The Volkswagen R series sit at the pinnacle of the performance tree of the giant German marque. The just introduced 2010 VW Golf R 2.0-litre replaces the Golf R32, but this new hot hatch isn't called the Golf R20, simply the Golf R.
That's because VW has made the responsible move of installing a much smaller engine in order to reduce fuel consumption and emissions. Whereas the Golf R32 had a 3.2-litre V6 engine, the Golf R uses a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged unit.
The downsizing may not impress Aussie buyers accustomed to the bigger-is-better mentality, but lovers of Euro cars will understand exactly why Volkswagen has done this. All the more so when they realise the new VW Golf R not only produces more power, improved torque and harder acceleration than the superseded V6, but also scores in the economy stakes. Such are the advances being made in engine, turbocharger and electronic terminology that this apparent miracle is a reality.
In hard numbers for the 2.0-litre turbo: engine power reaches 188 kilowatts, torque is 330 Nm all the way from 2400 to 5200 rpm, the time to accelerate from zero to 100 km/h is a lightning 5.7 seconds and fuel consumption measured on the combined cycle to Australia design rules is 8.7 litres per hundred kilometres.
Note that the 5.7 second figure for the acceleration sprint is when using the DSG double-clutch gearbox. The time moves out to a, still impressive, 5.9 seconds when a six-speed manual is installed.
The fuel figure indicates a saving of 2.2 litres each hundred kilometres when compared with the outgoing Golf R32. That's right 2.2 litres less fuel with significantly better performance. Impressive.
But that's enough of the raw numbers and more about the rest of the German car’s dynamics. We attended the introductory press launch of the latest Volkswagen Golf R in a drive program out of Launceston. In atrocious weather conditions, high in the mountains we punted the cars over icy roads with the temperature sitting around the zero mark. At one stage we covered 20 kilometres into driving snow on a slippery, muddy dirt road.
The new Golf feels even more dynamic on the road than its predecessor. The all-wheel drive system was ideal for the extreme conditions, its mechanical and electronic components hanging on to the slushy stuff amazingly well. All this to the accompaniment of a sporty exhaust note that defied the fact that this is a four-cylinder engine. The twin-exhaust pipes sit neatly under the centre of the rear diffuser and sound like genuinely sporting units thanks to the acoustic engineering built into the system.
Did we mention that as well as being faster, cleaner and more economical than the outgoing high-performance Golf, it's also several thousand dollars cheaper? A combination of a strong Australian dollar and savings in the fabrication methods of the Golf 6 compared to the Golf 5 means the new Golf R has a starting price of $48,490 – that's with a three-door body and a manual gearbox. The range goes up to $52,490 when the Golf R is fitted with an extra pair of doors and the increased performance offered by the six-speed DSG automated-manual gearbox.
All of these prices are beneath the $55,000 of the superseded Golf.
Note that government and dealer charges have to be added to the recommended prices quoted here. |
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