This is the most important development at Frankfurt so far.
Well - according to me anyway...
Meet the much-rumoured Golf R - the replacement for the MKV R32. VW says that this is the most powerful and fastest-accelerating Golf ever produced. The new car was unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show and was developed by Volkswagen Individual, the special projects wing of Volkswagen, and following on from the Mk IV and Mk V Golf R32 models, the Golf R is equipped with a 2.0-litre TSI four-cylinder engine developing 270 PS.
Unlike its competitor, the Ford Focus RS, the Golf R retained a four-wheel drive system but ditched the antique 3.2-litre V6 for a high-output 2-litre engine. The most surprising aspect of this is that whilst the replacement lump naturally weighs 35 kilos less than the old one, it's more powerful by 20 bhp - all this power and the capacity has been reduced by over a third!
The engine is also more efficient - economy rises from a combined 26.4 mpg to a stated 33.2 mpg while CO2 emissions fall from 257 g/km to 199 g/km. Despite the gains in efficiency VW says that the Golf R is faster and sharper than ever – the new car can accelerate from rest to 62 mph in just 5.7 seconds. Equipped with a six-speed DSG gearbox, this figure falls to 5.5 seconds while top speed is limited to 155 mph.
The 1,984 cc, four-cylinder EA113 engine (as opposed to the EA888 fitted to the current Golf GTI) is derived from the Mk V Golf GTI. To extract the extra power the block has been reinforced with an entirely new alloy head, uprated pistons, conrods and high pressure injectors. An uprated turbocharger generating 1.2 bar of boost is joined by a new intercooler to cope with the extra heat generated. The result is 270 PS developed at 6,000 rpm and 258 lbs ft of torque at 2,500 rpm.
New 345 mm diameter front brake discs (rear: 310 mm) and callipers are joined by uprated suspension that’s been lowered by 25 mm with revised spring and damper rates and new anti-roll bars. The Electronic Stabilisation Programme (ESP) has also been revised for the Golf R with two stages designed for track use. Finally, the electro-mechanical power steering system has been tweaked to sharpen responses.
Unlike the four-wheel drive system fitted to the R32 that relied on differing wheel speeds between the front and rear axles to engage the four-wheel drive, the system fitted to the Golf R uses a pre-charged hydraulic system that’s able to react more quickly while also limiting the torque being channelled through either axle to reduce wheelspin. In extreme cases up to 100 per cent of the torque can be channelled to the rear wheels if required.
To set the Golf R apart from a conventional Golf or GTI it’s fitted with new front and rear bumpers complete with LED running lights at the front and a gloss black diffuser at the rear housing a pair of central exit exhausts. A set of Xenon headlights and a new black grille and wing mirrors extend back to a set of sill extensions framed by 18-inch five-spoke wheels complete with 225/40 tyres as standard – 19-inch wheels with 235/35 tyres are optional. At the back, unique rear light units lend the Golf R an aggressive look – the high-intensity LED bulbs hidden behind smoked lenses.
The changes continue inside the Golf R – a set of distinctive aluminium ‘R’ kick plates are joined by new seats finished in grey Alcantara contrasted against high-grip black mesh cloth. Gloss black highlights throughout the interior are complemented by the subtle, electric blue needles in the revised instrument column.
The new Golf R is set to arrive in the UK in December with prices and specifications due to be announced nearer this time.
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maso
if yoiu wanted faster and more plush you had the r32 a luxury car for people that didnt want something huge
Now with the mkVI theyve forgotten what they learned and have made the r model a faster version of the gti in much the same vein as they did with the oettinger version of the mkIII, so the r has lost its place apart at the top iof the range, the gti has lost clarity in its position in the golf range and VW has admitted that they dont trhink its as good as the last one because theyre using the old engine
the r32 was never an impreza or focus rs rival, it was a more subtle choice than a 335i, i dont understand why they didnt keep that position with a top rate v6 that could have been used in the toureg, phaeton and passat not to mention superbs, a5's, cayennes and all the other cars that vw group makes and just use the engine theyve produced for this one in the regular gti
maso
Bob Hume
That V6 is from a bygone era. I've driven the outgoing R32 quite extensively and to be truthful, it doesn't come anywhere near the MKV GTI. It's a different kind of car. It's nose-heavy and far too polite, even when you give it a bootfull - the grip is great but I still got humiliated by a bloke in a suit driving an Exige.
The major reason this car existed was because to fill a segment - there's nothing else in the range that they could have used to compete with the Scoob (even though that was a 3-box saloon-coupe at the time) and the Focus RS. It may not have had the same rally prowess as either but people still bought it when they didn't want to sit in a horrible grey plastic capsule or stare at a Ford badge.
VW could do nothing else with the new R except fit a TSI derivative - it's leaner, the tuning makes it more powerful and above all it's lighter. I can't see this car being anything other than better than the old one.
As for the engine - the reason they're using a derivative of the MKV GTI is because it was so good - this is a highly tuneable engine. In its previous host, the MKV GTI, the highest output they offered was 230 in the Edition 30 GTI but they always said that this could be improved - the main reason they didn't was because the FWD hardware couldn't take it without compromising the handling. I think the reason they didn't use the new one was PRECISELY for reasons of brand integrity - it's not a GTI, it shouldn't compete with the GTI and it shouldn't have a current GTI engine.
Incidentally the SsangYong Maso's Arse will be unveiled at stand 15 tomorrow.
maso
or
the car which sits above it in the range but doesnt interfere with its position
golf r 2.0(because they want to keep the gti special and not share the weaker engine), 155mph, 270bhp and 5.5 0-60
both very nice cars and i would say thank you very much, but if they want to maintain both brands then they have to have to keep their roles more clearly marked out, the r32 always sat slioghtly distant from the rest of the golf range, a s,all car with a big engine with vert few competiors, now its entered the r26, vxr, rs arena and thats wrong, thats the gti's job
its not like the focus range where the st sits lairily under the rs, the gti has always been the sporting model of the brand, now it seems that vw have built the gti they wanted and given it the "r" title (wonder what honda thinks of that) and the gti is now the equivalent of a gti 8v or a gt instead
how good it is kinda misses the point, its the biggest golf, some people will want an r32 because its the one wihjt the biggest engine, it wins in top trumps, by making it the same size its not as special anymore and theyll have to buy an BMW 135i or an s3 instead now
still think its a bit pointless badged as a "R"
Bob Hume
You're annoyed because Porsche took their eye off the ball!!!
maso
Bob Hume
Chris
Will reserve judgement until we get out hands on 1
maso
the point is they already have the gti and the scirocco, the r32 was a very different machine to the gti whereas this is the gti and then some
if they want to sell it do it as a faster gti as its closer to that than it is to the r32
i accept that engines are going to start getting smaller, were even going to have a e class with a 1.6 but the fact it had a big engine was the reason people bought the r32, it was the autobahn golf, the gti is the b road golf
and another thing, when did R become the new "i" in signifying sportiness, type r, r26, golf r
Chris
maso
I love it and want one really bad.
The 4 motion and the power delivery really does seperate it from the gti.
but my initial point stands, it does relegate the gti to the second tier of golf performance models
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