VW Reduces Golf R Output to Cope with Aussie Hot Climate

The most powerful Volkswagen Golf ever, the R-badged version, will be offered with reduced power to protect the engine from the Australian hot climate. This means the car won't be offered with 199 kW (266 hp) final output but with 188 kW (252 hp), while torque will remain the same, 350 Nm, drive.com.au reported.

In other words, the Australian Volkswagen Golf R will be similar in performance with the local Audi S3, also powered by a modified version of the 2.0-liter unit.

However, the local division of Volkswagen doesn't expect sales to be too affected by this modification, as the final performance figures of the car will be mostly similar to the original one's.

“Until we drive it, we can’t assess the difference in performance between the two engine configurations,” says spokesman Karl Gehling. “But it’s unlikely to change the driving characteristics of the car. It’s going to be pretty close [in performance terms], though the impact on fuel consumption is unknown.”

In Europe, Volkswagen Golf R comes with a 2.0-liter four-cylinder powerplant that develops 270 PS at 6,000 rpm and propels the car from 0 to 100 km/h in 5.7 seconds. The previous model, which featured a 3.2-liter engine, did the same in 6.5 seconds.

The DSG gearbox improves the new Golf R's acceleration, helping it achieve 100 km/h in 5.5 seconds. As for fuel consumption, the basic configuration burns 8.5 liters of gasoline per 100 km (27.6 mpg) while releasing 199 grams of CO2 per kilometer (down from 255 g/km). The DSG reduces fuel consumption to 8.4 l/100km (28 mpg) and CO2 emissions of 195 g/km.