so if the haptic-touch stuff worked better, but it’s just not appropriately responsive.
At least the screens are large and easy to read. On the other hand, you have to dive too deep into the menus sometimes, even for basic adjustments.
The Golf R is pricey, there’s no doubt. This test unit started at $48,415.
That included standard features such as vented disc brakes, 19-inch wheels with summer tires, LED lighting, adaptive front lighting, panoramic sunroof, three-zone climate control, heated steering wheel, heated and cooled front seats, heated rear seats, leather seats, USB-C ports, carbon-fiber trim, head-up display, keyless entry and starting, satellite radio, Harman Karmon audio, wireless charging, wireless smartphone mirroring, and navigation.
Advanced driver-aid systems available included adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, and rear traffic alert.
Options included the Euro style package (solid roof replaces sunroof, titanium exhaust, manual driver’s seat, cloth seats replacing leather, no cooled front seats, $3,795), and heavier-duty floor mats ($296). With fees, the total hit $53,731.
Fuel economy is listed at 22 mpg city/31 mpg highway/25 mpg combined.
The Golf R remains the ultimate hot hatch, though, obviously, the segment is small. It’s not quite as refined as the Acura Integra A-Spec and Type S, or even its baby brother GTI, but it’s refined just enough for commuting duty. And it’s one of the best driving cars on the market. It’s just unfortunate that it’s priced so dearly.
The haptic-touch interior also hurts, and like most enthusiasts, we miss having a manual-transmission option. The transmission is good and you can paddle shift, if you like, but a true manual would be better.
Enter a corner at speed, take a set, and that all goes away. And unlike the front-drive GTI, the AWD Golf R won’t rotate the rear as easily - rotation is good if you know what you’re doing, bad if it surprises you. The acceleration out of corners also helps you forget the flaws.
The GTI will be fine for most folks, and certainly more affordable. But if you have the bank account for the Golf R, go for it.
Return tomorrow, or check our Torque News Home Page for more interesting automotive news articles.
Images: The Author
About The Author
Tim Healey is an experienced automotive writer and editor from Chicago. He has covered automotive news at Consumer Guide Automotive, Web2Carz, AutoGuide, and was the managing editor at The Truth About Cars. Tim is a member of the Midwest Automotive Media Association. You can find him on Facebook, X/Twitter, and on LinkedIn.
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