SA Road Tests

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This is the home of automobile road tests in South Africa. I drive South African cars, SUVs and LCVs under real-world South African conditions. Many of the vehicles driven are world cars as well, so what you read here possibly applies to the models you get where you live.

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Untamed: 2019 Volkswagen Golf R-rrr

Roots

Posted: May 12, 2019

Exterior pics by Quickpic. Interior by author

 

The numbers
Base price: R676 500
Engine: 1984 cc, DOHC 16-valve, four-cylinder turbocharged
Power: 228 kW between 5500 and 6500 rpm
Torque: 400 Nm between 2000 and 5400 rpm
Zero to 100 km/h: 4.6 seconds
Maximum speed (governed): 250 km/h
Real life fuel consumption: About 8.8 l/100 km
Tank: 55 litres
Luggage: 343  - 1233 litres
Ground clearance: 128 mm
Turning circle: 10.9 metres
Standard tyre size: 235/35R19
Spare: Spacesaver
Warranty: 3 years / 120 000 km
Service plan: 5 years / 90 000 km at 15 000 km intervals

Quick prod with the right foot; just to see what happens. Head snaps back and eyes slam shut, only to reopen, wide and staring, a split-second later. That’s in Eco mode. Comfort, Normal and Race get progressively, but thankfully only mildly, more “interesting”.

Park one next to a two-year old version and you probably won’t notice any differences. The facelift for MY17 introduced new ‘R’ designed bumpers, LED headlights and taillights, exterior mirror caps in Matte Chrome or optional Carbon, standard "Spielberg" 19-inch wheels or optional 19-inch "Pretoria" alloys in metallic grey. And that’s it. Those widely spaced quad-pipes have been around since 2014.

If you’re clued-in you might notice whether the 2019 car’s owner had ordered an optional, at R39 900, “R Performance Titanium” exhaust system made by Akrapoviç. You’d recognise it by the extra holes drilled around the circumference of each tailpipe. It introduces a snarl to the exhaust note when pressure is applied and signs off with an emphatic ‘Blat-tt’ when the foot is lifted.

It’s unnecessary, antisocial and intrusive. But it makes a primal statement. And you simply have to tick that box, don’t you?

What else changed? Well, we get Euro-spec at last - 310 PS, aka 228 kilowatts and a torque bump up to 295 foot-pounds or 400 Newton-metres. That’s from 360 Nm previously. Volkswagen is cagey about whether it accelerates any faster than the old, 213 kW version did, still quoting a zero to 100 km/h time of 4.6 seconds. Logic dictates that it should.

But eyeball-flattening acceleration requires that the seven-speed DSG be left alone to perform its magic. Human interference adds unwanted milliseconds to the sprint time. Not that anyone really needs to; it’s always in the best gear for prevailing circumstances and it kicks down smoothly, steplessly and instantly. If that doesn’t soothe your inner hooligan, manual override is available via stick or paddles.

In case you wondered whether there are other differences, apart from increased turbo pressure, between this motor and the GTI’s, diligent snooping turned up a few. Golf R's engine has a modified cylinder head with different exhaust valves, valve seats and springs; special pistons and injection valves and larger intercooler and turbocharger.

Among the must-haves are: 4Motion all-wheel drive; dual zone, automatic climate control; seven airbags; XDS electronically locking differential for more agile driving performance and better traction out of bends; ABS brakes with added handling aids and multi-collision braking; R-Sports suspension; supportive “Vienna leather” sports seats with warming, elevation adjusters and lumbar control for those in front; cruise control with limiter; disc brakes all around and rear fog lights. 

Practicalities: Because of the awd kit in the rear end, R’s boot is 37 litres smaller than on other Golfs while neither tow bar nor trailer assist are available. Beyond that, the ride is a little harder than usual because of firmer suspension and low-profile tyres but it is what it is; a Golf, so it's practical, with plenty of room for four-and-a-half adults and luggage.

Finally: It’s addictive, solid and well-built but  ‘way too fancy for our taste – too many standard or optional electronic toys that have nothing to do with what it’s meant to be. We’d prefer it stripped-down, more affordable and closer to its roots.

Test unit from VWSA press fleet


What We Do

This is a one-man show, which means that every car reviewed is given my personal evaluation and receives my own seat of the pants judgement - no second hand input here.

Every test car goes through real world driving; on city streets littered with potholes, speed bumps and rumble strips, on freeways and if its profile demands, dirt roads or goat tracks as well. As a result, my test cars do occasionally get dirty. It's all part of the reviewing process.

I do my best to include relevant information like real life fuel economy or a close mathematical calculation, boot size or luggage space, whether the space is both usable and accessible, whether life-sized people can use the back seat (where that applies), basic specs of the vehicle and performance figures if they are published. In the case of clearly identified launch reports, fuel figures are of necessity the laboratory numbers provided with the release material.

If ever I place an article that doesn't cover most things, it's probably because I have dealt with a very similar vehicle already, so you will be able to find what you want in another report under the same manufacturer's heading in the menu on the left.

Hope you like what you see, because there are no commercial interests at work here. There are no advertisers and no “editorial policy” rules. I add bylines to acknowledge sponsored launch functions and the manufacturers or dealerships that provide the test vehicles.  And, as quite a few readers have found, I answer every serious enquiry from my home email address, with my phone numbers attached, so you can see I do actually exist.

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