VW Brings 2022 Golf R To Michigan To Showcase Its Advanced AWD System Before U.S. Launch

The 2022 Volkswagen Golf R has touched down in the United States and has been snapped drifting in the snow.

These photos of the new hot hatch were taken at the Smithers Winter Test Center near Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan during a recent drive for select members of the media. The Golf R being tested was a European-spec model but the North American specification car will be largely the same.

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One of the key features of the 2022 Golf R is its advanced 4Motion all-wheel drive system. In the old Golf R, this system could send up to 50 per cent of the engine’s power to the rear axle but the new car features an advanced torque vectoring system that uses a rear differential with two multiplate clutches that can distribute up to 100 per cent of the rear torque to an individual rear wheels. VW says this reduces the cornering radius of the car.

“This is one of the key technologies that makes this the best Golf R yet by far,” Volkswagen’s head of technical development for the Golf R, Jan Schiedek-Jacht said in a statement. “It transforms the vehicle, giving a dynamic, intuitive feeling to the driver. It delivers a planted experience on a winding road or track while minimizing over- and understeer.”

The new torque vectoring system has also allowed VW’s engineers to implement a ‘Drift’ mode that changes the stability control parameters and shifts all available rear torque to the outside wheel, initiating the drift.

2022 VW Golf R models sold in the United States will feature a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder with 315 hp and 310 lb-ft (420 Nm). Pricing and availability details haven’t been confirmed with VW simply stating the car will “arrive late this year.”