Review: 2015 Volkswagen Golf R

by Collin Woodard 

A few months ago, the car world was rocked with some amazing news: Not only was the Volkswagen Golf R going to be available with nearly 300 horsepower and AWD, it was also going to be available with a manual transmission. On paper, it sounded like a car enthusiast’s wet dream. In practice though, would it be any good? Luckily, Matt was going to be in New Zealand, so once again, I got the call up to the big leagues. You want me to drive the hottest of hatches, Matt? Yeah, I can do that.

So how was the Golf R? Was it actually better than the GTI, or was it just heavier and more expensive? Not to completely ruin the whole review here, but the Golf R really is good. It’s really good. It’s “better than the GTI” good. Yes, it’s that good.

I was originally supposed to drive the DSG-equipped Golf R first, but someone walked off with the key to that one, and apparently that makes it difficult to turn a car on, so Volkswagen called down to the parking garage, made some magic happen, and produced one with a manual transmission. Yes please.

I eventually did drive one with the DSG, and it’s still a fine transmission, but the Golf R is a car that deserves a manual, and unless you plan on using it to commute every day in hellacious rush hour traffic, you owe it to yourself to get the manual. The clutch is quite light, making it not only easy to drive, but also theoretically easy to drive in fairly heavy traffic. There aren’t really any surprises with the Volkswagen manual, and that’s a good thing. I didn’t really have to spend time figuring it out and could instead just get straight to driving.

Speaking of driving, if you’re going to drive the Golf R, you’ll want to put it in Race mode. There are other modes, but race mode is the best mode. If you want to drive somewhere other than public roads, you also get the option to turn off traction control and stability control. If you’re going to drive on public roads, please be a pal and don’t turn them completely off though. Nobody wants to see a perfectly good Golf R wrapped around a tree or rolled down a cliff.

Even during very aggressive driving, Race mode should be plenty of fun on the streets, especially if you make sure to order yours equipped with Dynamic Chassis Control. Without DCC, Race mode still gives you more aggressive performance and more exhaust noise, but especially in hairpin turns, you can feel a some understeer that DCC eliminates.

For you purists who don’t like to be deceived with fake exhaust sounds being piped through your speakers, you should know that the Golf R’s exhaust note is pure pipe and resonator. I actually really wish I’d gotten a picture of the presenter’s face when someone asked if any of the cabin noise was electronic. It was pure, “Why would we do that?” Even without electronic assistance, the exhaust sounded great. You’re not going to get any snarl or pop out of it, but I think it’s fitting with the “grown up” nature of Golf R. If you really want to change it, I’m sure there are plenty of tuners that will sell you an aftermarket exhaust to go with their ECU tunes.

Where the R really shone was on roads that were curvy but not hairpin sharp. There, you could really take advantage of the power and the handling and just enjoy the drive. 292 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque isn’t going to melt your face or blow your mind, but it is usually enough to press you into your seat and make you feel the acceleration. After testing the acceleration many times, I can confirm that the Golf R was actually quite fast. My face was never melted, but it felt quite quick, and it’s definitely faster than the GTI while still being just as fun, if not more fun, than the GTI in the corners.

When the time came to head back to the hotel, and the road straightened out, I just put it in Comfort mode, turned on the radio, and relaxed. Much like the GTI, when you’re not carving corners, the Golf R is still a Golf, which means it still feels well built, fairly quiet, comfortable, and refined. You won’t be out-hypermiling the TDI, but even with all that extra power and AWD, it’s still rated at 30 mpg highway. Even in a world of 29 mpg Corvettes, I still think that’s pretty good.

There’s a lot to be said for a car that is built to just be a great car, and I think Volkswagen nailed that with the Golf R. They took what was already great about the GTI and made it better. If you’re looking for pure performance, you’ll probably be happier with the M235i or the WRX STI, but if you’re looking for refinement and everyday driving practicality as well, it’s going to be hard to beat the Volkswagen Golf R, even if the one you want is going to cost you nearly $40k.

If you can afford to buy two separate cars, you can definitely buy something that will be a better daily driver and something else that will be a better sports car, but when it comes to finding one car that can legitimately do both well, the Golf R comes out looking like a pretty darn good deal. Plus, don’t forget that you can still buy it with a manual.

The Smoking Tire
The Smoking Tire’s YouTube Channel