New VW Golf R officially on sale in South Africa – Pricing and specifications

The new VW Golf R officially hit South African showrooms in the final week of April from a starting price of R912,800.

Having been delayed for well over a year thanks to the pandemic and subsequent global supply shortages, the eighth-generation R will finally be taking its place as the flagship of the brand’s local hatchback line-up.

Performance

The new Golf is driven by a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine with an output of 235kW and 400Nm, which is paired with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.

Combined with the 4Motion underpinnings sending power to all four wheels, the Golf is capable of sprinting to 100km/h in 4.8 seconds, and by default, it’s electronically limited to a top speed of 250km/h.

However, this cap can be lifted to 270km/h with the optional Black Performance Package upgrade to the tune of R27,400, which also adds a drift mode.

Other performance-oriented features include an electronic differential lock, adaptive chassis control, torque vectoring for variable power distribution over the front and rear axles, and four drive settings comprising Comfort, Individual, Race, and Sport.

Features

As the top-end hatchback in the automaker’s stable, the R is certainly not light on features.

It boasts Sports seats upholstered in Nappa leather with R-specific badging, and the dashboard is fitted with two 10.25-inch screens – one for the driver and another for the infotainment, the latter of which has on-board navigation and support for wireless Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and voice commands.

The Golf also comes with keyless entry and start, a wireless phone charger, three-zone climate control, ambient lighting, cruise control, chrome and aluminium decorative inserts, a heated multifunction steering wheel, heated front seats, front and rear parking sensors, stainless steel pedals, and paddle shifters.

This is on top of additions like rain-sensing wipers, automatic LED headlights, daytime running lights, 19-inch “Estoril” alloy wheels, a panoramic sunroof, and one of three paint colours – Deep Black Pearl, Lapiz Blue Metallic, and Pure White.

For the more discerning buyer, the Volkswagen has an extensive suite of optional extras, too, including a rear-view camera, IQ. Light Matrix LED headlights, a heads-up display, adaptive cruise control, a Harmon Kardon sound system, lane-keep assist, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, parking assistant, and an R Performance Akrapovic Exhaust.