Words by: Adam Allen
It’s funny how sometimes time can distort memories, isn’t it?
When we last drove Volkswagen’s Golf R over a week of glorious summer weather back in 2022, we were incensed by one feature in particular, and that was its infotainment system along with the accompanying capacitive touch sliders and haptic ‘buttons’ that adorn the steering wheel. We stopped short of calling it a deal breaker, mostly because the R’s excellence is vast enough to make anyone forget about the dread you may endure before performing a simple task like changing the radio station or asking the climate control for some cooler air. Still, this user interface gaffe of the highest order remained but a mile marker in our collective memories of the experience.
We might as well get this box ticked right away- somehow, this time around, it didn’t seem to suck as badly; or at the very least, it wasn’t as frustrating as we recall. Everything is still fundamentally the exact same, it just seemed to be…better. Oh sure, we inadvertently changed radio stations or activated the heated steering wheel by mistake in spirited, steering wheel-twirling driving, but mostly we seemed to coexist with it just fine.
Recently, we were made aware that a 2024 version of the Golf R would be available in the VW press fleet, and would we be interested in having a go in it? The answer is always going to be an emphatic yes, and we asked for it in mid-November with our fingers crossed that maybe Mother Nature would gift us a snowstorm so we could feel what it’s like to drive the uber-Golf in the polar (pun intended) opposite of the conditions from summer 2022. Alas, snow only seems to fly when you aren’t wishing for it, and so nary a flurry flew during its tenure in the Carpages Garage. It didn’t matter; the Golf R is still a riot, snowy streets or otherwise.
There’s a lot of stiff competition in the hot hatch space these days, namely from challengers in the form of the Honda Civic Type R and the Toyota GR Corolla. Both are thoroughly exceptional cars, and regular readers will fondly recall the glowing prose we lavished on both this past summer. But those two seem to be very narrowly focused on track use and hooligan behavior, whereas the Golf R is a much better fully realized package. It is more practical, more refined, and more efficient than those two players making it a very compelling entry into the ‘1 car/1 garage’ game. If there is a situation where the Golf R isn’t an absolute joy to drive, we’d like to see it.
Our tester had the 6-speed manual transmission, and we think this is how every Golf R should be equipped, even if it is just a subtle way of saying thank you to VW Canada for making that dream a reality- sorry Europe, but you’ll have to make do with the DSG dual clutch automatic exclusively. Does the DSG ‘box shift way faster and better than you? Yes. Does it make the Golf R faster? Yes, and not by an insignificant margin, thanks to the additional torque on offer over the DIY transmission. But will you enjoy driving the Golf R as much? That answer we will leave up to you, but with manuals heading towards extinction it’s a no-brainer to us which gearbox we’d have.
Handling positively sparkles when you nudge the Golf R towards some lightly travelled, sinuous roads. You cannot help but smile the first time you toss it into a bend and relish the toothsome front end and how it inspires confidence to grab the uber-Golf by the scruff of the neck and toss it around. It just digs in and just keeps gripping, regardless of the surface quality you are driving on. The trick AWD system plays a starring role here, but the suspension components have been massaged to the point where the Golf R is a legitimate steed for chasing- or leading- some very heady examples of pedigreed sports cars in the twisties. Another Golf R dynamic trait worth celebrating is the braking. The hottest Mark 7 Golfs never offered bragworthy stopping power in the past, but not anymore. The binders bite hard and offer excellent feel, and the beefy hardware showcased behind the 19” wheels are as effective at scrubbing off speed as they are easy on the eyes. The best part, and something the Golf R has always owned in this segment, is that when playtime is done the Golf R wipes that smirk off its face and transitions into the stoic, mature cruiser you want to get home. Ride quality, even in its most aggressive setting, never beats you up and remains appreciably compliant.
Helping impart the feeling of comfort are leather clad thrones that fail to eclipse the Type R’s seats in terms of outright excellence, but they do come oh-so-close. They are also pleasing to look at and have the ‘R’ embroidered into the headrests. They follow a similar minimalistic template that permeates the entire cabin- there’s little to distract those on board from the car’s mission of smiles-per-miles. Rear seat occupants will be able to endure longer trips in comfort and if you ask your Golf R to be a grocery getter or Home Depot transporter, fold the seats down and try not to grin smugly at how much stuff this thing can hold. We’ll also bestow a shout out to the audio system which like the infotainment, somehow seemed better this time around.
For those waiting for the other shoe to drop after exhaustively praising the Golf R might be wondering when that would occur since we already got the maddening touch interface out of the way. We would hate to disappoint our loyal legions of fans, so we will start by bemoaning the engine. No, not its performance or soundtrack or even its efficiency, because those are all fantastic. It’s the ugly, naked snake’s nest vibe that you’re greeted with when you pop the hood. We miss the days of engine porn but would welcome a generic plastic slab to cover up this haphazard appearance- or at least ask for a minimal effort from VW in sprucing up the place.
Some people will attempt to take their complaining game to the next level by pointing out that our testers price of $50,145 is way too high for ‘just a Golf’. We respectfully disagree, mostly because those people are flat out wrong. Volkswagen didn’t cut any corners in the engineering that went into this gem of a car, and that shows when you think about the huge bandwidth on offer that never misses an opportunity to flatter its driver. Simply put, this car feels like it is worth every penny; and even with the sometimes-distorting lens of time in play, it remains a truly amazing car. That’s if you can find one- these cars are highly desirable and are extremely hard to get your hands on one; winter or summer, the season you’re in matters not. Act fast; this one’s special.
2024 Volkswagen Golf R — Specifications
- Price as tested: $50,145
- Body Type: 4-door, 5 passenger hatchback
- Powertrain Layout: Front engine/all-wheel drive
- Transmission: 6-speed manual
- Engine: 2.0 litre turbocharged inline-four, DOHC, 16 valves
- Horsepower: 315 @ 5,900 rpm
- Torque (lbs-ft.): 280 @ 1,900 rpm
- Curb weight: 1,524 kg (3,360 lbs)
- Observed Fuel Consumption: 11.1 L/100km (21 mpg)