The facelifted Volkswagen Golf R is now available for order, starting at £43,320. Interestingly, this new price is £990 less than before, even though the model has received an increase in power and remarkable enhancements to its digital interfaces.
The turbocharged 2.0-litre engine has been boosted from 316bhp to 329bhp, reducing the hatchback’s 0-62mph time by 0.1 seconds to 4.6 seconds, while the heavier Golf R Estate achieves the same in 4.8 seconds. The updated EA888 petrol engine also promises quicker responses, with tweaks to the software that adjust gear shifts in the Comfort drive mode and introduce exhaust pops and crackles from around 2500rpm.
Inside, the Golf R has undergone a substantial digital upgrade, featuring a 12.9-inch infotainment touchscreen as standard, complete with top and bottom shortcut bars. The touch-sensitive temperature slider now includes backlighting, addressing previous customer feedback. A special skin on the 10.2-inch digital instrument screen includes a motorsport-inspired horizontal rev counter.
For those opting for the Performance package, additional features include a GPS-based lap timer, g-force meter, and a torque visualiser. The new Black Edition trim, priced from £44,570, offers a blacked-out aesthetic, 19-inch alloy wheels, and a larger roof-mounted spoiler.
The Golf R Estate starts at £44,685, which is £1870 less than before. Customer deliveries are expected to begin in October. The Mk8.5 Golf R might be the last R-badged car with a combustion engine, as the ninth-generation Golf will transition to electric powertrains only, aligning with Volkswagen’s plan to go all-electric by 2035.