Volkswagen is wishing the Golf R a contented belated birthday.

When the Golf R 20 Years was revealed for Europe final yr it had been twenty years because the first Golf R32 was launched to sit down above the GTI; by now the thought of a warmer Golf is sufficiently old to legally have a beer within the USA.

Why the delay for Australia? Volkswagen has been struggling to construct sufficient Golf Rs for our market, and determined to carry the 20 Years again because it labored by means of a big backlog of orders.

Simply 50 are sure for our market, and so they go on sale as we speak. First in, greatest dressed.

So, what differentiates the 20 Years from the common Golf R?

The headline act is an Akrapovic exhaust – the one strategy to get one from the manufacturing facility in Australia – however there are many particular bits and items available to justify the steep sticker worth. In spite of everything, that is the costliest Golf ever bought in Australia.

We put it by means of its paces at Sydney Motorsport Park to see the way it stacks up with the common automotive.

How a lot does the Volkswagen Golf R 20 Years value?

The Golf R 20 Years is the costliest Golf ever bought in Australia, with simply 50 models coming to our shores.

Priced from $77,490 earlier than on-road prices, it’ll be bought by means of the Volkswagen Australia web site.

The primary 50 prospects to get on-line will likely be given the possibility to snap up one of many 32 blue or 18 white vehicles; those that miss out will likely be put right into a ready room in case one of many first 50 consumers isn’t in a position to full their transaction.

That sticker worth represents a $8500 impost over the common Golf R Hatch, though the 20 Years packs some extra gear (and the attract of shortage) to justify it.

What’s the Volkswagen Golf R 20 Years like on the within?

There are a number of modifications relative to a daily Golf R, however the fundamentals are the identical – for higher and worse.

What’s new? The carbon-fibre trim on the dashboard is actual, not plastic with a racy print on it, and all of the choices from the common R have been fitted as normal. Which means you get a Harman/Kardon sound system and a sunroof.

It has blue wheels and a racy exhaust, however this isn’t a stripped-back particular version within the vein of the Renault Megane RS Trophy line.

The basics are good, as we realized throughout our time with the Golf R on the street. The seats with their one-piece backrests are comfy on lengthy drives, and it’s simple to get comfy as a tall driver. Even with a helmet on, there’s loads of area.

However there are a number of gripes on monitor that simply weren’t obvious on the street. The seats might use extra higher physique assist, as a result of in some higher-speed corners it feels such as you’re spilling out the highest of them, and the plastic paddles fall simply at hand… however don’t really feel significantly particular when you think about the value.

A set of metallic models, or on the very least some little rubber add-ons like those you get on BMW M vehicles, can be a welcome improve.

Whereas we’re having a bitch, the contact capacitive buttons on the steering wheel are each bit as foolish on the monitor as they’re on the street. I’m already pushing laborious and gripping the wheel tightly, turning on the steering wheel heater accidentally isn’t going to assist.

At the very least the R button is inside simple attain. Quite than having to dive deep into the touchscreen to flick into Race mode, it’s inside simple attain. If solely the broader know-how suite was so easy.

There’s no questioning the showroom attraction, and with familiarity you learn to navigate by means of the layers, upon layers, upon layers of menus. The graphics look fashionable, and it responds sharply to inputs.

Easy duties are too complicated to execute, although. It used to take one button press to show in your heated seat, for instance, now it takes two – and on a bumpy street at 100km/h, the place you’d naturally relaxation your wrist to stabilise it’s on the contact slider that controls the temperature.

It’s much less of a difficulty on monitor, the place your fingers are firmly on the wheel, however a core a part of the Golf R’s attraction is the very fact it’s not only a monitor automotive.

On the practicality entrance, storage areas abound within the first row – from the lined wi-fi cost pad to the cupholders, huge underarm storage bin, and felt-lined door pockets. The cubby to the right-hand aspect of the steering wheel, which was good for storage keys or cash, is notably absent although.

The rear seats are very usable for youths or average-height adults, however the chunky one-piece backrests on the bucket seats within the R do loom massive in your imaginative and prescient again there.

The Tiguan R is a extra pure household hauler, however you already knew that.

Boot area is a claimed 374 litres with the rear seats in place, increasing to 1230L with the 60/40 rear seats folded flat.

Together with the three top-tether mounts, there are ISOFIX factors on the outboard rear seats.

What’s underneath the bonnet?

The Golf R 20 Years has a extra highly effective model of the common R’s 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine, producing 245kW (+10kW) and 420Nm (+20Nm) due to a fettled turbocharger.

Volkswagen says the turbocharger now includes a preload system, and has a throttle valve that stays open in the course of the over run – which means the turbochargers spool earlier than you demand full efficiency, and stays on the boil once you raise off the accelerator.

It additionally begins up with extra aptitude than the common automotive, due to a revised ignition sequence and the brand new exhaust.

It’s despatched to all 4 wheels by means of a 4Motion all-wheel drive system packing the flexibility to shuffle torque between the entrance and rear axles, and this newest model is ready to break up the torque despatched rearward between the person wheels.

Not solely does that assist reduce down on understeer, it permits for a Drift Mode much like the system provided on the Audi RS3 and Mercedes-AMG A45 S.

How does the Volkswagen Golf R 20 Years drive?

There’s a brand new exhaust, some new blue highlights, and a touch of additional energy, however the Golf R 20 Years nonetheless looks like a Golf R.

It’s a planted, punchy little beast that feels pleasant at full tilt – and one which’s packing some intelligent know-how underneath the pores and skin to up the involvement in comparison with its predecessor.

Pushed back-to-back with the broader vary, from the Polo GTI by means of to the Tiguan R, it clearly looks like essentially the most centered. It nonetheless has some softer, extra polished edges in a nod to the very fact it’s meant to be an all-rounder although, which additionally shines by means of at full noise.

The automotive has at all times been outlined by its all-wheel drive system, and the additional tips on provide from the most recent R make it very succesful.

By the high-speed flip one at SMP it’s rock strong, erring extra on the aspect of stability than edgy rear bias, however by means of the slower second-third complicated you’re in a position to get on the facility as quickly because the automotive is turned and the 4Motion system simply drags you out and slingshots you down the following straight.

Quite than making an attempt to push extensive on the first trace of throttle, it’s intelligent sufficient to shuffle torque to the skin rear wheel once you begin feeding the throttle in with a little bit of steering lock utilized. It’s nonetheless a Golf R, however the newest mannequin has a number of new tips.

Though it’s lightning fast when it does shift, the dual-clutch transmission might be a bit extra aggressive on downshifts.

Stamp on the brakes and the R stands on its nostril, however the DSG doesn’t rip down by means of the ratios in the way in which the transmission in an AMG A45 S or RS3 does, which suggests you could be caught a gear too excessive when it comes time to speed up out of the lower-speed stuff.

Taking cost with the paddles solves that downside, and the transmission is each bit as snappy as you’d count on.

Whereas we’re speaking brakes, the R stood as much as a monitor session by the hands of journalists properly.

It’s very steady from excessive velocity, however you may path brake to get the automotive turning and it responds. It’s not the final phrase in adjustability, an allegation that’s perpetually been levelled at quick Golf merchandise, nevertheless it’s not a one-dimensional destroyer of moist roads both.

As for the modifications? It’s laborious to really feel the additional energy and torque on the monitor, and the brand new exhaust is most noticeable from the skin – inside, with a helmet on, it’s laborious to distinguish it from the common Golf R.

It seems to be unbelievable although, and is a reasonably fascinating choice.

What do you get?

Golf R highlights:

• 4Motion all-wheel-drive
• Torque vectoring 
• 19-inch Estoril alloy wheels
• Efficiency entrance brakes (358mm discs)
• Six drive modes (incl. Drift and Particular)
• Prolonged rear roof spoiler (hatch)
• Adaptive dampers
• Sports activities exhaust
• 10.25-inch Digital Cockpit Professional with R modes
• IQ.Mild Matrix LED headlights
• Nappa leather-based upholstery
• Heated, ventilated entrance sports activities seats
• Electrical driver’s seat with reminiscence
• Ambient inside lighting
• Tri-zone local weather management

Golf R 20 Years provides:

• Akrapovič titanium exhaust system
• Carbon inlays throughout the dashboard and doorways
• ’20 Years’ B-pillar badging
• Blue wheels/mirrors on white vehicles

Is the Volkswagen Golf R 20 Years protected?

The Volkswagen Golf wears a five-star ANCAP security ranking primarily based on checks carried out by Euro NCAP in 2019.

It scored 95 per cent for grownup occupant safety, 89 per cent for little one occupant safety, 76 per cent for weak street consumer safety, and 80 per cent for security help.

Commonplace security gear contains:

• 8 airbags
• AEB incl. Pedestrian, Bike owner detection
• Multi-collision brake
• Lane-keep help
• Journey Help
  • Adaptive cruise management
  • Lively lane centring
• Entrance cross-traffic help
• Rear cross-traffic alert
• Blind-spot monitoring
• Entrance, rear parking sensors
• Reversing digicam

How a lot does the Volkswagen Golf R 20 Years value to run?

The Golf R is backed by a five-year, unlimited-kilometre guarantee.

Upkeep is required each 12 months or 15,000km – whichever comes first – and Volkswagen gives three- and five-year pay as you go service packages.

A 3-year service plan prices $1700, and a five-year plan will set you again $3000.

CarExpert’s Tackle the Volkswagen Golf R 20 Years

The Golf R 20 Years doesn’t rip up the R rulebook and begin once more. As an alternative, it builds on it with a number of selection upgrades.

The titanium Akrapovic exhaust specifically has some severe cool issue, and anybody who opts for the white exterior is getting a reasonably cool-looking automotive due to the blue add-ons. They’re love or hate, however I’m firmly within the first camp.

Asking for it to go a bit additional might be a waste of power, given the 50 vehicles coming to Australia will likely be snapped up in a heartbeat… however I want Volkswagen had pushed issues barely extra, with at the least a set of correctly racy seats on board.

Nonetheless, in case you’re eager on a Golf R that can stand out from the fast-growing crowd of blue Volkswagen efficiency vehicles on Australian roads, the 20 Years is a singular tackle the method.

You’d greatest get in fast.

Click on the photographs for the complete gallery

MORE: Every part Volkswagen Golf