Volkswagen Golf R estate spied

A Volkswagen Golf R estate may not be too far away, as these images prove. Our spies have caught an undisguised estate prototype in full Golf R trim.

As you can see, the Golf R Estate carries over the hot hatch’s understated design, with little more than a chrome bar across the grille, bigger wheels and a few well-placed R badges to distinguish it.

Aside from the extended rear, the most notable additions are dual elliptical tailpipes in place of the Golf R’s quad exhaust set up. It also appears the R Estate’s rear plate will be moved up from the bumper if the car goes into production.  

We tested the third-generation Golf R on ice earlier this year, and the estate will feature the same reworked version of the Golf GTI’s 2.0-litre TSI petrol engine found in the hatch, producing an Audi S3-matching 296bhp and 380Nm of torque.

A single 4MOTION badge also tells us VW’s four-wheel-drive system makes it way over from the hatchback, which should help the estate set close to the Golf R hatch's 0-62mph time of 5.4 seconds with the six-speed manual, or 5.0 seconds if you opt for the £1,415 six-speed DSG box.

Economy and fuel efficiency are also likely to suffer slightly in the R Estate, although the DSG version should still return just over 40mpg and emit a little under 160g/km C02, with the manual managing closer to 38mpg and 167g/km CO2. 

In exchange for a slight loss of performance, the longer estate will benefit from a more spacious interior and should offer around 220 litres of extra boot space with the seats up, and 350 litres more than the Golf R if you fold down the rear seats.

At the moment, there’s no word from VW UK that the car is in the production plan, but if the testing period goes well and the financial case stacks up, expect it to reach showrooms towards the end of this year or in early 2015.