2022 Volkswagen Golf R Will Drift into Your Dreams with 235Kw
Is a classic hot hatch formula complete with a six-speed manual is worth waiting for? I’ve converted the US horsepower and torque numbers into “Australian’ specifications for this read into the 2022 VW Golf R
- 2022 Volkswagen Golf R will produce 235Kw and 420Nm of torque, 20Kw over previous Golf R
- Volkswagen Golf R will be the most powerful production Golf
- Six-speed manual standard with turbo 2.0 TSI inline-four, seven-speed DSG optional?
The announcement of the new Volkswagen Golf R has been kept well hidden from right-hand drive markets and particularly here in the land down under. I’m pleased to be able to provide this much information courtesy of autoweek.com. My fervent hope is that we’ll see it in 2021 rather than waiting until 2022.
Story courtesy of Jay Ramey
“Not every halo car needs to be a supercar, and that VW’s Golf R exists is a minor miracle in itself, given just how much the hot hatch market has shrunk in the U.S. and even in Europe. And the latest Golf R’s debut once again reflects Wolfsburg’s commitment to its enthusiasts, even if the latest hot hatch is now almost without rivals in its own unique niche. Being the most powerful production Golf ever is merely icing on the cake.
What will the Golf R offer when it lands stateside?
For starters, 235Kw and 420Nm of torque, numbers requiring a V8 underhood not that long ago. That’s more than the first-gen Audi A8 served up with a 4.2-liter eight-cylinder underhood, lest we forget, and it’s a 20Kw bump over the outgoing Golf R. The result is a 4.7-second 0 to 100 launch time and an electronically limited top speed of 250 kph, though we have a feeling that without a governor the Golf pulls well past that mark.
Doing the work underhood is a turbocharged 1,984-cc four-cylinder TSI engine. In addition to serving up 20 extra horses over the outgoing model it offers ?? extra Nm of torque, on tap from 2,100 to 5,350 rpm. A six-speed manual transmission is standard, as you would expect, while a seven-speed DSG dual-clutch automatic is optional, controlled by paddles on the steering wheel.
Keeping that V8-like power in check is a full time job, one the Golf R accomplishes with 4Motion all-wheel drive spiced up with torque vectoring. This system serves up selective wheel torque control on the rear axle, with the new rear differential distributing power between the rear and front axles, and also among the two rear wheels.
“The differential from the 4Motion drive system normally transfers the power in a 50:50 ratio via a multi-plate clutch to the left and the right-hand rear wheels, even when the differential lets them rotate at different speeds when cornering,” Volkswagen notes. “The new 4Motion all-wheel-drive system with torque vectoring, however, can also distribute the torque variably between both rear wheels, with up to 100 per cent able to be directed to the wheel on the outside of the bend.”
Perhaps a more impressive figure than the 4.7-second sprint time, the new Golf R has managed to shave 17 seconds off the previous model’s Nordschleife lap time. So it’s more than just a quick launcher — handling at the limit is where the Golf should dazzle. And VW test drivers told us it already dazzled them on the ‘ring.
What’s more, the DCC adaptive damping system and the electronic differential locks now talk to each other, thanks to a Vehicle Dynamics Manager (VDM) system. The result is optimal agility and traction in all types of driving, especially at the limit, with a multi-strut setup up front and a multi-link suspension in the rear. Volkswagen points out that the anti-roll bar and spring rates have been increased by 10 per cent compared to the outgoing model.
“The Vehicle Dynamics Manager also enables exact calculation of optimal clutch control for the selective wheel torque control function to further optimize the agility and stability of the Golf R,” Volkswagen explains. “In parallel to this, targeted braking intervention on the vehicle side on the inside of a bend further reduces understeer in the transition and limit ranges. Traction is improved by increased locking in the selective wheel torque control, and vehicle handling is slightly more biased towards the rear.”
Of course, impressive grip is a big part of any Golf R, but it’s not the only part. A Drift Mode is also available, for track use only VW cautions.
On the inside, the Golf R features a configurable Digital Cockpit instrument panel and a 10-inch Discover Pro touchscreen display. The Golf R’s instrument panel is tailored to this model, of course, offering several layouts controlled by steering-wheel-mounted buttons, in addition to offering a 3D look with numerical fields, Volkswagen calls the R-View, featuring a horizontal rev counter at the top location of the display.
Volkswagen has also reworked the R’s interior, serving up sport seats with Nappa leather seating surfaces, and carbon-look elements in the side sections. The heated, multifunction leather steering with haptic buttons features blue contrast stitching, as well as a dedicated R button for selecting driving profiles. Pressing it forcefully also activates the Race profile.
In keeping with tradition, the Golf R also looks fast. It wears a unique front bumper with a motorsport-style splitter as well as enlarged air intake grilles. And the grille itself has a blue crossbar that’s actually an LED strip, lighting up and linking the two headlights together and acting as the hatch’s daytime running lights. Sitting 0.8 inches lower than the standard Golf, the R also wears 19-inch aluminum-alloy wheels in a design specific to this model, shod in summer performance tires. Unique side skirts further set the R apart from base Golf hatches, as do blue brake calipers and chrome mirror caps projecting the R logo onto the pavement. The rear bumper, meanwhile, features a high-gloss black diffuser also unique to this model, housing twin chrome-plated tailpipes.
There are just three exterior colors on the menu: the signature Lapiz Blue Metallic, in addition to Deep Black Pearl Effect and Pure White. (Ed. At least for the USA – hopefully we’ll get a better pallet)
When will we see and hear the Golf R’s exhaust growl?
Not for a while, unfortunately. The car goes go on sale stateside in the second half of 2021 as a 2022 model. Pricing will be announced closer to the start of sales. Still, that gives Wolfsburg fanatics some time to save up.
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Hello. I’m Bob Aldons, the owner and editor of The Car Guy.
The Car Guy is an independently owned car review website. I’m currently testing cars for Mazda, Nissan, Kia, Suzuki, Mitsubishi, Renault, Subaru, and Hyundai. Through Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport I’m also writing about the 2020 Formula 1 season
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