{"id":27042,"date":"2021-03-18T09:50:02","date_gmt":"2021-03-18T13:50:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=27042"},"modified":"2021-03-18T09:50:02","modified_gmt":"2021-03-18T13:50:02","slug":"payne-vw-golf-r-aises-the-bar-a-lot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2021\/03\/payne-vw-golf-r-aises-the-bar-a-lot","title":{"rendered":"Payne: VW Golf R-aises the bar \u2014 a lot"},"content":{"rendered":"

Brimley\u00a0\u2014<\/em>\u00a0Smithers Winter Test Center is a long way from the winding\u00a0canyon roads of the Angeles Crest Highway, where California auto enthusiasts push their steeds. Or N\u00fcrburgring\u2019s \u201cGreen Hell,\u201d Germany\u2019s epic track where manufacturers benchmark their latest weapons. Or Pontiac\u2019s M1 Concourse, where weekend warriors can push the envelope of their daily sports car.<\/p>\n

Heck, Smithers is a long way from anywhere.<\/p>\n

\"With<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Sprawling across 800 acres of frigid tundra 28 miles west of Sault St. Marie in Michigan\u2019s Upper Peninsula, it is a cold climate testing ground for automakers. Earlier this month, I mercilessly flogged Volkswagen\u2019s state-of-the-art performance car, the 315-horsepower Golf R, around Smither\u2019s vast ice pads.<\/p>\n

WAUUGGH! WAUUGGH! WAUUGHH!\u00a0<\/em>went the turbocharged 4-cylinder engine as I flung the hatchback around a sloppy, slush-rutted autocross course. The all-wheel-drive system strained to gain traction. The Pirelli winter tires flung slush onto my windshield. Yet, incredibly, this muscular compact is as confident on ice as it is on dry asphalt.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a testimony to the lengths VW has gone to build\u00a0perhaps the best hot hatch ever conceived.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

The Golf R line (R for Racing) needs no introduction to auto enthusiasts. It took\u00a0Golf’s iconic GTI performance model and injected\u00a0it with steroids. Since its introduction as the R32 in 2004 with a ferocious inline-6 cylinder under its hood, V-dub\u2019s premier\u00a0all-wheel-drive\u00a0compact has been the industry baseline for uber-hatchbacks.<\/p>\n

But it wasn\u2019t until the seventh-gen\u00a02015 model that Golf R really went mainstream, hitting record sales numbers. Just as consumers were giving a cold shoulder to\u00a0hatchback cars and embracing hatchback SUVs, R was hitting its stride.<\/p>\n

With the 2022 Mark 8, Golf R has gone to an even higher level with torque-vectoring AWD and interior tech to die for.<\/p>\n

The torque-vectoring comes courtesy of a rear\u00a0twin-clutch pack that allows R\u2019s electronic brain to throw 100 percent of rear torque to either wheel.\u00a0RROOWWRGGH!<\/em>\u00a0barked the Golf as I slung it sideways around an icy skid pad in Drift\u00a0mode, the front end towing the apex while the rear kicked its legs out like Rogers in an Astaire spin.<\/p>\n

Transition to Smithers\u2019 wet concrete skid pad and the Golf R will do the same, albeit with a greater commitment to throttle to rotate the 3,400-pound beast on the grippier surface. All playing aside, the system\u2019s true calling is found in the dry slalom in Race mode, where the rear end follows the front like a shadow \u2014 the outside wheel speeding up with each flick of the steering wheel to maintain better traction and a tighter turning radius.<\/p>\n

At N\u00fcrburgring, this added grip \u2014 along with a healthy gain of 25 horsepower from the 2.0-liter turbo-4 \u2014 allowed for an impressive\u00a019-second reduction over a 13-mile lap of Green Hell. Its 7 minute, 51 second lap time is on par with the \u2019Ring\u2019s reigning hot hatch king, the scorpion-tailed Honda Civic Type R.<\/p>\n

Math 101: better grip + more power = faster corner exits.<\/p>\n

\"With<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s tech you always want in a car,\u201d VW racing ace and brand ambassador Tanner Faust says. \u201cThe leap from the generation seven to the generation eight Golf R in technology and dynamics is a huge jump.\u201d<\/p>\n

Golf R isn\u2019t the first hot hatch to make use of a torque-vectoring\u00a0twin-clutch rear differential. Ford stuffed it in the 2016 Focus RS that I destroyed Waterford Hills Race Track with a few years back.<\/p>\n

Alas, the Focus RS has disappeared from the U.S. market. I envy European hot shoes who will be able to test the Golf R and Focus RS\u00a0mano a mano.<\/em><\/p>\n

The Golf AWD system\u2019s full capability is accessed via new\u00a0cabin-wrapping screens that match the R\u2019s mechanical upgrades with digital wizardry.<\/p>\n

Six drive modes are accessed via a convenient \u201cR\u201d button on the square-bottom steering wheel. The feature was pioneered by Porsche and has been replicated by other performance brands including Cadillac\u2019s \u201cV-mode\u201d button. The democratization of autos continues as this whiz-bang feature now finds its way to a 40-grand hot hatch.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Press \u201cR\u201d and thumb through Comfort, Sport, Race, Drift, Special\u00a0and Individual modes (the latter configurable to your driving style). I liked Race\u00a0mode, which turned the instrument display into a horizontal digital tachometer like my Lola race car.<\/p>\n

Each mode comes with its own dynamic screen graphic. The digital renderings are richly drawn and anchor multiple pages so you can configure the brakes, steering\u00a0and more. Golfs have been a bit stodgy in their interior tech, and the graphics are a welcome change.<\/p>\n

The triptych cockpit display looks like a gamer\u2019s desktop setup. All the latest digital goodies are here, including wireless Apple CarPlay\/Android Auto for finding your way to remote places like Smithers.<\/p>\n

Elsewhere, the tech is delightfully simple \u2014 like a new chicklet-sized shifter (shades of Porsche 911). This being a hot hatch, you have a six-speed manual option, too.<\/p>\n

All this is wrapped in a hatchback shell that is dimensionally similar to the Mark 7 chassis and oozes utility: comfy front thrones, useful rear seats for your pals, practical boot\u00a0for luggage (not to mention tires, ahem, for track days). But don\u2019t let the familiar dimensions throw you.<\/p>\n

Like the cabin, VW has sexed up the exterior styling.<\/p>\n

The low, raked hood is punctuated by menacing headlights and signature R\u00a0thin-blue grille graphic. The air intake below is a shark\u2019s maw that will get left-lane lollygaggers\u2019 attention when you fill their rear mirrors. Out back, the huge quad pipes are matched by an imposing roof spoiler.<\/p>\n

This new commitment to style is echoed by VW\u2019s attractive first EV ute, the ID.4. As is the R\u2019s athleticism, as I confirmed with some laps around the ice in the ID.4.<\/p>\n

Shopping hot hatches with my son recently, the Mark 7 Golf R\u2019s athleticism was unmatched. But it also came at a price \u2014 $42 grand \u2014 at least $5K\u00a0north of competitors Type R and Mazda3 Turbo. Expect the new R to push $44K\u00a0when it hits lots this fall.<\/p>\n

Available in one, loaded trim, R costs about the same as a rear-wheel-drive ID.4, but with lots more gas-fueled range, performance\u00a0and fun. Typical of government nannies, the EV has been awarded with a $7,500 tax break. Hmph.<\/p>\n

If it were me in charge, I\u2019d give the tax credit to the car that\u2019ll puts the biggest smile on your face. Call it the Grin R.<\/p>\n

2022 Volkswagen Golf R<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Vehicle type: Front engine, all-wheel-drive, 5-passenger compact, hatchback<\/p>\n

Price: est. $44,000 (final pricing in fall closer to delivery, European version as tested)<\/p>\n

Powerplant: 2.0-liter\u00a0turbocharged, inline 4-cylinder<\/p>\n

Power: 315 horsepower, 310 pound-feet torque<\/p>\n

Transmission: 6-speed manual, 7-speed dual-clutch automatic<\/p>\n

Performance: 0-62 mph, 4.7 seconds (mnfr.); top speed, 155 mph<\/p>\n

Weight: 3,450 pounds est.<\/p>\n

Fuel economy: EPA 23 city\/30 highway\/26 combined (auto as tested)<\/p>\n

Report card<\/p>\n

Highs: Carves ice as well as track apexes; big interior tech upgrade<\/p>\n

Lows: Price bump from last gen<\/p>\n

Overall: 4 stars<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Brimley\u00a0\u2014\u00a0Smithers Winter Test Center is a long way from the winding\u00a0canyon roads of the Angeles Crest Highway, where California auto enthusiasts push their steeds. Or N\u00fcrburgring\u2019s \u201cGreen Hell,\u201d Germany\u2019s epic track where manufacturers benchmark their latest weapons. Or Pontiac\u2019s M1 Concourse, where weekend warriors can push the envelope of their daily sports car. Heck, Smithers […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,87],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27042"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27042"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27042\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27043,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27042\/revisions\/27043"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27042"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27042"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27042"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}