Cast your mind back a few years ago to what the VW R brand used to be. There was the Mk6 Golf R, which was never one of VW's greatest hits, the Mk6 Golf R Cabriolet (which we'd probably all rather forget) and the Touareg R50 that towed a plane. It wasn't a performance powerhouse by any means - certainly not when Volkswagen opted to take its foot off the pedal marked 'motorsport' in the emissions scandal aftermath. For a good while is was left to the all-conquering Mk7 Golf R (minus the cabrio) to represent, alongside the conceptual, record-setting ID.R.
That time is emphatically over. The T-Roc R and Touareg R we already know about, the former using lots of the good Golf R bits and the latter embracing hybrid technology for the first time. But that's just the performance division getting started; as our latest spy video shows, the fast-approaching launch date of the Mk8 Golf R, Arteon R and Tiguan R is underscored by the production-ready status of the mules being driven around the Nordschleife.
The Golf we're already familiar with thanks to intense interest and previous leaks, though it's worth remembering that it's the most vital car in the burgeoning R range. Granted, Volkswagen will be expecting the T-Roc and Tiguan to do extraordinarily profitable business, but the Golf is at the heart of what R needs to stand for, and its continued popularity is the bedrock everything else is built on.
Despite being the latest product in a lineage which extends all the way back to the Mk3 Golf VR6, it's not inaccurate to suggest that the Mk8 is facing something like second album syndrome. The previous car was so lauded in the press - and so well received by buyers - that anything less than immediate class-leading status will be considered a failure. That will mean exceeding the first car abilities by a meaningful amount, which will be tough given the expected similarity in configuration.
On camera we can see it merrily parping around the 'ring, tyres howling but the car looking admirably resistant to much push and more than happy to be harried over kerbs. We know from the Mk7 Golf - specifically the magnificent Clubsport S - what an absorbing track and road hot hatch VW can make, so here's hoping some of that nous is conveyed in its latest all-wheel drive version. The new Golf R is almost certain be faster thanks to a moderately higher output (330hp, according to the internet) but only time will tell if it's a superior to drive.
No modern brand onslaught would be complete without a sporty SUV, and Volkswagen will build on the T-Roc and Touareg offering with a third, the Tiguan R. Still underpinned by MQB (like the T-Roc and Golf), expect the new version to use a derivative of their powertrain, with the EA888 turbo powering all four wheels through a seven-speed DSG.
It's not inconceivable that the Tiguan will get the mild hybrid assistance which was deemed unnecessary in the Golf, the fitment of heavier tech in a crossover being less detrimental to handling (or less noticeably detrimental, at any rate). Certainly it sounds a little more subdued than the Golf, although this may have as much to do with exhaust tuning - or indeed our spy photographers mic - as it does electrification. That it looks a little less at home on theNordschleife than the hatch is inevitable, but past experience with the T-Roc suggests the Tiguan R will likely carry almost as much speed. Just don't expect to see the roll cage anywhere on the options list...
Finally, we have the Arteon R, a car we all thought would never happen, but we're quite glad is. Because who wants a fast four-door saloon in this day and age? Well, gladly, it seems Volkswagen's finger-in-the-air research has suggested enough to justify the model's development costs. Its case is likely to have been made by the presumably healthy response to the Arteon's recent R-Line Edition derivative, a test case balloon if ever there was one.
That car's existing status as a 272hp, DSG-geared, 4Motion-equipped range-topper is likely to mean than the fully-fledged R model will earn more than 300hp - if not the same engine output as the Golf - thereby sealing its status as Volkswagen's flagship saloon. Arguably the Arteon doesn't look entirely comfy on circuit, the pitch and squeal quite noticeable, but it's all relative - everything is so much more suited to track work now that our expectations are extravagantly high. R badge or not, the top rank Arteon will be more about autobahn superiority than speed at the apex.
If nothing else, its arrival signals the kind of latitude expected of the brand. Volkswagen has been rightly reluctant in the past to badge anything GTI which did not uphold something like the spirit of the original Golf. It was so selective in this regard that not even the modern iteration of the Scirocco was deemed worthy of the three magic letters. With the R badge, the attitude is plainly very different. Its association with all-wheel drive and straight-line performance has made its transition to SUVs almost seamless; so much so that a heavy, potentially wafty saloon doesn't seem like a huge stretch.
Despite the wanton lack of camouflage, Volkswagen's official line remains as "we don't comment on future model plans" - but the recent frenzy of test track action is plain in its portent. Just think about how soon the R arrived in the last Golf's lifecycle (the year after launch) and how the other two will be playing range catch up, the Tiguan having been on sale since 2016 and 2017 for the Arteon. It suggests that all three are incredibly close to launch; perhaps close enough to see them all in a showroom before the end of this year. Assuming the industry returns to something like normal in the coming months. That's a maybe, of course - what's certain is that there's plenty more where this lot came from. So T-Roc R cabrio next, right?
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