Photo: CarPix
It may not be the fastest, nor the most powerful, yet the Volkswagen Golf R has proved its worth as being one of the best all-wheel drive compact hot hatchbacks in the segment.
Based on the VW Group’s MQB Evo platform, just like the Audi A3, SEAT Leon, and Skoda Octavia, the latest one sits at the top of the Golf Mk8 family, and it is a feisty daily driver that might just become even feistier.
Case in point, Volkswagen has been spotted working on a mysterious Golf R recently. A white prototype of the car was scooped by our man with the cam outside the Nurburgring, and it featured something that’s not normally available for this model: side canards. There are three of them on each side of the front bumper, and since it is an unusual mod, some believe that we might be looking at a more track-focused version.
Whether that is indeed the case or not is a question that only the German company knows the answer to. Looking to find out more juicy details about it, our spy photographers reached out to official representatives, who said that they were testing a “special” car. However, other ‘R’ models were on stage on that day, including the Golf R, and Arteon R, so we cannot be certain that they were referring to this actual prototype, though it does sound plausible.
Experience tells us that if they are really planning a more agile Golf R, then it could have a dedicated chassis tune, some add-ons on the outside, and perhaps a bit more power. The current one has 315 hp and 295 lb-ft (400 Nm) of torque produced by the turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, delivered to both axles through a six-speed manual or a seven-speed DSG transmission. In the U.S., the 2023 model has an MSRP of $44,290.
Case in point, Volkswagen has been spotted working on a mysterious Golf R recently. A white prototype of the car was scooped by our man with the cam outside the Nurburgring, and it featured something that’s not normally available for this model: side canards. There are three of them on each side of the front bumper, and since it is an unusual mod, some believe that we might be looking at a more track-focused version.
Whether that is indeed the case or not is a question that only the German company knows the answer to. Looking to find out more juicy details about it, our spy photographers reached out to official representatives, who said that they were testing a “special” car. However, other ‘R’ models were on stage on that day, including the Golf R, and Arteon R, so we cannot be certain that they were referring to this actual prototype, though it does sound plausible.
Experience tells us that if they are really planning a more agile Golf R, then it could have a dedicated chassis tune, some add-ons on the outside, and perhaps a bit more power. The current one has 315 hp and 295 lb-ft (400 Nm) of torque produced by the turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, delivered to both axles through a six-speed manual or a seven-speed DSG transmission. In the U.S., the 2023 model has an MSRP of $44,290.
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