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2021 Volkswagen Golf R Spied With Quad Exhaust, Will Have 330 HP

Are you considering a BMW M135i xDrive or Mercedes-AMG A35? Delay that order, as Volkswagen is developing a new Golf R, and it should have more power than both.
2021 Volkswagen Golf R Spied With Quad Exhaust, Will Have 330 HP 1 photo
Photo: Coche Spias
This prototype was snapped by a reader of the Instagram spy network Coche Spias. With quad exhaust pipes sticking out the back, this is undoubtedly the new Golf R.

It's never been the sort of car that maximizes thrills, but even after six years on the market, the Golf 7 R does some things better than its new rivals. So how are they going to improve the formula?

Probably by adding more power. Both the M135i and the A35 use 2-liter turbo engines that produce 306 horsepower. The Golf R will have the same displacement, obviously, but it's output may be higher.

Many months ago, we reported that both it and the Audi S3 are likely to get 330 horsepower mild-hybrid 2-liter turbo engines. And a recent roadmap leaked by the same source as this spy image supports this - 245 kW is expected, which translates into 333 hp (metric).

It's a 10% improvement over the older generation that could be accompanied by about 50 extra Nm of torque. These improvements aren't going to make the Golf R into an RS3 killer, but it should still win drag races against the BMW and Mercedes rivals.

In order to save fuel, this new Golf R might be able to coast with the engine shut off or run on only two cylinders. We suspect it won't be offered with a 6-speed manual gearbox, since DSG is a little more efficient.

The interior is what probably makes the old model feel outdated compared to this. Volkswagen has developed a much more digital cabin with dual monitors, fewer buttons and even a personal assistant. All this tech costs money, though, and we expect the new Golf R will be €2,000 more expensive.


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About the author: Mihnea Radu
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Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
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