2023 Volkswagen Golf R

Pros

• Exciting showing from a hot hatch
• The advantages of a hatchback
• It’s easy to move around and the seats are comfy.
• has a lot in common with each other.

Cons

• Touch-sensitive settings are annoying and take attention away from other things.

How do you drive the Golf R? The Golf R has one of the best turbo four-cylinder engines. Our test Golf R, which had an automatic drive, went from 0 to 60 mph in 4.3 seconds and 108.3 mph in 12.7 seconds in the quarter mile. Those times for getting up to speed are great for a hot hatch or a small performance car. The dual-clutch gearbox feels much more advanced than the automatic gearboxes of some competitors, and the engine is solid and smooth.

It took only 105 feet to bring a stop from 60 mph. The standard adaptive suspension keeps the body in place, and traction is never an issue, thanks to the all-wheel drive system. The adjusted suspension and precise steering give the car an elegant and fast character. In addition, they encourage more road-focused consideration than the comparable Volkswagen GTI. It’s not the quickest or most exciting vehicle in its class, but it’s not last. Some reviewers found the Golf R’s Sport mode too heavy, despite the car’s ease of parking thanks to lighter steering feel at low speeds.

How well does the Golf R feel? The Golf R has changeable suspension dampers that make the ride more comfortable and improve handling simultaneously. There is a clear difference between the Sport mode and the Comfort mode. The Sport mode is still easy to use. Also excellent are the seats in the Golf R. They are very supportive because they have set bolsters that hug you without being too tight. The front seats are heated and have vents, and the back seats on the sides are also warm. Both sets of padding are supportive without being too complicated.

Wind and road noise doesn’t make the Golf R too loud at highway speeds. Even if the exhaust changes, you can still talk to your riders in the loudest setting. The exhaust sound is loud for a four-cylinder engine, and the whine of the turbo at full speed sounds excellent.

The climate control device in the car is our main complaint. Even though the usual three-zone automatic temperature control is helpful, changing and controlling the settings can be challenging and take time. Volkswagen mistakenly assumed that capacitive touch buttons didn’t need backlighting, so they couldn’t be seen at night. Voice directions are a temporary fix, not a long-term fix. The air conditioning is at least icy.

How does the inside look? The rest of the car has the same capacitive touch buttons, making it hard to control the temperature. There are a few buttons beside the window switches. During a tight turn, we accidentally turned on the heated steering wheel a few times when our hand touched the capacitive control. Even though the volume control on the wheel can be pressed or used as a scale, it isn’t instrumental.

Overall, the inside has improved much, which is good news. The driver’s seat is easy to move into a relaxed position, and the front seat is roomy in all directions. Even though the back chairs are comfy for adults, there are more roomy compacts in this class, and the centre tunnel makes the middle seat primarily useless. It’s easy to get in and out because of its small size and wide doors. Even though the side mirrors aren’t very long, the Golf R’s high cabin and small walls make it easy to see out of the car.

What exactly is the quality of the technology? The customizable touchscreen display and digital instrument cluster in the Golf Rs measure 10 inches in size. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are both industry standards that allow you to connect your phone wirelessly, even if you don’t want to use one of the USB-C connectors. In addition, there is a wireless charging station.

Even though menus aren’t always easy to use, the tablet controls are better than the capacitive touch controls. Even though the built-in guidance system is strangely slow, it works well most of the time. You can quickly move around the map and enter routes using the screen or your voice. This one is better than others in its class regarding tasks like turning on the radio or adjusting the temperature.

The Volkswagen Golf R has many features to help the driver, like adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, and help to stay in your lane. They all work as they should, with simple rules, no false hits, and no too-sensitive sounds.

How about stowing it all away? With its 60/40 split rear seats folded down, the Golf R’s load capacity increases to 34.5 cubic feet. The back seats almost fold down, and the floor is low and wide. The upright back window and height-adjustable rear luggage floor come in handy for taller items. The storage in the front of the car is just as good, with big door pockets, moveable (but strange) front cupholders, and a bin for your phone or sunglasses in front of the shifter. The front seat has three map pockets, and the back door pockets are just as significant.

The Isofix bolts on the Golf R’s outside rear seats are easy, but you must remove the cargo cover to get to the seatback anchor. There is much room to move around because the doors are so big and the roof is high and flat. If you have bigger seats, you may need to make a small change to the front seat.

How well does it use gasoline? According to the EPA, in a mix of city and highway drive, the Volkswagen Golf R with an automatic transmission gets an estimated 26 mpg. If you choose the six-speed manual gearbox, the estimated combined mileage drops to 23 mpg. No matter what gearbox it has, the model with an automatic transmission beats most of its competitors. Only a few competitors with manual transmissions can match the speed of the Golf R. The Golf R automatic got an incredible 29.3 mpg on InvoicePricing’ 115-mile mixed-driving test route.

Is the price tag on the Golf R fair? Even though the Golf R is more expensive than a regular Golf GTI, it is still a great buy. There are a lot of stock features, and the only things you can change are the paint colour and the way the car moves. The build quality is excellent, and the interior has a high-end feel that you won’t find in other hot hatchbacks or sport compacts. The more hard plastic is inside than in other mid-priced cars, but this is a fair trade-off, given how well the car works.

Volkswagen’s guarantee for this class covers the essential parts and the engine for four years or 50,000 miles. Maintenance for two years, or 24,000 miles, and roadside help for three years, or 36,000 miles, are also included.

The Golf R came out with a little fuss. Older types differed enough from the standard Golf to show they were unique without being too flashy. Even though it has a little more spice this time, this is also true of Volkswagen’s eighth-generation car. It now has more powerful front and back ends than it did before. This makes it faster and looks more sporty. Even though the rear wing has gotten more prominent, it is still tiny. It looks and acts slightly more adult than the Civic Type R or the Elantra N.

Even though the Golf R 20th Anniversary Edition could become a collectible, the regular Golf R costs a little less and can do the same things. Every Golf R has valuable features like adaptive cruise control, a head-up display, a premium music system with nine speakers, and a wireless charging pad.

Volkswagen Golf R models

In 2023, the Golf R will come in the regular Golf R trim and a new 20th Anniversary Edition that will only be made in 1,800 units. Both cars have a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine and a torque-vectoring all-wheel drive system on the back axle. With the standard six-speed manual transmission, this engine produces 315 hp and either 280 or 295 lb-ft of torque. A dual-clutch automatic gear with seven speeds can be added as an option.