This is one of the most useless roadtests I ever did.
But nevertheless lots of fun.
Have you ever seen a cat in panic on a wooden floor?
I'm driving the new VW Golf R.
The R has always been the most powerful of the range.
Ans as it gets better every generation,
this is the fastest production Golf ever.
And all that power on a frozen lake.
It has the same 2-liter engine as the GTI, but with more power.
300 HP and 380 Nm. Chanceless on ice, but so much fun.
With hand shifting it goes from 0 to 100 km/h in 5,1 seconds.
With DSG that's 4,9 seconds.
The first time ever for a Golf to do it in less than 5 seconds.
Not here. But here it is capable of other things.
Of course VW aren't stupid. The R comes with 4WD.
In the basic it is front wheel driven.
A Haldex clutch sends torque to the rear when needed.
On top it has electronic slip differentials on both front and rear axle.
Unlike the GTI, the R has ESP that can be switched off completely.
Just switch it to Race and everything is up to yourself. What fun!
It is rather easy to get it in a drift.
Enter the curve with some speed, lift your foot and the rear comes over.
Steer back and lower your foot a bit and there you go.
Of course, the tires have more spikes than a gothic teenager's jacket.
But when you lose grip, it's great.
This track is several kilometers, and every lap you get to know it better.
The first rule while drifting is:
Always look at where you want to go.
Another long curve.
For an R the sound is far too cultivated.
Until you rev it up. But that won't happen this often on tarmac.
The R has progressive steering. Not that this matters much here, but we know it from the GTI.
The new R is already on sale, and cheaper that the old version.
The CO2-emission is lower, so taxes are less.
As if I could care less about global warming on this place on earth.
AutoWeek Verdict: +Fast +Grip -Sound -Feel