2022 Volkswagen Golf R Obliterates Golf R Mk7.5 in a Drag Race

If you're not into VWs, those numbers might not make any sense. We're dealing with the R version of the 8th-generation Golf hatchback, while "7.5" is the nickname of the facelift for the previous model. They don't look that different, but at least the interior in the new one is high-tech.

Because of the official specs, you might think this is going to be a close or even tied race; the latest model produces 320 PS or 316 horsepower and delivers 420 Nm (310 lb-ft) of turbocharged torque.

Meanwhile, the 2019 model in white is rated at 300 PS or 296 horsepower and 400 Nm (295 lb-ft) of torque. Mat Watson, the presenter, points out that the new model has e-diffs making it heavier, which sounds like it's going to even out the race.

But we've seen the 2022 Golf R humiliate almost every other car with a 2.0-liter turbo, and we know its horsepower numbers are actually way underrated. It's so much quicker than the hot hatch from two years ago that Mat decides to give it an advantage for the second race. Instead of launching normally, he lets off the brake only when the slower Golf has already started moving.

So let that be a lesson to you: not all 2.0 TSI engines are the same, not even the ones that appear similar. From what we've gathered so far, the new Golf R is the first to use a different Siemens ECU instead of the Bosch ECU that came in VWs, Cupras, or Audis before.

Also, this 2019 Golf R isn't the best of its generation. It had the gasoline particulate filter added, and from what we understand, the 2.0 TSI had dual fuel injection in Europe before the new emissions standards kicked in. So a 310 PS (306 hp) model from 2017 could be the best if you want a used model.