This Golf R, Says Steve, Is A Redesigned Speedy Little Hatchback

The vaunted Golf R; the pinnacle of performance for VW’s humble hatchback. For the enthusiast crowd, the allure of a speedy little 5-door hasn’t wavered which is why Volkswagen is leaving the base Golf off of their American car menu and instead is exclusively importing the GTI and Golf R; the models the drivers want.

And this all-new Mk8 keeps to the Golf R’s tenets of being fast, glued to the road, fun-to-drive and within financial reach of mere mortals. Don’t worry manual lovers; a 6-speed is still available but this DSG automatic-equipped Golf R with all of its features as standard carries an MSRP of $45,885.

It only comes in 3 colors and if you’re shift-for-yourself curious the stick costs $800 less, delivers 15 fewer pound-feet of torque and loses 3mpg.

This Golf R is so good at what it does that I sometimes feel like I’m just along for the ride. Either way, we should all be glad that VW hasn’t abandoned this car – a nice counterpoint to the EV revolution.

For TestDriveNow car critic Steve Hammes’ complete video review & test drive of the 2022 Volkswagen Golf R click here