VW Golf R Variant revealed, a 300bhp compact station wagon



Fans of station wagons, you’d be please to know that the Volkswagen Golf R – for the first time since its inception – can be had in ‘station wagon‘ trim. It will be making its first world appearance at the 2014 Los Angeles Auto Show that starts from today till 30 November.

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QUICK FACTS

Official Name Volkswagen Golf R Variant
Engine 2.0-litre, inline 4-cylinders, turbocharged
Transmission 6-Speed DSG dual clutch transmission (wet type)
Max Power 296 hp @ 5,500 to 6,200 rpm
Max Torque 380 Nm @ 1,800 to 5,500 rpm
0-100km/h; Top Speed 5.1 seconds; 250 km/h (electronically limited)

 

It shares basically the same mechanics as the RM249k Golf R that we all love (and drove on the Sepang F1 Circuit), just that it’s unconventionally longer due to its wagon nature. Here are the numbers: the 2.0-litre EA888 turbocharged engine produces 296 horsepower at 5,500 to 6,200 rpm and 380 Nm of torque at 1,800 to 5,500 rpm.

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Such numbers allow the car to do the century sprint in 5.1 seconds – that’s just 0.1 seconds slower than the Golf R. That’s impressive. Top speed is electronically limited to 250 km/h, and the Golf R Variant is permanently driven on all wheels (4Motion AWD) via Volkswagen’s six-speed dual clutch transmission (DSG, wet type).

The Dynamic Chassis Control (DCC) remains optional, a feature which grants a total of five driving modes – Eco, Comfort, Normal, Sport and Race – that are selected via the touchscreen head unit placed in the centre console.

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The Electronic Stability Control (ESC) Sport system comes as standard and can be toggled by a two-stage switch on the centre console. Flip the switch once and the Golf R Variant makes for controllable slip, but if you hold the switch for three seconds, it completely deactivates the ESC. Something the boy racer in you would appreciate on the track.

That said, the highlight of this Golf R Variant is of course its increased cargo space, now at 605 litres. Fold the rear seats down and you get a total of 1,620 litres of cargo space. That’s enough space for 16 golf (no pun intended) bags. How’s that for enhanced practicality?

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In case you’re wondering, the 18-inch ‘Cadiz’ wheel design offered as standard on the Mk7 Golf R model can now be had with the optional and larger 19-inch size, also ‘Cadiz’ design.

But before you get excited at the prospect of buying one, we’ll have you know that the Golf R Variant is built to meet European demands. So until we give Volkswagen Group Malaysia a solid reason to bring this in, our guess is that the Variant will not see the light of Malaysian day.

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IMAGE GALLERY