Last month, a mysterious prototype of the Volkswagen Golf R was spotted testing at the Nurburgring, and more recently, the same car arrived at the German track again.
Rumor has it that it has the same turbocharged 2.5-liter five-cylinder engine as the Audi RS3 Sportback, which may be tuned to produce 420 PS (414 hp / 309 kW), or an extra 20 PS (19 HP) over the Audi.
If the info turns out to be correct, then the Golf R420 (name unconfirmed) will have 120 PS (118 hp / 88 kW) more than the updated Golf R, which lost 10 PS (10 hp / 7 kW) in order to comply with the new WLTP emission standards.
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More importantly, with all that power channeled to the 4Motion all-wheel drive system, the alleged Golf R420 will become the new mega hatch king in terms of power.
This would allow it to fight against the likes of the upcoming Mercedes-AMG A45, expected next year with in excess of 400 horses, but it would also pose a threat to the Audi RS3 Sportback – which is why, if it’s indeed approved for production, it might be a limited run.
With an all-new Golf coming next year, it would make sense for VW to send off Golf Mk7 with such a special, though we’re not sure if it would make it faster than the RS3. Moreover, while the latter’s five cylinder would, in theory, fit in the Golf’s engine bay, it’s doubtful the company would go to all that trouble instead of tuning the R’s 2.0-liter four.
Anyway, this is all speculation and guesstimates right now, so we’ll have to wait and see what, if anything, that blue Golf R is hiding. Since the clock is ticking for the Mk7’s demise, something tells us it won’t be long before we find out.