In the city, the number drops to 23 mpg, averaging out to 26 mpg combined. It’s also smooth and quiet over most roads, has a spacious back seat, and it even gets 30 mpg on the highway. With the seats folded down, there’s 52.7 cubic feet of cargo volume in the back, which was enough to hold two side tables, camping chairs, a cooler, a few suitcases, board games, and a myriad of other things during a recent moving day. This is simply one of the most well-rounded cars you can buy. I already appreciated the car for its quickness and agility, but its daily driving practicality is the cherry on top.
2003 GL GOLF HATCHBACK INTERIOR DRIVER
Day to dayĪrriving back home, I settled the R into its Individual Mode, which allows the driver to customize steering weight, engine noise (thanks to VW’s synthetic “ Soundaktor”), transmission aggressiveness, and suspension rigidity separately. It’s worth noting that DCC is not standard on the $36,595 base model, but it comes along with the $39,090 DCC and Nav version. The car’s 4Motion and Dynamic Chassis Control (DCC) systems work together to nearly eliminate understeer as well, pushing the rear end out and stiffening the shocks nicely when coerced. Needless to say, it’s an exciting way to get to the speed limit. If you don’t have time for that, the R boasts a nifty Launch Control function that holds the revs at about 4,000 rpm while you stand on the brake. With that much power coming from a 2.0-liter engine, there’s bound to be some turbo lag, and there is a smidge of it here, especially from a stop. At the famed Nurburgring, VW set a time of 8:15, which is over a second quicker than the original Honda NSX. The 2016 R model is the fastest and most powerful Golf to ever land on American shores, and it’s capable of 0 to 60 mph in 4.9 seconds (although various outlets have clocked it as low as 4.5) and tackles the quarter-mile in just over 13. If only we could say the same about ourselves. Using a combination of German engineering and electronic witchcraft, the Golf R is quick when you want it, comfy when you need it, and it can change its attitude on a whim. The occasionally harsh surfaces let us highlight the different driving modes clearly, as switching to the Comfort setting softened everything back up, enlisting adaptive dampers to mitigate bumps and back the chassis out of combat mode. It turned out to be the perfect showcase for the car, as the 37-mile highway features more twists and turns than a basket of curly fries, but it wasn’t just that. My passengers and I were driving along Route 242, a scenic highway that runs from beautiful Sisters, Oregon across the Cascades Mountain range. It’s the performance though - the surge of power and sharp handling - that are really worth the price of admission. For under $40,000, this is simply one of the most well-rounded cars you can buy, as it blends sports car speed with hatchback practicality, accented by blue ambient lighting and a smooth ride. I toured the Pacific Northwest extensively in the Reflex Silver four-door, and over that time, I got to know the vehicle’s quirks, charms, and varying attitudes. When I heard we were getting a long-term Golf R for testing at DT, I pushed to the front of the line and put my name on the list. Under the brilliant Pacific sun, I fell in love with its 292-horsepower engine, adaptably sharp suspension, and comfortable cabin. I got my first glimpse at the Golf R back in January at the vehicle’s first drive event in San Diego, California. “That’s what Race Mode does,” I answered. In what seemed like an instant, we were through.
An electro-hydraulically operated clutch engaged the rear axle, distributing power evenly across all four wheels for optimum grip and cornering speed. A throaty rumble emanated from the turbocharged 2.0-liter in front of me, and as I entered the first turn, I kept my paw down and let the 4Motion all-wheel drive system do the work. The Golf’s 280 pound-feet of torque rocketed the car forward, pushing my torso into the leather-trimmed sport seats as I slammed the gas. S-foils locked in attack position, I responded by putting my foot to the floor. I could immediately feel the suspension hunker down, the steering increase in weight, and the six-speed dual-clutch gearbox downshift. I toggled the Volkswagen Golf R’s Driving Mode selector and chose the icon with the checkered flags inside it, because, well, that’s my kind of button. My passenger had a legitimate question, but I’ve always been a “show, don’t tell” type of person.