Volkswagen Golf R SportWagen Facelift Flies on Nurburgring, Gets On Three Wheels

With the 2016 Nordschleife testing season set to end later this month, VW engineers are making the most out of the remaining Ring miles, as you'll be able to see in the clip at the bottom of the page.

Since we're dealing with a mid-cycle revamp for a Vee-Dub model, you shouldn't expect any radical changes. Even so, the two-liter turbo-four of the current model should be taken past its current 295 hp (300 hp) output - the engine will also be found in the also-spied Tiguan R, remember?

Then there's the Dieselgate-axed Golf R400, with the 395 hp hatchback potentially being revived for the mid-cycle refresh.

Even so, there high-trim Golf 7 facelift models, with the R of being included, could borrow the Passat's optional digital dashboard instruments and even get just-as-optional gesture control. So perhaps you waving your hand at a 2016 Ford Focus RS driver you're racing will mean more than you expect.

And your passengers won't be neglected, either. At least not if the Golf R Touch concept that landed back in January is any indication on the cabin changes brought by the refresh - the concept featured a 9.5-inch central infotainment screen.

The biggest question related to the revamped incarnation of the family man's Mk VII Golf R isn't related to its launch date - while the standard Golf 7 facelift should show up this month, we could expect a 2017 Geneva Motor Show debut for the R. Instead, we're wondering whether the tiny chances of the uber-wagon making it to the US market will turn into showroom reality.