Volkswagen Golf R 2024 review | First Drive

The Volkswagen Golf R is as close as the company will ever come to a halo car. The very top of the tree of its main outlet for performance. From the moment an R badge (at the time accompanied by the number 32) was applied to a Golf, this has been as fast as one will possibly go.

The recipe has always been the same. More power than the GTI and all-wheel-drive. It’s the uber-Golf that hasn’t ever wished to compromise just to go faster. That recipe hasn’t always produced results that have pleased everyone. Some have consistently found Golf Rs less interesting than their front-wheel-drive brethren.

The Mk8 R attempted to change that, with a little bit more engagement for the driver than before. And now there’s an update, following the Mk8.5 Golf’s appearance earlier this year. More power, more tools to play with, more fun?

There’s not an awful lot to notice that has changed on the latest Volkswagen Golf R. It still looks like the Mk8. But the Mk8 was quite a change from its predecessor. A wing arrived, the front looked a bit more aggressive. 

The front has received a small redesign. Slimmer grille, new LED headlights and taillights and an illuminated badge. There’s a redesigned bumper with new aero elements to help flow through and around the car and a new front splitter.

Overall, the Golf R is a much more handsome thing than the slightly gawky standard Golf. The aggression isn’t heading to Mercedes AMG levels, but doesn’t disappear into the background. 

The Golf R has had a bit of a do-over up front. The 2.0-litre turbocharged engine remains, but now hands you a numerically-pleasing 333PS (245kW) and a meaty 420Nm (310lb ft). While peak power hits at above 4,500rpm, the torque number will kick in at 2,500, which Volkswagen is very keen to point out means relatively little lag from the Golf R’s turbo. 

Underneath it’s MacPherson strut suspension up front and multi-link at the rear, the latest version of Volkswagen’s 4MOTION torque vectoring all-wheel-drive system is capable of not only slinging power backward, but even directly to the one wheel that has the most grip while cornering. There’s also DCC adaptive chassis control as standard and a few options to play with including the “Special” mode, which features an image of the Nürburgring on it (the setting for which Volkswagen says the mode was designed).

We’re not in the Nürburgring for our try of the latest Golf R. We’re in Warwickshire. But fortunately, there are a few roads dotted around the British Motor Museum in Gaydon that will provide something of a comparison. 

The first thing you’ll notice is that while the new R is more powerful, it’s not a colossal change from the Mk8 Golf R. It’s rapid, there’s no denying that, and in the middle of that torque curve the R can snap your neck to attention if it wants, but that’s always been so. What is also noticeable is how darned quiet it is.

Even the interior burble – largely manufactured – is muted. Annoyingly it’s quite a good sound, all raspy and induction-based, but there’s never much of it, even when you push the little blue “R” button on the wheel and select one of the more fruity modes. And, even with the optional Akrapovic exhausts fitted.

But a lack of aural accompaniment is a relatively low bar for finding issues. The chassis the Golf R packs more than makes up for any lack of dramatic soundtrack. As began to arrive with the Mk8, this is a different type of Golf R. One that’s designed not just to completely slice from A to B with you along for the ride. There’s more play in the setup than that.

The nose is great, and the balance between its sharp turn, comforting mid-corner grip and the ability to boot all those 420Nm to the rear on corner exit is extremely gratifying. As we were on a public road, we left Drift mode off for the day and, while the R is not a tail-waggy lunatic in Sport or Race or even Special modes, it’s still perfectly possible to position the Golf with the throttle. 

Damping is also excellent, to the point that you can leave the new Golf R in race mode while you trundle from good road to good road without it attempting to break your spine. Comfort mode isn’t exactly a pillow, but in all modes the Golf R will cruise with reasonable ease – even crossing a level crossing without attempting to dismantle itself. That in turn leads to a nice balance when you do find that good road you’ve been hunting. The Mk8.5 R is happy to be adjustable on the edge without ever feeling fidgety, leaving you to enjoy its capabilities while not fearing the next input. 

The Golf R feels at its happiest when the road opens up a little, still retaining that “eat the roads up” character that has always been there. But these days, it doesn't feel like it’s struggling if the going gets tighter. And rather than pure speed control, there’s the odd shimmy just to tell you that driver input is important. 

There’s not a massive change in the interior of the Mk8.5 Golf. The changes were more minor tweaks to the materials and an attempt to make the infotainment system less, er… awful. 

The 12.9-inch touchscreen sits proud of the centre console, while the driver gets a 10.2-inch screen that’s shoehorned in where the instrument binnacle would have been. I still find that integration a little awkward – with the plastic overhang still there it looks like it’s been added after the rest of the car was finished. But the updated screen is clear and quick to change.

Materials are good, with a very pleasant blue-tinted bar running through the centre of the dash across the width of the car. But our favourite thing remains the blue tartan seats – reminiscent of its GTI cousins. The seats are comfortable although a little spongey in places, and provide adequate support when you’re being subjected to a few more forces than gravity normally provides.

The work that’s gone into the infotainment system has definitely made it less infuriating to use, although it remains far from the best on the market. 

The good thing is that the included ID Assistant is now a decent shortcut, reacting well to voice commands and now able to change car settings as well as just general comfort and entertainment. For example, if you want to switch the car to comfort mode, rather than hunting through a menu system you can just ask the car to do it for you and it will. Sadly, this doesn’t extend to turning off the safety systems yet. It’s rather formal, the system won’t react to a “hey” (sorry Google) but will wake up for a full “hello ID”. 

We were driving the Golf R in its top spec Black Edition, which will set you back £43,000 without extras and includes the integrated screens and ID Assistant as well as Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, automatic wipers and lights, three-zone climate control, adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist and more. The Black Edition trim also adds 19-inch special alloys, and some Black Edition exterior trim including black badges and exhaust pipes. The test car we drove was also fitted with an Akrapovic exhaust system, which would set you back an extra £3k.

We were already quite fond of the Golf R. But the latest version seems to have sharpened up the fun side of it just a little bit more. Some of its rivals will absolutely outdo it on that front, and there’s no denying that the Golf R is not a cheap piece of kit these days (getting it toward 50k with options is not difficult). 

The real ace in the Volkswagen’s sleeve has to be the ability to cruise along like you’ve just bought a regular Golf. Yes, the exterior is a little bit more overt than it used to be, so you can’t just hide the fact that you’re in a more sporty car than a regular Golf, but inside it’s calm when you want.

Considering a Merc A45 will end up costing you over £60,000 and an Audi RS3 just below, the sub-£50k starting price of the Golf suddenly feels a lot less steep. The only real question is whether you prefer the front-wheel-drive feel and cash in your pocket of the GTI.