Long-term test: Volkswagen Golf R

Verdict

The Golf R continues to impress as a car that really can do (almost) everything. It’s as capable of sorting the school run as it is running laps around Goodwood, and I reckon it’ll come into its own as winter sets in and the roads get more treacherous.

• Mileage: 8,032 miles
• Efficiency: 32.4mpg

Many people consider the humble hot hatch to be a jack of all trades. Something that can do the school run or hop to the shops, before transforming into a scintillating sports car the moment the road opens up.

But to find out if the latest Volkswagen Golf R is the consummate single-car solution, I subjected it to the ultimate test: a track day. And no ordinary track day either; my plan was to join my colleagues at evo magazine for their last organised session of the season – around the Goodwood Motor Circuit in West Sussex.

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I’m lucky that in this job, I’ve driven on lots of race tracks, but I was worried that the Golf would feel out of its depth – and that’s before you consider that most of the other drivers knew their cars inside out; I’d only had the VW for a month or so at the time.

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The sessions were divided into 15-minute slots, and there was no telling what you’d be jostling for track space with until you rolled into the pit lane. My first run saw me sitting with an Alpine A110, a Porsche Cayman GT4, a current-generation Honda Civic Type R, a BMW M3 Touring and a Nissan R35 GT-R.

Following that first stint, familiarising myself with the track and trying not to get edged out by stiffened supercars, I came away a little despondent. Where the Golf felt too firm on the road, it rolled more than expected through fast changes of direction. The gearbox was quick to shift, but I found myself wanting more revs. The optional Akrapovic exhaust also didn’t feel worthy of its £3,395 premium.

But with every subsequent session I became more connected with the car; generating extra heat in the tyres meant more grip, which in turn meant more speed. Better learning the rev pattern resulted in smoother gearchanges, only aided by the Black Edition’s more tactile shift paddles. The Golf R impressed with its straight-line speed; the tried and tested 2.0-litre turbo engine more than held its own.

The brakes were fantastic and completely resisted fade, proving consistent lap after lap. The ‘R’ drive mode, accessed via a steering-wheel shortcut button, put the Golf in its most highly strung settings, while another press let the car relax in ‘Eco’ for the cool-down lap.

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Of course, the best bit about the Golf R is its duality. It’ll take a pounding on track – over four sessions and 1h 20min, it averaged just 9.4mpg, and used more than three-quarters of a tank of super-unleaded – before slinking submissively into its normal routine, and the 60-mile slog back up the A3 to London.

Despite its recent track time, the car’s long-term fuel economy is improving. It’s still pretty thirsty in town – no thanks to the intermittent stop-start system, which displays little rhyme or reason as to when or why it chooses not to function – but on a run I’m seeing close to 40mpg. Over the first 2,500-odd miles, I’m averaging 32.4mpg, which I don’t think is too bad, considering this car’s performance.

Other downsides? The wireless charging pad overheats, occasionally causing the Apple CarPlay connection to cut out. The car’s trick all-wheel drive system – which offered unflappable traction on track, and will no doubt come into its own as the temperature starts to drop – cuts boot space by 40 litres to 341. We’re a family of three and struggle to fit in everything we need for a weekend away. The cabin is cramped too, making it truly tight if we ever want to squeeze five in for a short trip. 

But I can forgive the odd failing. The comfy seats, extensive kit list and instant throttle response make it a talented all-rounder that’s well worthy of any hot-hatch shortlist.

Volkswagen Golf R: first fleetwatch

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A quick Co-op pit stop turned the Golf’s oddly shaped cubby into a perfectly practical feature

Something that’s been puzzling me more than most lately is the odd, oblong-shaped storage space on the centre console. It’s seemingly useful for little more than a pen or pencil, and I’d questioned its purpose ever since the car arrived in early September. But then, after an impromptu Co-op meal deal on a recent Auto Express road test, it clicked: it’s perfect for your favourite sweet snack.

Volkswagen Golf R: first report

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Performance Golf takes us on a high-speed trip down Memory Lane, but is it fit for a family?

• Mileage: 5,658 miles
• Efficiency: 29.1mpg

If you enjoyed our recent hot-hatch twin test, you’ll surely not mind reading through another page on one of their toughest and best-established rivals: the Volkswagen Golf R.

It’s the latest addition to the Auto Express fleet and is a car I hold particularly close to my heart. To understand why, you’ll need to rewind the best part of a decade, when I grabbed the keys to VW’s then-new Mk7 Golf R for the two-week festive break. I’d been using it to tour the country, seeing family and friends, loaded with gifts and other gubbins; everything my then-fiancée and I would need for a fortnight away from home.

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Yet I don’t think I was prepared for the lasting effect it would have on me – that’s me, reminiscing in the main image. It spent a lot of its time slogging between London, Hampshire and Devon, but when it wasn’t sitting at an indicated 70mph on a monotonous stretch of the M4 or A303, it transformed into one of the finest all-rounders I’ve driven. Compliant, fun on the right road and, from what I remember, blisteringly quick point-to-point.

So, I’m really intrigued to live with the newly updated Mk8.5 for the next few months. My life has transformed since that fast and furious Christmas of 2015; with a young daughter in tow, I’ve now got my reservations about whether or not the Golf will be big enough for our needs – a big ask, following on from a BMW 5 Series Touring.

Another area I’m looking forward to unpicking is the latest Golf’s cabin. There was plenty of furore when the eighth-generation car launched in 2020, with complaints about quality and the clucky user interface, some of which the company claims to have fixed for this facelifted model. There’s still a lot of touch-sensitive surfaces, but the whole thing feels reasonably well screwed together.

So it should; our car is the all-singing, all-dancing Golf R Black Edition, priced at an eye-watering £53,845 including options. And yes, I know it’s white – maybe that’s a conversation topic for a future report –  but there are plenty of dark details that mark it out from the regular car. 

Included in the standard kit list are the black 19-inch Estoril alloy wheels, black mirror caps, black strips on the radiator grille and headlights, black brake callipers and black badges. This flagship model also gets its electronic speed limiter removed, meaning, in theory, it can hit 168mph flat out.

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On top of all that, my car has almost £7,000 of options, including an upgraded Akrapovic exhaust system, a panoramic tilt-and-slide sunroof, and adaptive chassis control. I’m also making good use of the area-view 360-degree cameras when parking. Given the choice, I’d probably not spend £810 on ‘carbon decorative inserts’, although they do look smart.

The final, and probably most important option, is the retailer-fit Vodafone SCD60 S5 Thatcham Tracker with a six-month subscription: one of those things you hope you won’t need, but are grateful to have. It’ll help me sleep at night, along with the fact that I keep the keys in a sealed Faraday bag.

Shamefully, the car has so far been largely restricted to airport runs and taxi trips to swimming lessons and girl guides, but I’ll be stretching its legs in the coming weeks – with a number of longer journeys and even (hopefully) a track day with my friends and colleagues over at evo magazine.

As I start to get stuck in, I’m hoping I'll see some improvement in the stated fuel economy, which is currently hovering around 29mpg. I don’t miss having to plug the car in every night – as I did with my 530e – but I’m undoubtedly spending more time at the pumps. Still, there has to be some trade-off for the pleasure of running a five-seat family hatchback with 328bhp and the ability to sprint from 0-62mph in 4.6 seconds…

*Insurance quote from AA (0800 107 0680) for a 42-year-old in Banbury, Oxon, with three points.

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