Starting from today, UK consumers interested in Volkswagen’s all-new Golf R can go ahead and visit one of the brand’s showrooms to place their orders in for the most powerful production Golf yet, with first deliveries scheduled for March 2014.
The price you’ll pay for owning the 296bhp (300PS) all-wheel drive Golf R is £29,900 for the three-door model with six-speed manual gearbox, and £31,315 for the three-door with six-speed DSG transmission, while the five-door versions cost £30,555 and £31,970 respectively.
Powering VW’s seventh-generation hot hatch is a newly developed version of the four-cylinder 2.0-litre turbocharged EA888 TSI petrol engine borrowed from the latest Golf, but modified to deliver 296bhp (300PS) from 5,500 to 6,200 rpm and 380 Nm (280 lbs ft) from 1,800 to 5,500 rpm. VW says that the changes made to the GTI’s unit include a modified cylinder head, exhaust valves, valve seats and springs, pistons, injection valves and turbocharger.
With the manual gearbox, the new Golf R will shoot to 62mph (100km/h) in 5.3 seconds (older model: 5.7 seconds), and with the optional dual-clutch transmission, in even less, at 4.9 seconds, while in both cases, top speed is restricted to 155mph (250km/h).
The Germans quote a combined fuel consumption of 39.8 mpg UK (40.9 mpg DSG), and CO2 emissions of 165 g/km (159 g/km DSG), stating that the new model is up to 18 per cent more efficient than its predecessor.
Notably, as with all Mk7 Golfs, the new R is lighter than the outgoing model, with a kerb weight of 1,476 kg or 3,254 lbs (1,495 kg for DSG), which is 45 kg or 99 lbs (46 kg for DSG) less than the Mk VI, and 94 kg or 207 pounds (93 kg for DSG) more than the GTI with Performance Pack.
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