Car New | 2017 Volkswagen Golf R gets more power

Car New | 2017 Volkswagen Golf R gets more power

With the help of dual-clutch automatic transmission, Wolfsburg’s hot hatch is quicker than the Ford Focus RS.

The power race is certainly on…

It’s not just for the sake of competition but also for Volkswagen’s own game. After revealing the facelifted Golf last month in regular and GTI forms, the Wolfsburg lads have now unveiled the R variant.

As to keep the model lineup properly aligned, the fastest Golf gets a 2.0-litre petrol-turbo engine uprated to 310hp and 400Nm, up by 10hp and 20Nm. As a result, the 0-100kph time falls by three-tenths of second, at 4.6sec, when equipped with seven-speed dual-clutch automatic and 4Motion all-wheel-drive.

The GTI, in contrast, has a power rating of 230hp in standard guise and 245hp in Performance trim, up by 10hp and 15hp respectively in the pre-facelift model.

That power rating puts the Golf R and par with today’s Honda Civic Type R but 40hp short of the Ford Focus RS. But because its rivals make do with just a manual gearbox, the Golf R is quicker than both in the 0-100kph run. The Focus RS, for one, requires 4.7sec.

Cool! Where can I get one?

The Golf R has never been sold via the Thai Volkswagen importer, so you would probably have to head for independent channels.

But here are some good news. Since the Golf R has a CO2 rating of 180g/km, it can be subject to 35% excise tax. Previously, it was hit by 50% before the new CO2 rules came into effect in Thailand this year.

This means that the updated Golf R should cost just over 3 million baht. For some perspective, the Subaru WRX STI officially costs some 3.3 million baht in Thailand and comes with 310hp 2.5-litre turbocharged flat-four and six-speed manual gearbox.

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