Volkswagen Golf R 2021 Review - HOW FAST??

Want the ultimate hot hatch? Volkswagen's rejuvenated Golf R could well be it. This can't claim to be the fastest car of its kind, but its Wolfsburg maker reckons it's the most complete, most rewarding and most dynamic shopping rocket yet made. Depending on your mood, it can potentially reach up to 168mph on the racetrack or register better than 35mpg on the school run. Your everyday supercar is right here. The Golf R is the defining super hatch of its generation, which means that this version, based on the 8th generation Golf, has quite a heritage to live up to. Primarily because its predecessors have been just so darn good. Not all of these have worn Golf R badges. The concept of a fast 4WD Golf actually dates right back to the Mk2 Raleigh model of 1988. This was eventually succeeded in 2003 by a V6-powered R32 model based on the Mk4 Golf, which sold for only two years before a second R32 design arrived based on the 5th generation Golf. The first actual Golf R-badged model, launched in 2010 and based on the Mk6 Golf, had the smaller 4-cylinder 2.0-litre TSI petrol turbo unit that has since characterised this model line. First offered with 270PS, then upgraded to 300PS with the launch of the 7th generation model in 2013 and 310PS when that Mk7 design was updated in 2017. This Mk8 Golf-based R model hit the market in early 2021, offering more power still, 320PS, and claiming even more sophisticated drive dynamics, which it will need to distance itself from the much-improved front-driven Golf GTI and Golf GTI Club Sport models that share the same basic power plant and can now offer the kind of quick performance that would have satisfied a typical Golf R customer until quite recently. But quick no longer cuts it in a market where this Mk8-based Golf R must compete not only with merely very fast hatches like the Honda Civic Type R, but also uber-quick ones like the Mercedes-AMG A45. So it's essential that this car is evolved. Whether that's happened to a significant enough degree for it to keep its position as the super-hatch segment's most definitive model is what we're here to find out. So what's it like? Fire the 2.0-litre TSI 4-cylinder turbo engine and particularly if you engage the most dynamic R mode, you'll get a purposeful exhaust burble that sounds promising. As is the reaction to your right foot once you engage launch control and floor it. With 320PS now available to your right foot, that's 20PS more than the last version of the previous model. 62MPH is just 4.7 seconds away, on paper fractionally slower than the last version, which is strange because the latest car feels faster, which it turns out is a feeling replicated by just about every part of its dynamic repertoire this time round. I've always liked the Golf R, but previously it always lacked that extra oomph of driving involvement that characterises the market's most engaging hot hatches. For the best part of a decade, the Wolfsburg engineers couldn't work out how to deliver this, that Civic Type R or Megane Renault Sport sort of feel, without compromising the everyday usability this R model's clientele so valued. But now, to a great extent, they have. What continues to set this car apart though is the fact that you don't have to have elements of a track style feel when you don't want them. Perhaps at the end of the kind of long, tiring day that made Golf R ownership possible in the first place. For that kind of scenario, this car is as easy a companion as it ever was, until you reveal its aggressive side. Now, older Golf Rs never really had that. You could drive them hard, but doing so never really got your heart pumping as it might in a track-tamed rival, mainly because Volkswagen's old four-motion four-wheel-drive system was of the inexpressive front-driven sort, the kind of setup that only sent torque to the rear when it absolutely needed to. But thanks to the addition of what Volkswagen calls R Performance Torque Vectoring, this four-wheel-drive system is quite different. The four-motion Haldex driveline is now less front-biased, but the key change comes with its ability to shift torque according to traction, not only from front to back, but also from side to side across the rear axle, via an electromechanical multi-plate clutch. This allows for up to 100% of possible torque to be directed to the wheel at the outside of any given bend, which in turn reduces the cornering radius, eliminates understeer, and makes the car noticeably more agile. It's all good. We've seen this sort of thing in cars of this class before, first with the last Ford Focus RS, and more recently with the current Mercedes-AMG A45. Here, though, it seems to have more of a noticeable effect, possibly because the R Performance Torque Vectoring setup is better integrated into every aspect of the drive system. For that, you can thank another new piece of tech on this car, the Vehicle Dynamics Manager. This properly coordinates all the various handling, tractional and suspensional elements more precisely than was ever possible before, primarily looking after the way the four-wheel drive system works with the XDS electronic differential locks, and, if DCC adaptive damping has been fitted, the electronic shock absorbers, too. Given this fast Volkswagen's heftier price tag, I was disappointed to see that adaptive damping still costs extra on this car. I really can't see why you wouldn't have the DCC option, because it allows you to make proper use of the drive modes you'll be using so frequently. These modes, Comfort, Sport, and the R, or Race, setting that I mentioned earlier, will, as you'd expect, change the characteristics not only of throttle and drivetrain, but also the stability system settings, the sound from the sports exhausts, and the change characteristics of the 7-speed DSG Auto gearbox that, as before, you have to have with this car, though now you can control it via a much more tactile set of larger steering wheel paddle shifters. With DCC adaptive damping fitted, as here, you can significantly change the feel of this Golf in each of the core drive settings, maximising squidginess in Comfort for urban use, or enhancing the taut, alert feel you get in R mode. More commonly, you'll default to the Mid Sport setting, as the car always does at start-up. In its latest guise, the DCC system has been completely reconfigured to be far more tunable, so that a keen owner could set up this Golf R just as a race driver would set up his race car. You do that via the individual section of the drive mode screen, which offers a 15-position DCC slider adjuster, allowing you to be as extreme as you want with setting choice. Get used to this, and you'll develop your own preferences. I've found, for example, that a combination of extremes works best. Dampers in Comfort, and the drive mode set to Sport, which is great for a combination of highway cruise and fast secondaries. This is similar to the kind of suspension and throttle combination chosen for the additional Nürburgring Nordschleife-orientated special drive mode that the R engineers developed for this car, which you only get if you're prepared to pay extra for an optional R Performance Pack. We don't have that fitted here. That pack removes the 155mph speed limiter, raising maximum velocity to 168mph, hence the addition of a bigger rear wing, and uses the extra sophistication of that R Performance-taught vectoring system to offer a further drift mode, which tweaks the all-wheel drive and stability systems to allow for drifting on private tracks. We can't imagine many Golf R owners will ever use that, but the special drive mode would be an optimum profile to choose if you ever took this car on a track day, which, if you choose it, you really ought to at least once at some point. Apparently, with special mode engaged, this Mark VIII-based Golf R was a full 19 seconds quicker than its predecessor around the Nürburgring Nordschleife. Whatever kind of tarmac territory you're addressing, the more engaging driveline isn't the only reason why you might now feel more at one with this car. That Porsche-developed DSG Auto is rifle-crack-quick through the ratios. Body roll is brilliantly judged. Dry-weather grip at speed through the turns seems almost endless. And the sound you get from the 2-litre TSI engine feels just that bit more potent this time round. It's now in its fourth-generation EA 888 form, even if that mode is artificially embellished through these stereo speakers. If aural fireworks are a priority and budget permits, you can go further and fit the Volkswagen R division's pricey Akrapovic titanium exhaust system. As before, this R uses Volkswagen's progressive steering setup, which uses variable steering rack and pinion gearing to give more direct responses to larger steering angles. But the engineers have now tuned this system to feel far more incisive and communicative. It's also helpful that you can switch the ESC stability system to a less intrusive sport setting. And the brakes are better, too. The previous 17-inch discs are replaced by lighter, aluminium-fashioned 18-inch ones, which permit very exact control, even just before ABS intervention, and work with a larger brake master cylinder, allowing for a significant reduction in stopping distance. For those times when ultimate handling and performance aren't your overriding priority, this car's simply unequalled in segment for the way that it can function as a relaxed commuting or cruising tool, provided, that is, you've ticked that box for DCC adaptive damping. If you don't, the four-link rear suspension setup, lowered 20mm over an ordinary Golf, can feel somewhat over-firm over poorer surfaces, particularly if you've gone for the larger 19-inch wheel rims. For such ordinary use, you'll appreciate the extra tech Volkswagen has built in this time round, principally, perhaps, the IQ Light Intelligent Matrix headlights that adapt their beams to road conditions and surrounding traffic, and the brand's clever new Travel Assist setup, which enables partially-assisted so-called Level 2 autonomous driving in traffic or at highway speeds of up to 130mph. Impressively, the VW maker has added all of these features, but increased kerb weight by only 16kg, helped, perhaps, by the new body structure's lighter but stiffer aluminium subframe. To be honest, some of the tech I could do without, all the digitalised cabin screens with their twinkling colours and complicated menus, have sometimes had me wistfully thinking back to the halcyon days of analogue dials and easy-to-master conventional switchgear. But otherwise, the march of progress has favoured this car, made it the hot hatch I'd always thought it ought to be. Try it. You'll enjoy it. By and large, extrovert customers in search of a super hatch don't tend to choose a Golf R. This Volkswagen has mastered the concept of super-fast speed in a subtle suit, but the Golf GTI also champions that approach. This R model must look a stage more serious. It does, especially this time round. Let's start here at the front, where the bespoke R-style bumper features a motorsport-influenced spoiler, body-coloured side wings, high-gloss black elements and R-specific air intake grilles. Further up, the top radiator grille gets an R badge and a blue crossbar to differentiate this model's top performance status, this bar lighting up as an LED strip as soon as the engine starts and stretching all the way into the wings as a daytime running light via illuminated strips in each LED headlamp unit. In profile, you'll notice the wheels first. Standard R models get these 18-inch Hereth rims, featuring blue R calipers for the larger 18-inch brake system. With the Performance Pack fitted, this car gets bigger 19-inch Estoril alloys. Both R variants get unique side sills and chrome mirror housings. Plus, of course, like all Golf 8 models, this one comes only in five-door form. It's been nearly a decade since this hot hatch could be had in three-door, guys. At the rear, this R logo sits between the LED taillights, but the attention of Golf R Cognoscenti will be focused further up. They'll want to see if you've stretched to the Performance Pack variant, which gets a huge Performance rear wing to cope with its higher 168-mile-an-hour top speed. The standard version gets this more subtle roof spoiler. As at the front, the bumper is bespoke and features this black high-gloss diffuser framed at the sides by elegant chrome-plated flat-controlled twin tailpipes for the standard sports exhaust system. That's assuming the car in question hasn't been fitted out with the pricey optional Akrapovic titanium exhaust setup. That's enough on the outside. Let's take a look within, a transition marked at night by R-projection puddle lights as you open the door. As in any Golf 8, your first impressions are of the screen fest that characterises this latest era design, marked out in this case by an R welcome graphic for the 10-inch central Discover Media entertainment screen and further special graphics for the 10.25-inch Digital Cockpit Pro instrument binnacle display, which I'll brief you on in a moment. The rest of the cabin has a bespoke R-Feel too, with R-branded sports seats featuring blue-checked Sardenga upholstery and integrated head restraints, brushed stainless steel pedals, carbon-style dash panel applications, a black headliner and R-specific door trim that echoes the Alcantara-style Art Velours trim on the seat bolsters. Perhaps this unique sports steering wheel is the nicest feature though, embellished with blue stitching and fitted out here with properly-sized tactile gearshift paddles rather than the rather apologetic small plastic items you get on a Golf GTI. To manually switch ratios, you either use these or the shift-by-wire buttons next to the stubby new selector on the centre console. On the left steering wheel spoke is the small blue R button you'll need for direct selection of the various driving profiles. A long press takes you straight to Blue Mist R mode with its throaty exhaust note. I mentioned the Digital Cockpit Pro instrument binnacle screen. Well, it looks quite different here compared to a GTI, thanks to a so-called sports skin that gives you an R-branded central round rev counter. Or you can change to an R View layout with a horizontal rev counter at the top edge of the display, which, with the performance pack fitted, will include shift lights in the extra special and drift driving profiles, which you'll need because automatic upshifting is deactivated in those modes. The Digital Cockpit Pro screen can also show charge pressure, gearbox temperature, torque, power, a G-Force's meter, the torque distribution of the all-wheel drive system and, of course, a lap timer. Further clicks on the View button scroll you through three more screen themes, a safety graphic, a full navigation map and a digital speedo, with, in each case, customisable data boxes provided to the left and right. Anything the instrument binnacle display can't tell you, and much that it can, will be covered off by that 10-inch centre dash touchscreen that we mentioned earlier, which is a decent step forward from the composition media monitor fitted to the previous generation model, though is burdened with this curious slider at the bottom of the screen for volume control, which not everyone likes. If you hate this feature, you'll be pleased to find that more conventional volume buttons are provided on the steering wheel. The main centre screen menu allows you to choose from key options like radio, media, phone, navigation, vehicle, app connect media and assist systems sections. There's a built-in eSIM that enables you to create a Wi-Fi hotspot, and you can hold and drag display icons to move them around, or you can swipe across to a split screen that will enable you to, for example, display a sat-nav map, Bluetooth, car info and phone settings all at the same time. There's also an online shop that will allow you to upgrade certain elements of the car's technology after you've bought it, using an over-the-air update system that will allow Volkswagen to potentially improve the screen's functionality over time, too. Upgrade this monitor to extra-cost Discover Media Navigation Pro form, and you also get gesture control, which we could do without, and the new Hello Volkswagen intuitive voice control system, which you need to have if you habitually use voice control, because the basic voice setup you get with the standard Discover Media system is awful. Even the Hello Volkswagen arrangement, though, isn't clever enough to alter things like drive modes or safety settings. Enough with screens and digitalisation. What else do you need to know here? Well, as usual on a Golf, build quality from the Wolfsburg factory is impeccable, and if you can set aside the way that the fiddly sliders, the complicated screen menus and the haptic touch-sensitive panels in the centre of the dash to the right of the wheel and on the wheel spokes all require you much too frequently to take your eyes off the road to access the function that you want, the ergonomics are otherwise pretty faultless. As for cabin stowage space, that smaller auto gear lever frees up room for an extra cubby on the centre console, though only for a pen slot you'll hardly ever use. Still, there's a big air-conditioned glove box and large door bins, which can each hold a 500ml bottle of water, plus you get a small livid bin between the seats. There's a neat touch in this central cup holder area, which should actually be covered, but isn't. It has an attachment that springs out to better clasp a smaller cup, though it feels a bit flimsy. Plus, there's a 12V socket nearby, a ticket clip in the driver's sun visor and a storage net in the front passenger footwell. Volkswagen's forgotten an overhead sunglasses compartment, there are no media ports in the bin between the seats and the ports that you do get above this recessed area in front of the gear stick, which incorporates a lidded wireless charging mat cubby, are of the USB-C variety, so you may have to use an unsightly converter lead. Still, for every tiny foible, there are two or three other features you'll probably really like. Maybe the way the storage boxes are flock-lined so that your keys don't scrape around on the move, the upholstered material used for the upper section of the dashboard that's lovely to the touch, and the central armrest that tops that bin between the seats and adjusts for five stages of height. This Golf R model's exalted position in the range also means you get niceties like a 30-colour ambient lighting system, which allows you to either choose the shade you want or opt between five pre-set colour themes, Infinity, Eternity, Desire, Euphoria and Vitality. More practically, the combination of these tiny front quarter lights and slim apellas means good forward vision, but your over-the-shoulder view out isn't quite as good. The large C-pillars rather get in the way, so it's just as well that rear parking sensors are standard fit. The rear-view camera isn't. Let's take a seat in the rear of this five-door only model. These large square rear door openings make it easy to get in and out without having to lower your head. Thanks to the extra 16mm of length between the wheels for this Mk8 Golf design, there's a fraction more legroom than there was before, so a pair of six-foot adults can now be accommodated reasonably here, though knee room begins to get pretty tight once the front seat occupants start to slide their seats back. There's certainly a little more space here than there would be in premium-badged family-sized hot hatches outside of the Volkswagen Group that a Golf R buyer might be considering, like the Mercedes-AMG A35 or A45, or perhaps the Renault Sportwagon RS Trophy. And there's a suitably high-end feel, thanks to little touches like blue edging on the floor mats and blue stitching on the seats. As we said with the previous generation model, we're disappointed that the height of this centre transmission tunnel makes it so difficult for middle-seat passengers to be comfortably accommodated. Two people should be quite happy, though, and they'll benefit from this fold-down centre armrest with its twin cupholders. And you also get twin-beamed overhead reading lights, plus there are coat hooks in the grab handles. Seatback pockets are provided, plus on each seatback you get these neat couple of upper pouches, too. The door bins are unimaginatively designed, but they incorporate decently-sized flock-lined illuminated bins. There are twin USB ports, though again they're of the smaller USB-C variety, and with a three-zone climate system fitted as standard, you get these rear-seat temperature control panel buttons, too. Let's finish this segment by taking a look in the boot, the catch for which, as usual on a Golf, is activated by pushing this centre tailgate badge. Now, your dealer might reference the fact that the 381-litre space provided here is a little bigger than the trunk you'd get in a rival Mercedes-AMG A35 or A45, but that of a Honda Civic Type R is a substantial 39 litres bigger. Still, the room you do get here is very usable, and five carry-on cases or a small set of golf clubs or a baby buggy would easily fit. This is a very flexible area, too, thanks to this adjustable height boot floor that can be held up via neat sidewall clips. It sits above the spare wheel compartment, which can't house a spare wheel because Volkswagen doesn't offer one with this model. The wide hatch aperture and the low loading sill height also help if you're trying to get bulky or heavy items inside. There's a 12-volt socket and two bag hooks, plus you get a cool white boot light, the small left and right corner storage compartment areas, and a ski hatch so that longer items can be poked through into the cabin. There are four tie-down points, but rather meanly, only the further two of them are chromed. It's a little disappointing, given this Volkswagen's premium aspirations, that you don't get the 40-20-40 rear seatback split you'd find in rival premium brand models. Pushing forward, the conventional 60-40 split rear bench you do get frees up 1,237 litres across a load area that'll be virtually flat if you have the boot floor in its upper position. From launch, this Mk8-based Golf R was priced from £39,295 in this standard form. It's 320 PS, 2-litre TSI powertrain, complete with four-motion four-wheel drive and a DSG auto gearbox. Unlike the Golf GTI, there's no manual gearbox option. Now, that asking figure is actually a fraction less than the limited-run Golf GTI Club Sport 45 300 PS model, which was on sale at the time of our test. An ordinary Golf GTI Club Sport 300 PS model is just over £37,000. Both the Club Sport models are front-driven, like an ordinary 245 PS Golf GTI, which, to give you some perspective, was, at the time of our test, just over £35,000 in comparable DSG auto form. If it's a Golf R that you want, there are two key decisions you'll have to make right at the outset. One is whether to find an extra £950 for the DCC Dynamic Chassis Control Adaptive Damping System, which you'll have to do if you're to get the most from this latest model's sophisticated Vehicle Dynamics Manager setup. The other decision concerns whether you see a need to find the extra £2,000 that Volkswagen wants for the optional R Performance Pack. This gives you two extra drive modes, Drift and Nurburgring Track Orientated Special, plus larger 19-inch Estoril wheels, a big rear wing and a de-restricted top speed, which raises maximum velocity from 155 to 168 miles an hour. In perspective, the pricing here reflects the power positioning. The Golf R costs a bit more than mainstream fast hatches, but it offers more, too. The only other two models in the main part of this segment with four-wheel drive both have a slightly lower 310 PS output, namely the BMW M135i, which costs around £36,000, and the Mercedes-AMG A35, which, at the time of this test, costs from just under £39,000. The Honda Civic Type R matches the Golf R's 320 PS output, but is front-driven and costs around £35,000. Also front-driven is the top £36,000 version of the Cupra Leon hatch, which uses much the same 2.0-litre TSI engine as this Golf, but in 310 PS form. This same engine features in the Audi S3, too, allied to quattro four-wheel drive. Finally, also front-driven is the 300 PS 1.8-litre Renault Megane RS, which prices from around £33,000, but in top trophy form costs around £37,000. You could argue quite rightly, though, that all of the cars just mentioned are more directly targeted by the £37,000 300 PS Golf GTI club sport model that I mentioned earlier. This Golf R tilts at more exalted models in this segment. No, it doesn't have anything like the firepower of, say, a 400 PS Audi RS3 or a 420 PS Mercedes-AMG A45, but then it doesn't have their £50,000 price tags either, and we reckon that on anything other than a fast race circuit, it'd be just as quick as either of those two models on any road or driving route you care to name. If, having considered all of this and completed the very pleasant task of testing some of these competing models, you conclude quite reasonably that there's nothing in this segment quite like a Golf R, then you'll want to understand just how generous Volkswagen has been this time around with standard spec. Well, let's take a look. Before we get to the R spec niceties, we should start by covering off key core features that all Mk8 Golf models now get. Things like full LED self-levelling headlights, adaptive cruise control, climate control, air conditioning and a wireless smartphone charger, plus rear parking sensors, a load-through ski hatch in the rear seat and an adjustable height boot floor. Media provision across the range is taken care of by what Volkswagen calls a Digital Cockpit Pro setup made up of two elements. There's a 10.25-inch high-resolution TFT dash instrument binnacle display screen with customisable menus and information, and a big 10-inch centre dash touchscreen for the Discover Media navigation package, which comes with sat-nav, a six-speaker DAB audio system and Bluetooth. It's permanently connected to the internet via an embedded eSIM, enabling online music streaming and real-time traffic information, amongst other things, and also allowing for what Volkswagen calls an in-car shop, which allows you to purchase additional services over the air after vehicle purchase. Plus, there's the Car-Net App Connect system that allows use of the Apple CarPlay and Android Auto MirrorLink systems that enable you to mirror the display of your smartphone onto this centre dash screen. Up to 14 driver profiles can be saved on the infotainment system. Settings such as radio stations, air conditioning, map and route preferences are saved automatically according to whoever's driving. There's also a We-Connect app available which will allow you to interact with your Golf R via your smartphone when you're away from it. You'll be able to do things like lock or unlock the doors, remotely activate the horn and indicators, get a vehicle status report, set the cabin ventilation so the car is cool or warm when you reach it, and these remote services can also help you locate your Golf R if you've forgotten where you parked it. Talking of technology, there's a lot of standard driving tech too, principally the ACC Adaptive Cruise Control system which incorporates predictive cruise control and uses images from a windscreen camera along with navigation data to adjust the car's speed ahead of bends and speed restrictions. Plus, of course, ACC can do all the usual things, adapting your Golf's speed to the vehicle's head and, in the event of a tailback, bringing the car to a controlled stop and starting it off again without driver input. Another clever new standard integrated feature is Car2X, a system which communicates wirelessly with other Car2X-enabled vehicles using Wi-Fi technology so as to share information and brief your Golf's electronic systems automatically on traffic updates. So, for instance, if you're stuck in a traffic jam, the system will know before you do when the end of the jam is coming up and will get the adaptive cruise control ready to resume cruising speeds. And Car2X incorporates a hazard warning system that advises you of impending roadworks, accidents and emergency vehicles. It can even detect when other cars with the system are performing panic braking in front of you and, in such an emergency, will turn on your own brake lights even before you've reacted to help you avoid being rear-ended. Of course, this being a premium Golf model, you'll want a few niceties, so you'll be pleased to find Golf R trim based on the generously provided for spec of the current Golf GTI. That gets you lowered sport suspension, chromed exhaust pipes, rear privacy glass, heat for the steering wheel, a progressive steering system that makes low-speed manoeuvring easier and the driver profile selection driving mode setup that allows you to tweak steering, gear change timings and throttle feel to suit your mood. There's also three-zone climate control with rear passenger controls, a 30-colour cabin ambient lighting system and an LED light strip across the radiator grille that creates continuous illumination with the headlights. On to the R-specific features. You get an R Styling Pack which gives you uniquely shaped front and rear bumpers, a rear roof spoiler, special side sills and a black rear diffuser with twin oval chrome exhaust tailpipes on the left and the right. There's also Hereth-style 18-inch alloy wheels with blue brake calipers, matte chrome effect door mirrors, special badging and heavily tinted glass from the B-pillar backwards. And as on a GTI, LED front fog lights, LED rear tail lamps with sequential indicators, keyless entry, power folding mirrors and a front differential lock for extra cornering traction. You also get the brand's piercing IQ Light LED matrix system for the headlamps which enables them to alter their beam by 22 separate LED lights that draw from GPS data, steering wheel angle and driving speed info and can alter their illumination based on the type of road that you're on and the prevailing weather. Inside a Golf R you get sport seats in Sargdegna blue cloth with Alcantara-like Art Velours side bolsters. Plus there's an R-branded heated leather trim, three-spoke multifunction capacitive branded steering wheel with touch-sensitive buttons. Enough on standard spec levels, what about options for your Golf R? We've already given you your two starting points for consideration here, the DCC Dynamic Chassis Control Adaptive Damping System and the R Performance Pack. The next item you'll be encouraged to consider is the throaty Akrapovic Titanium Sports Exhaust which saves 7kg in weight and delivers an even more engaging soundtrack, as it should do for an extra £3,100. Three other key things are often specified on this car. We'd want to find the extra £625 the brand wants for its audio upgrade, the Harman Kardon Premium Sound System which has nine speakers, a 12-channel digital amplifier and 480 watts of power. That can work through Volkswagen's Discover Navigation Pro infotainment screen upgrade which, for £1,600 more, adds gesture control, more sophisticated Hello Volkswagen voice activation and some extra WeConnect Plus remote services. You might also want the luxurious carbon Nappa leather upholstery pack which is unique to the Golf R and for £2,600 more gives you perforated leather upholstery with contrast stitching, powered front seat adjustment with memory settings and air-conditioned cooling for the front upholstery. What else? Well, you'll probably blow just over £1,000 more on the three features we've got fitted here. A head-up display, a rear-view camera and the winter pack that gives you heated front seats plus heated windscreen washer jets with a low washer fluid warning light. You might also want the digital key feature that will enable you to unlock the car with your smartphone. Other features you may want to add include a park assist system that will automatically steer you into a space and a panoramic glass roof. Now, bear in mind that you'll almost certainly be paying your Volkswagen dealer more for your choice of paint colour. For this R model, there are only three choices available. Solid pure white is the only standard shade, so you're probably going to want to fork out for one of the two optional metallic colours, either deep black or this lapiz blue, this latter shade unique to the Golf R. If you haven't splashed out on the R Performance Pack, you might also want the larger 19-inch Estoril wheels which are black with a diamond-turned finish. What about practical options? Well, as you'd expect, you can specify a tow bar and, of course, you can add in roof bars so that roof boxes and holders for bicycles, skis and snowboards can be installed on top. A bicycle carrier can also be added to the tow bar and mud flaps are, of course, available too. For the boot area, you might want to add in a reversible luggage compartment mat or perhaps a luggage compartment tray or a load liner and perhaps a luggage net to keep small items from flying around. Annoyingly, you can't pay extra for a space saver spare wheel. Enough with options. Let's take a look at driver assist systems and safety provision. Now, you'd expect some sort of autonomous braking system on a car of this kind these days. Volkswagen's is called Front Assist and, as usual with these sorts of setups, it scans the road ahead as you drive. If a potential collision hazard is detected, you'll be warned. If you don't respond or aren't able to, the brakes will automatically be applied to decrease the severity of any resulting accident. For this Mk8 Golf R model, this setup's incorporated City Emergency Braking System has been enhanced with Predictive Pedestrian Protection, which is more specifically able to identify people or cyclists who might be about to inadvertently step into your path. Should this sort of situation happen or if, for instance, another driver suddenly brakes in front of you, further help is provided by a Swerve Support Emergency Steering Assist System that's automatically activated as soon as you have to avoid an obstacle. After visual and acoustic warnings, this will introduce targeted braking intervention from the assistance system that'll help stabilise the car should you have to perform an evasive manoeuvre. Also now standard on a Golf R is a little bit of technology that Volkswagen is very proud of. It's Travel Assist Setup, which enables so-called Level 2 Autonomous Driving at high speeds. Now this is a camera and radar sensor controlled assistance system that'll autonomously accelerate, brake and steer your Golf while maintaining a safe distance to vehicles ahead. It's basically a development of the previous Traffic Jam Assist System, which could accelerate, brake and steer and maintain distance to the vehicles ahead. But whereas that previous automatic longitudinal and lateral guidance system could only be used at up to 37 miles an hour, Travel Assist can almost completely control this car for you at up to speeds of around 130 miles an hour, providing you keep your hands on the new capacitive steering wheel. This Travel Assist Pack also includes a clever Emergency Assist Setup, which can take over driving duties completely should you become incapacitated, steering the car to the side of the road and bringing it to a safe and gradual stop. Like every Golf, this one also gets a Lane Assist Lane Keeping System that warns you when you stray out of your lane and applies gentle steering assistance to ease you back into it. In addition, there's Side Assist, which stops you from dangerously pulling out when there's a vehicle in your blind spot, and Distance Display Warning, which alerts you if you're getting too close to the vehicle in front. Plus, you get Traffic Sign Recognition, which pictures speed signs as you pass and displays them on the centre dash screen. All this is in addition to all the more usual features that come fitted across the Golf range, which have helped to justify this car's five-star Euro NCAP safety test showing. There are twin front, side and curtain airbags, though disappointingly you don't also get an extra one to protect the driver's knees. There are, of course, ISOFIX child seat fastenings on the rear bench, plus there's an active bonnet, a sensor-controlled pedestrian protection system that raises the bonnet away from the engine compartment in the nightmare scenario of an impact with a pedestrian so as to reduce injuries. We also like the inclusion of an automatic post-collision braking system that recognises when an impact has occurred and brakes the car to prevent it from being uncontrollably propelled into oncoming traffic. It's also worth mentioning that one of the features of the WeConnect app we mentioned earlier is an emergency call eCall SOS system that, in the event of an accident where the airbags are triggered, will automatically alert the rescue services with your exact GPS location. Other conventional safety features include the normal ESC stability control and ASR traction control systems, plus MSR engine braking control that'll stop you from skidding if you change down abruptly on a slippery surface. If you do get into a skid, a DSR steering assistance feature will help you steer out of it, and you get an ABS braking system further assisted by CBC cornering brake control through the bends, plus an HBA hydraulic braking assistant which helps reduce stopping time when you really slam on all the anchors in an emergency. Plus, all Golfs get a hill hold function to stop you from drifting backwards on uphill junctions, plus tyre pressure monitoring and a driver alert system that'll warn you if sensors detect drowsiness. Further safety options include a side airbag system for front and rear passengers and what Volkswagen calls proactive occupant protection, which uses sensors from the front assist setup to prepare the car to help you survive an impact if those sensors deem a collision to be inevitable. That'll mean your belts will be instantly pre-tensioned while the windows and the sunroof, if fitted, will be immediately closed. It's all very reassuring. The Golf R has always been one of the more efficient super hatches you could choose, and this Mk8-based model continues that trend, even though it lacks the mild hybrid tech featuring on the Golf model line's humbler TSI petrol units. The 36.2 combined cycle fuel showing is matched in segment only by the Mercedes-AMG A35 4MATIC, and that car doesn't have the same level of performance. With, say, a Honda Civic Type R, a Renault Megane RS Trophy or a Mercedes-AMG A45 4MATIC, you'd be going around three fewer miles on every gallon and putting out more CO2. Fractionally more in the case of the Honda, but 15 grams per kilometre more in the case of the Trophy or the A45. As for emissions, well, this Golf R's CO2 best of 177 grams per kilometre is worse than a Mercedes-AMG A35. That's 164 grams per kilometre. But it's fractionally better than a Civic Type R, 178 grams per kilometre, and a lot better than a Mercedes-AMG A45 or Renault Megane RS Trophy, both at 192 grams per kilometre. The subject of emissions is a somewhat thorny one for the Golf R engineering team. When the previous generation model was updated in 2017, they upped the power to 310 PS, only to find after launch that this pushed the car over the required limit Volkswagen had wanted to set for emissions. So, somewhat embarrassingly, power output had to be reduced back to 300 PS again until the end of production. This time round, we're assured that the advertised 320 PS will stay at that level. What else? Well, you can monitor ongoing frugality via selectable consumption readouts on the digital instrument binnacle screen, or via the vehicle section of the centre dash screen, where you can select since start, long term and since refuel readouts on economy. Servicing? Well, as usual with Volkswagen models, there's a choice of either minor or major maintenance packages. You'll choose the minor approach if you cover less than 10,000 miles a year, and with this the car will typically be looked at every 12 months. If your daily commute is more than 25 miles, and this Golf will regularly be driven on longer distance journeys, you'll be able to work with a major regime that can see you travelling up to 20,000 miles between garage visits or every two years, whichever is sooner. What else? Well, we like the fact that misfuelling protection is standard across the range, so you won't be able to accidentally put diesel in your Golf R. Less impressive is the three year 60,000 mile warranty cover. Volkswagen offers a 100,000 mile cover on its vans, but providing that on its cars wouldn't give dealers so much of an opportunity to sell extended warranty packages. There's one for four years and 75,000 miles, or if you plan to see a bit more of the world in your Golf R, there's a five year 90,000 mile package. Whatever your decision, your car will come with three years of pan-European roadside assistance that has no mileage restriction. The paintwork warranty lasts for three years, and as you'd expect, this car is protected by a 12 year anti-corrosion package. Residual value should be strong, and as usual with a Golf, you can expect some of the highest ones available in the class. Finally, insurance for a Golf R is rated at Group 31E. Compare that to Group 2080 for both the Golf GTI and the GTI Club Sport. The better this car gets, the pricier it becomes, and the more exclusive its ownership pool ends up being. Which is the way of things, but a pity, because an awful lot of hot hatch drivers would love the car this Golf R has to offer. Previously, one in ten Golf customers chosen are, and Volkswagen wants to maintain that ratio, though it's difficult to see that happening, given this model's newly acquired £40,000 to £45,000 asking price. Still, those who stump up the necessary are unlikely to be disappointed with the mature, sophisticated, and extremely rapid shopping rocket delivered to them. It's not the fastest hot hatch of its kind. That title continues to rest with the Mercedes-AMG A45. But in terms of the accessible way you can enjoy its performance, it might just be the quickest real-world choice in the segment. What we like most about the Golf R, though, is that it avoids the single-dimensional, race-style appeal of its most direct rivals. The R can offer that with the optional Performance Pack fitted, though you're still unlikely, probably, to see many on track days. But unlike, say, an A45 or a Type R, it's just as happy doing the shopping or the school run in a manner that'll cause no eyebrow-raising with your perhaps less enthusiast-orientated other half. Its presence in the office car park won't leave you open to suggestions of a mid-life crisis, either. On the road, the R Performance Torque Vectoring System and the Vehicle Dynamics Manager setup combine to deliver the ultimate cornering engagement that the previous models lacked. Though you still don't get the raw, track-tamed feel of the competing models we've mentioned. But chances are, if you're a typical Golf R customer, you'll neither want nor need that. In which case, you probably won't need the optional Performance Pack's drift system, either, which would be impossible to use legally on a public road. You might still want that pack, though, for those extra drive modes and that fantastic-looking rear wing. The fact that this new-era Golf R can be had with a drift system at all tells you something important about the way that the appeal of this car has been sharpened. Which means that if you can't decide between a really quick hot hatch like, say, a BMW M135i or a Renault Sport Megane RS, or a ridiculously fast one like, say, an Audi RS3 or that Mercedes-AMG A45, then now more than ever before, I'd say a Golf R is your perfect choice. It's a Golf GTI led off the leash, which, given how much we like that car, makes this one very desirable indeed.