Volkswagen Golf R: PH Fleet
Dull noise? Who cares? Let James tell you about the launch control...
Just recently KX15 PWV has been attracting quite a bit of attention whilst out and about. In part this maybe to do with the enormous PH smiley on the boot lid, but a couple of weeks back I had a classic (and very blokeish) chat on a petrol station forecourt. The guy spotted the car from his pump as he fuelled his R32 up and as I walked back from paying he came over to talk about the car. Turns out that he very interested in the R as he was considering buying one. Within the space of 30 seconds all the key features had been discussed in shorthand and he was very impressed, particularly with how the car looks in metal. Although he was disappointed with the noise when I started it up to leave, somehow cramming in at least half a dozen references to R32s and six-cylinder engines in five seconds.
Anyway, still surprised at the attention the car received the very next day there was more! While sitting in a traffic jam the guy in the car alongside made the universal sign for 'wind your window down', which instantly endeared him to me. What ensued was more or less a replay of the forecourt discussion, albeit a bit more fragmented as we drove side by side at 3mph on the northbound carriageway of the A43 just south of Towcester. "Looks great" "nice wheels" and "how fast is it?" were the main topics of conversation. Sadly though "sounds a bit dull" was the parting comment as I peeled onto the A5.
So while the car might be a bit of a wallflower and not have much in the way of visual drama, it stands out enough to be a talking point amongst well informed enthusiasts; that's probably quite a nice balance.
Then like the quiet chap at a party suddenly downing a shot and doing the worm across the dancefloor, I discovered that the Golf R has a party trick after all. It takes a bit of fiddling to find, but DSG Golf Rs do have launch control, and it is mighty impressive.
In a similar way to 911 Turbo S, all that's required is the 'ESC Sport' traction control mode, the gearbox in Sport, a left foot stamped on the brake and a right foot on the throttle. Quickly the revs climb to around 4,000rpm, the boost builds and all you have to do is let the brake off. Wow.
I'm fortunate enough to have driven some really fast cars, but the Golf is the most surprising, perhaps thanks to the juxtaposition between mild-mannered, mid-sized family hatch and this level of acceleration. We employed the V-Box for some accurate figures and with - surprise, surprise - no fuss at all the car consistently hit 62mph in 4.6 seconds. For reference that's 0.3 seconds faster than VW claims, and our test was with a full tank of fuel and two people on a cold and damp surface. That's incredible.
So be warned, if you see a mild mannered Golf with big wheels and a subtle body kit sitting at some traffic lights just make sure it is a GTD or a GTI. You'll need something very quick to match an R! Wonder if the badge could be swapped for a Bluemotion one?
FACT SHEET
Car: 2015 Volkswagen Golf R
Run by: Matt, or James when there's fun stuff
On fleet since: March 2015
Mileage: 6,012
List price new: £32,220 (£36,055 as tested including £895 for 19-inch 'Pretoria' wheels, £1,765 for Discover Pro Nav, £815 for Dynamic Chassis Control dampers and £360 for Winter Pack).
Last month at a glance: The Golf fanbase continues to grow, even from those not driving
Previous updates:
All The Internet owns one, now PH has a Golf R!
Golf R great everyday; who'd have thought?
Track test for the Golf and it's fairly ace there too
The 3 I've seen near me are all Lapiz Blue with the 18" Cadiz wheels.
Hard to believe that a simple issue of colour and wheels can, in my opinion, turn what looks like a classic performance Golf to something that is positively gopping.
Me?, I'd go with the red and against my better judgement, the larger wheels.
Reminds me of the Mk1 Gti 1600 I had way back in Mars Red...
A great piece of engineering indeed
But I feel the new generation of hot hatches has ruined many a fantasy fast car for me. There is now very little that is on paper significantly faster than a regular sort of car/ hot hatch.
Will have to stick to 2 wheels to be safe at the lights
Back to the article I agree about the lack of sound.. especially exhaust noise, it's a bit dissapointing for a 300bhp hatch. Nevertheless it's still an extremely capable car and I enjoy driving it.. the manual is probably half a second down off the line compared to the DSG, doesn't bother me much but would annoy those who enjoy traffic light GP's
VW have produced a seriously quick capable and practical product .The lease deals also make it an attractive proposition .I considered it when I was in the market for a new car a few months back .However I went for a less powerful and slightly less practical S1 and have not regretted the decision .Sometimes decisions can not be boiled down to a spread sheet exercise.
When you start up again, even though the car is still in race mode, you're valves don't automatically re-open so you're still only using 2 of the exhausts (like eco mode) which causes it to sound very muted. You have to re-engage race mode (either by the button by the gearstick or on screen) to re-engage race mode and thus open up all 4x exhausts again.
When I first got mine I wondered why sometimes in racemode it popped and banged and other times it didn't. After a bit of research on various forums it appears to be an issue across the R range which i'm sure they'll solve with their next software update.
Having said that as well, I've found my exhaust to be a lot more vocal and make some really fantastic noises when it's heated up a bit. Coming off from the motorway and back onto the streets I always lower the window down to hear the crackles and bangs it produces.
Having said this, I do still agree that it should be a little louder but I guess that's not the nature of the car, and ultimately is what the R400 is coming to do.
I work in Bournemouth and was thinking the same. This car is so popular. As I predicted on this site over a year ago it has done for the GTI. people either go GTD or R. Why pay only 3 grand less for 227 ps when you can have 300. great car.
I work in Bournemouth and was thinking the same. This car is so popular. As I predicted on this site over a year ago it has done for the GTI. people either go GTD or R. Why pay only 3 grand less for 227 ps when you can have 300. great car.
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