VW has unveiled the Golf R Estate, which is said to be the most powerful Golf station wagon to date.
It’s treated to a punchy 2.0-litre engine, the 4Motion all-wheel-drive system, and a long roofline that makes sure it rivals the cargo capacity of SUVs.
“Breath-taking agility and optimum everyday practicality – that is what the new Golf R Estate offers,” said VW.
High-performance estate
Like its sibling, the VW Golf R hatchback, the Golf R Estate is fitted with the new 4Motion all-wheel-drive system that incorporates torque vectoring with wheel-selective torque control on the rear axle.
As with more traditional all-wheel-drive systems, the 4Motion set-up distributes power as needed between the front and rear wheels.
However, this particular system also allocates power between each rear wheel to enhance the agility of the Golf R Estate in corners, as more power is guided to the outer wheel.
“This provides the car with a high level of traction, whilst maintaining neutral handling characteristics,” said the company.
A vehicle dynamics manager is then tasked with linking the all-wheel-drive system to other chassis systems, like the electronic differential lock and optional dynamic chassis control programme.
These additions enable the Golf R Estate to have multiple driving personalities that suit various conditions. “In short: maximum driving pleasure,” said VW.
An optional R-Performance package can be fitted, too, which adds two driving profiles – Special and Drift.
In Special mode, all the performance parameters are adjusted for driving on demanding racetracks, while Drift mode “considerably increases fun and safety levels when drifting sideways”.
Enabiling all these abilities in the Golf R Estate is a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder, turbo-petrol motor from the EA888 engine series.
This unit generates 235kW and 420Nm, with power managed by a seven-speed, dual-clutch automatic transmission.
The result is a 0-100km/h time of 4.9 seconds and a limited top speed of 250km/h – which can be increased to 270km/h with the R-Performance package.
Practical
Inside, the Golf R Estate guarantees ample practicality thanks to a 50mm longer wheelbase when compared to the standard hatchback.
According to VW, passengers in the rear seats will benefit most from the enlarged cabin.
Cargo capacity then comes in at 611 litres, which expands to 1,642 litres in two-seater mode.
“The optional, electrically-retractable trailer hitch rounds off the Golf R Estate as a high-performance estate car for everyday use,” said VW.
Pre-orders for the new VW Golf R Estate is now open in Europe, with prices starting at €51,585 (R909,000).
The South African availability of the VW Golf R Estate has not been confirmed.
VW Golf R Estate
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