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10 reasons to love the Golf R
Volkswagen is celebrating two decades of its hottest hot-hatch with the Golf R 20 Years
Words by: Hannah Hill
Published on 6 February 2023 | 0 min read
Having defined the modern hot-hatch with the original Golf GTI back in the mid-70s Volkswagen pulled the same trick again in 2002 with the first of its ‘R’ branded Golfs. A step above the GTI in performance and prestige, the original Golf R32 introduced more power, all-wheel drive and a more understated look that, over two decades, has evolved as a package into the latest Golf R. To celebrate Volkswagen has created this, the Golf R 20 Years, the most powerful version yet with a garnish of all the best options to create one special celebratory edition.
With production ending mid-way through 2023 and supply strictly limited the window of opportunity to snap up a Golf R 20 Years looks narrow in the extreme. After sampling its talents here are 10 reasons why we think you should!
With production ending mid-way through 2023 and supply strictly limited the window of opportunity to snap up a Golf R 20 Years looks narrow in the extreme. After sampling its talents here are 10 reasons why we think you should!
1. It’s the fastest Volkswagen yet
The Golf R represents the pinnacle of Volkswagen’s high-performance division and is both the fastest accelerating and quickest overall of any production model yet offered by the brand. With the 320 horsepower of the standard Golf R increased to a mighty 333 horsepower the 20 Years version promises an even more exciting drive.
2. It could be a good investment
The Golf R 20 Years is the last hurrah for the model, so it might be a fruitful investment for any Golf enthusiast and, ultimately, your last chance to buy a brand new version. While one in 10 Golfs sold in the UK are Rs VW expects the 20 Years version to account for just a tiny fraction of that, and experience shows fans will covet these rare editions for many years to come, so your money should be safe.
3. It gets the R-Performance package as standard
A £2,000 optional extra on the standard Golf R when it launched, the 20 Years edition gets the R-Performance package included in the price. As well as the familiar Comfort, Sport, Race and Individual driving modes this adds ‘Drift’ and Nürburgring-optimised ‘Special’ modes, a bigger rear spoiler and raised top speed limiter to unleash a maximum speed (where permitted) of 168mph.
4. It wears its special status on its sleeve…
At a glance the Golf R 20 Years visually stands out with its special edition markings, these including a blue R logo on the grille, wings and bootlid, the 19-inch ‘Estoril’ wheels as standard (usually an £890 option) and a distinctive ‘20’ logo on the door pillars.
5. …and even projects it onto the ground!
Another exclusive design element is for this special edition is the ‘puddle light’ that projects the ’20 R’ logo onto the ground from the wing mirrors to remind everyone this is no normal Golf R.
6. It’s just as special on the inside, too
The standard sports seats are upholstered in fine ‘Nappa’ leather – something you’d have to pay another £2,870 for on a regular Golf R. The signature blue R logo also appears on the backrests, on the steering wheel and in the key case supplied with the car while real carbon fibre inserts on the doors and dash lift the ambience still further. This is the first time the material has been used on a production VW!
7. It will be really rare
Remember we said it could be a wise investment? While VW isn’t putting a number on it the Golf R 20 Years will account for no more than 1 per cent of Golfs sold during its limited time on sale. So, it will be a rare gem for every collector out there.
8. It has VW’s fanciest headlights
Volkswagen offers three levels of its LED headlight technology across the Golf range and, inevitably, the Golf R 20 Years gets the fanciest as standard. Known as the IQ.Light LED Matrix headlights, these offer up to 10 partly interactive functions and beam patterns activated according to speed, whether you’re driving on the motorway or in town and anti-dazzle so you don’t blind oncoming drivers.
9. It wants to keep you safe
As the most high-performance and expensive Golf, the R 20 Years version comes with all the driver assistance systems you’d want. As standard you also get the upgraded lane-keeping system with sensors and cameras to detect the edge of the road, rear traffic alert and more.
10.You can make it even better
While the standard specification of the Golf R 20 Years is pretty generous there are ways of making it even more desirable – and expensive. Two extras you might want to consider include the multi-mode DCC adaptive suspension with its 15-step adjustment for the damping. Then there’s the fancy titanium Akrapovic exhaust, which both looks cool under the rear bumper and saves 7kg of weight into the bargain.
