This was the year America said goodbye to the Volkswagen Golf.
The folks (Volk?) in Wolfsburg who get paid to make decisions determined that as the eighth generation of the Golf debuted, we would only get the performance versions – the GTI and the Golf R.
I could debate all day the decision not to offer a standard Golf, but instead, let’s just be glad we get the two hottest hatches in the VW lineup.
Both the GTI and the Golf R have a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine under the hood. The GTI’s makes 241 horsepower and the Golf R’s makes 315. Drive them back-to-back and you’ll definitely notice. In fact, drive last year’s Golf R and this year’s Golf R back-to-back and you’ll notice (last year’s was only packing 288 horsepower).
Zero-to-60 mph runs are over and done with in 3.9 seconds in the Golf R. There’s a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, four-wheel independent suspension, vented disc brakes at all four wheels with cross-drilled rotors up front, variable-ratio steering, XDS cross-differential system and drive-mode selection featuring special and drift modes.
And, not that you were really all that concerned, gas mileage is top-notch for this level of performance: an Environmental Protection Agency-estimated 23 mpg city and 30 mpg highway.
Base price of the Golf R 2.0T is $44,890, and it comes loaded. There are 19-inch alloy wheels on summer tires, three-zone automatic climate control system, Nappa leather seating surfaces, VW’s IQ.Drive active safety suite, adaptive cruise control, Harman Kardon premium audio system with center speaker and subwoofer, and wireless device charging. There’s more – in fact so much more that your eyes would just glaze over reading it here. That’s what VW’s website is for.
And that’s it. Our tester had no extra-cost options. With $995 destination charge, the as-tested price is $45,885.
Tech disqualifier
The only downside is VW’s approach to in-cabin tech.
Easy-to-grab and -use buttons and dials are gone in this generation of the Golf, replaced by functions buried in screen menus and capacitive touch buttons that give no positive feedback. All that increases the need to look away from the road to see whether you’ve done what you wanted to do or not. I’d hate that in any car. In serious drivers’ cars like the GTI and Golf R, it’s a massive disqualifier.
I know it seems like once tech takes over, you can’t go back, but that’s not strictly true. Forty years ago, Nissan was telling us the future involved cars with voices saying things like “lights are on” and “door is ajar” – and that ended really quickly.
In August, the Swedish automobile magazine Vi Bilagare published a comprehensive test of 11 modern cars and one 17-year-old Volvo. It found the old Volvo was the safest in terms of the amount of time required to perform a function while driving. Hopefully, the manufacturers are listening. Meanwhile, enthusiast drivers can certainly voice their displeasure.
Mike Hagerty, vice president of membership for Western Automotive Journalists, has been writing about cars since 1997. Read more of his reviews at MikeHagertyCars.com and follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/mikehagertycars.
