HIGHS Inconspicuous hatchback exterior, mighty turbo four, tenacious all-wheel-drive chassis. LOWS Manual transmission option gone for 2025, one expensive Golf, cool wagon version not sold in U.S.

Having premiered the facelifted Golf lineup last week, including the GTI front-wheel drive hot hatch, Volkswagen has now turned its attention to the upcoming Golf R. The range-topping member of the ...

UPDATE 10/6/25: This review has been updated with instrumented test results. The winding rural roads that lead to West Virginia's Summit Point Motorsports Park are the perfect appetizer for a real ...

Volkswagen is no stranger to special edition Golf Rs as we’ve seen multiple versions over the past few years. The Golf R 20th Anniversary Edition arrived in 2022, while the Golf R 333 followed in 2023 ...

It was late January 2024 when the German automaker produced a tale of snow and ice to showcase the upcoming 2025 Volkswagen Golf R. However, the brand's most powerful hot hatchback currently in ...

The 2025 Volkswagen Golf GTI and R entered their eighth generation in 2020, and while the core of these vehicles hasn't changed, there are some significant updates for the new model year. These ...

On the outside, the new Golf R has restyled headlights and taillights, a new grille, and a new front bumper. The badge is illuminated now, too. Opting for the Black Edition will also bring darker trim ...

In 2014, the R 400 concept was the first hint that such a weapon was coming. At the time, VW said a production version was on its way, but never did. Well, it wasn’t the first time a carmaker reneged ...

While we'd love to be proven wrong, it's extremely likely this mule is rigged to test the upcoming VW T-Roc R, which shares a drivetrain with the Golf R. First, the facts. We’re looking at a ...

The Volkswagen Golf R popularized the hot-hatch genre of sporty, higher-performance versions of more-pedestrian models, starting with the transformation of the European Golf in the 1970s and the ...

The Golf R has standard all-wheel drive. The 2.0-liter four-cylinder turbo makes 288-hp. Transmission choices are a six-speed manual and a six-speed DSG. A special tuned suspension made the R more ...