The 2025 Volkswagen Golf R will overpower the Honda Civic Type R, Toyota GR Corolla, and every other mainstream small car on steroids.
A small but intensely fought battle exists among high-performance versions of affordable compact cars. Vehicles like the Hyundai Elantra N are built on the bones of economy cars. But bolstered with every advantage automakers can give them, they double as sports cars in disguise.
The humble VW Golf forms the basis of the high-performance Golf R. Volkswagen today unveiled an updated Golf R for the global market. The company might make minor changes before sending it to American dealers, but what you see here is likely what you’ll be able to buy in the U.S. later this year.
Volkswagen hasn’t announced pricing. The current 2024 Golf R starts at more than $45,000 — easily the most expensive car of its kind. With this latest generation, VW also sells the sporty GTI version, but not the standard Golf hatchback.
Among rivals, it’s the Golf R that wins the horsepower war, wringing 328 horses from its 2.0-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engine — exactly one less than the company said two weeks ago. Perhaps VW will find the missing horse before shipping it stateside. The current Golf R brings 315 hp to the table.
You’ll only be able to send that power through a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. The manual option has exited for 2025. Power goes through VW’s 4Motion all-wheel-drive (AWD) system. Torque vectoring helps point it into corners.
An available R Performance Package adds additional drive modes, including Drift and Special, which “has been specifically adapted to the conditions on the Nürburgring Nordschleife,” should you unexpectedly find yourself teleported to the famous racetrack in Germany.
It will differ visually from the standard Golf thanks to a redesigned front fascia with an illuminated VW badge, air curtains in the bumper, and new LED headlights. New LED taillight clusters set it apart from the rear.
Inside, an enlarged 12.9-inch infotainment screen adopts a new operating system capable of interpreting conversational commands thanks to ChatGPT.
European buyers also have the option of a Black Edition “with darker VW badges and R logos, black R brake calipers with a dark R logo, black 19-inch Estoril wheels, and black tailpipe trims.” There’s no word yet on whether that model will come stateside.
