The opening of the IAA 2013 brings us a fresh perspective on the hot hatch world, as Volkswagen's stand brings with it a game-changer.
The A7 generation of the Golf made its debut about a year ago, followed this spring by a new GTI. The new Golf R goes beyond everything else they've shown us in the past with numbers that will blow you away. At exactly 300 PS, the all-new R is more than three times more powerful than the basic Golf. With a 0 to 100 km/h time of 4.9 seconds, it's also more than twice as fast.
But you already know all about that from our previous posts.
In Frankfurt, we got to see a new Golf R, finished differently from the deep blue one from two weeks ago. This three-door version is white and features a brand new light alloy wheel design. Inside, it's got a manual gearbox's stick with a golf ball end and carbon fiber look trim throughout.
Beyond the crazy quad exhaust and the extra-large wheels, we were pleasantly surprised to find this is still a practical car. The boot is very large, the ground height isn't that low and there are parking sensors all round, so there's no chance to chip the paint.
In Germany, the new Golf R will be available towards the end of the year. Unfortunetely, VW USA representatives have told us they are still undecided about bringing it Stateside.
But you already know all about that from our previous posts.
In Frankfurt, we got to see a new Golf R, finished differently from the deep blue one from two weeks ago. This three-door version is white and features a brand new light alloy wheel design. Inside, it's got a manual gearbox's stick with a golf ball end and carbon fiber look trim throughout.
Beyond the crazy quad exhaust and the extra-large wheels, we were pleasantly surprised to find this is still a practical car. The boot is very large, the ground height isn't that low and there are parking sensors all round, so there's no chance to chip the paint.
In Germany, the new Golf R will be available towards the end of the year. Unfortunetely, VW USA representatives have told us they are still undecided about bringing it Stateside.