The Volkswagen Golf R – Making life a little bit more special

They say that a car is a reflection of its owner’s personality. No matter what type or make, we enthusiasts see our ride as our ‘sayang’ and a unique representation of who we are. Much like how we dress, where we stay, what we eat, the cars we drive becomes part of the image of how we want others to see us. And there are those who couldn’t care less about social appearances but instead seeking the reward of self gratification.

Regardless of one’s motives, one thing holds true; we would aspire to own a car that makes us feel – special.

Which brings us to the car in question here; The Golf R Mk 7.5,

The Golf is one hatchback that I’ve discussed in great length here, having own a Mk VI 1.4l TSI myself. 8-years into it’s ownership, I am more than pleased with how the car is performing today after items such as mechatronics, weak piston rings, clutch packs that gave the brand a notorious reputation were changed to updated and improved components. After almost a decade, she’s as sprightly as she was the day I took her home, save couple of chip marks here and there.

I’ve driven the latest Mk 7.5 1.4TSI R-line and find that it is a worthy successor to my Mk 6.

I’ve taken the latest Mk 7.5 2.0TSI GTI out and felt it lives up to its GTI moniker, perfect for the enthusiast.

But none of them commands the attention and respect of the R. More so an R that only has 3-doors

 

Design

In June 2018, Volkswagen Passenger Cars Malaysia (VPCM) announced that a special batch of 3-door Golf R units is now open for booking. The very exclusive 3-door Golf R is limited to only 10 units in Malaysia, and is offered in Lapiz Blue.

Aesthetic appeal being subjective, I find that 3-door Golfs are the perfect manifestation of the Golf – sporty, edgy with lots of roguish attitude thrown in, especially with those sexy black 19” Pretoria alloy wheels. Just be careful when you swing that door – it’s much heavier than how it looks and it is a lot longer than the standard 5-door door frame so watch out for narrow parking spaces. The other ‘mild’ inconvenience is reserved for those who have to ferry more than one additional passenger; getting in and out of the rear can be a bit of a hassle but really, it’s a small price to pay to be seen in this rare beauty.

Quad tail pipes, sequential ‘matrix’ LED signal lights and an ‘R’ ensures no one mistaken this hot hatch to be just a regular Golf.

 

Performance

Now we come to the part that truly sets this car apart from any other car in the market and there are two things;

First is the engine; a 2.0TSI turbocharged engine with a power output of 290PS and a maximum torque of 380Nm between 2,000 to 5,400rpm. The GTI was quick – this is blisteringly fast. I can confirm that the 0-100km/h is dispatched in just 5.1 seconds is true (though it feels a lot quicker when you’re the one flooring it with Launch Control activated but I couldn’t confirm the electronically limited top speed of 250km/h is true; we seldom have that kind of opportunity to traverse at that kind of velocity.

Nevertheless, the R feels well-planted on at almost any speeds, even in curvy back roads thanks to its 4MOTION all-wheel drive system.  4MOTION is touted as a more efficient version of standard AWD which functions by detecting slippage on individual wheels, it will send more power to the wheel that has more traction. When the road conditions are good, the system reverts back to front wheel drive and this helps to save fuel by minimizing the power output. For those who’ve not driven an AWD system and thinking it’s a piece of technology that’ll allow you to overtake all cars and climb Genting in record time, think again. As capable as the 4MOTION is, it doesn’t replace common sense nor does it compensate for poor driving skills. What it does is giving you a wider margin of control when driven to extremes but it doesn’t defy physics; taking a corner too fast could still result in understeer and an inexperience person may not know how to deal with that in a split second. In my time with it, I find that the threshold for said understeer is less compared to the GTI but to be frank, a good GTI driver can claw back any lost ground if it can corner faster. Still, anyone who’s spent a considerable amount if time in the R will learn to master it and when you’re accustomed to it, wonderful things start to happen.

I love how the engine crackles and pops when driven hastily and it’s not too bumpy when set to COMFORT via its adaptive chassis control so having it as a daily drive is great.

Also unlike the GTI which has a 6-speed wet clutch DSG gearbox, the R gets a 7-speed wet clutch version. Honestly, I can’t tell much difference between them since the 6-speed works so brilliantly and the R’s 7-speed is just as spectacular. Never once will you catch this gear confused with which gear to take when taking any bends and when you need to slow down, it’ll just blip the revs up on its own as it downshifts for you.

 

Cabin Convenience

Inside, it is what you’d expect from a Golf with a few extra bits over a regular Golf. The R ‘Vienna’ perforated leather seats and the 9.2” Discover Pro with App-Connect with Gesture Control is not something you’d find elsewhere but the 12.3” Active Info Display is available in the 1.4 Golf R-line and GTI. Being the 3-door variant, there are a few things that’s excluded from a regular 5-door such as keyless entry, Push Start, exterior mirror memory function and seat adjustment is manual. Some might feel for a vehicle this expensive, it’s unacceptable but I can live with this considering the rarity of the 3-door (only 10 units were brought into Malaysia)

• LED headlights with Dynamic Cornering Lights
• LED taillights with Dynamic Indicators and progressive steering

 

Apologies for the somewhat dusty panels but this demonstrates how easy it is for dusts and finger prints to be visible in what’s predominantly a black and grey interior. I’d keep a piece of microfibre cloth in the car.
But aside from that, everything is very practical and easy to use. It doesn’t take long to get accustomed to all vehicle functions and the most time you’re going to be spending on is probably on the headunit which is so intuitive, you’ll be familiar in no time.

The boot space is slightly smaller than a regular Golf at 340litres (380litres in other Golfs) with the rear seats up. 1,233litres can be filled with the rear seats down.

 

Safety

As the most technologically advanced and fastest Golf, the R has the following active and passive safety features;-

• Airbags – driver and front passenger (deactivatable) airbags,
• front side airbags, curtain airbags and driver knee airbag
• Anti-lock Brake System (ABS) with
• Brake Assist (BA) and
• Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD)
• Anti-skid Regulator (ASR)
• Anti-theft alarm system with immobiliser,
• interior monitoring and towing protection
• Automatic Post-Collision Braking System (APCBS)
• Brake pad wear indicator
• Driver Alert System (Rest Assist)
• Electronic Stability Control (ESC)
• Engine Drag Torque Control (EDTC)
• Extended Differential Lock (XDS)
• Hill Hold Control (HHC)
• Intelligent Crash Response System (ICRS)
• ISOFIX child seat anchoring system with top tether
• Proactive Occupant Protection System (POPS)
• Safety-optimised front head restraints
• Seatbelt warning and reminder for front passengers
• Space and weight saving spare wheel
• Speed sensitive electro-mechanical progressive power steering
• Tyre Pressure Loss Indicator (TPLI)
• 3-point height adjustable front seat belts
• 3-point rear seat belts

 

Ownership 

The Golf R 3-door as tested here retails for RM268,888 (price before registration and insurance). The 5-door variant is RM35.5k pricer. Colors available are Lapiz Blue (as tested), Deep Black, Tornado Red, Pure White and Indium Grey.

Like all Volkwagen sold here, the R carries a 5-years unlimited mileage warranty, 3-years free maintenance and 5-years Roadside Assistance.

Is it worth buying?

Well, admittedly the price tag puts many premium compact sedans within reach but coming back to the topic of this review; there are no alternatives to how special an R makes a driver feel. It may be stiffer than a regular Golf but it is still tolerable and the amount of stares you get when you’re driving slow makes you stand out in a way no GTI can. That’s not even talking about the extremely capable engine and power train that makes every driving moment a pleasure. Not many cars can reward you with that extra special feeling.