Pictured at the Saldanha Airport in South Africa, the white-painted Golf R and blue-painted Tiguan R in the featured clip are technically similar. From the MQB modular platform for front-transverse applications to the 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine and fast-shifting DSG transmission, they’re two peas in a pod.
Equipped with 20-inch Misano alloys, the Tiguan R costs 1,014,900 rand in South Africa, which is 56,675 dollars at current exchange rates. The Golf R still isn't listed by the local configurator, but we wouldn't be surprised to see it starting at a little over 800,000 rand ($44,650 dollars).
Equipped with larger brakes, the Golf is a tad lighter as well given its footprint. Clearly not designed for quarter-mile shenanigans, the compact hatchback punches above its weight in this particular scenario, clocking an impressive 12.6 seconds. The Tiguan, by comparison, couldn’t do better than 13.2 seconds. Don’t boo and hiss, though, because that’s a remarkable ET.
Remember that in the early 1970s, a top-of-the-line muscle car was capable of running the quarter mile in 13-odd seconds. Muscle cars with thumpin’ great engines like the 426 Hemi and the 455 Rocket from Oldsmobile, not a puny 2.0L with four fewer cylinders to its name.
The apples-to-oranges comparison isn’t merely an artistic expression, but also a segue to what’s happening to the industry in 2023, the final year of the LX-based Challenger and Charger. The Camaro is expected to bow out after 2024, and the Mustang soldiers on with internal combustion for at least one more generation. The problem is both pony cars and muscle cars – as well as the more varied sports car genre – are selling poorly.
Low demand for this kind of vehicle, high demand for crossovers, and the ongoing push for electrification have come to this. Behind closed doors, the Volkswagen Group is adapting the Golf and Tiguan to these conditions as well. Chief executive officer Thomas Schafer confirmed that an electric Golf is under development, and the GTI is going electric as well. The next Tiguan will also receive a fully electric variant.
Although the Model Y was Europe’s best-selling electric vehicle in 2022, the Volkswagen Group intends to beat its American rival by 2025. Volkswagen didn’t really have a choice but to pivot to electric in the aftermath of the Dieselgate scandal that cost the automaker dearly.
Volkswagen is aware that it must act now or get left behind. The German automaker further understands that internal combustion – namely, all-new vehicles equipped with ICEs – is living on borrowed time.
Norway intends to ban the sale of new fossil-fuel vehicles in 2025, with the European Union following suit in 2035. Combined with the constraints of the Euro 7 standard, it’s easy to understand why EVs are so important for the automaker that made a name for itself with cutesy air-cooled icons.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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