VW Golf R Review, Pictures
42,ooo, but my tester was loaded. The only extra on the whole car was, well, there wasn't one. You're paying for European build quality, a semi-premium interior, a superb sport suspension system, and of course that oomphy turbo four and its nearly 300 horsepower. OK, you're also paying for a bunch of driver-assist features (forward collision warning, autonomous emergency braking, lane-departure warning, blind-spot monitoring), all of which are helpful. But it's the performance that raises the cost. Is it worth it? It's so worth it! The Golf R is fun, while not calling much attention to itself. The analogy might be to an outwardly conservative individual who plays it cool much of the time, but who can flip a switch and become a champion sprinter and really show his or her stuff. Under what is after a familiar exterior, the Golf R harbors if not a rampaging beast, then an athlete that isn't afraid to cut loose.
The best thing about the Golf R is that its 288 ponies are highly accessible on the public roads. I've driven this car on a racetrack and, in my view, it's among the best weekend racers around. But even without competitive tarmac under the wheels, you can hit the freeway or, as I did, the canyon roads above Malibu and gobble just about everything the 2.0-liter turbo four has to offer. The front disc brakes are sufficiently grabby to manage that pep, and while the steering isn't heavy, it isn't disconnected. Some more serious sports cars can deliver point-and-shoot steering, but the Golf R can drop back to poke-around-town mode and not exert excessive demands on the driver. I mean, the whole setup is sort of perfect. As performance cars go, the Golf, in its performance guises, which includes the more extroverted GTI, is almost invisible. But when you dive into a corner and call in the torquey motor and crisp seven-speed to snick down a few gears and power you out, the Golf R doesn't biff the challenge. The suspension isn't even that stiff. The engineering is sort of magical. How can a car this versatile also be this solid when ridden hard?
The interior quality is now up there with the VW Golf鈥檚, and the clean modern design is uncluttered and well laid-out. The 鈥榝loating tablet鈥?infotainment screen on higher spec models looks like a bit of an afterthought, but its position makes it easy to reach while driving, and Ford鈥檚 SYNC3 system is simple to use. The entry-level Style model is fairly basic, but still comes with plenty of active safety equipment. It鈥檚 worth splashing out a bit more for a Zetec or Titanium models for the extra kit, but every car in the range is sure to entertain on the open road. Even though the new Mercedes A-Class isn鈥檛 going to set the world alight when it comes to handling, it does offer motorists class-leading onboard tech and great refinement. Despite the continued success of the last generation A-Class, Mercedes went back to the drawing board with the latest car - revising the platform it uses, along with the interior, engines and tech. The changes don't end there either, Mercedes claims that the aerodynamic alterations it has made to the exterior are equivalent to shaving 100kg from the kerbweight.
However, all these improvements don鈥檛 come cheap, with the A-Class range starting at around 拢23k and going all the way up to over 拢34k for a top of the line A 35 AMG hot hatch. The A-Class鈥?architecture has been engineered with electrification in mind, with the all-electric Mercedes EQ A hatchback expected to arrive at the turn of the decade. The new A-Class really shines on the motorway, where it is quiet, stable and composed - Mercedes bosses claim it offers C-Class levels of comfort. While it may have ditched the apostrophe in its name, the new Kia Ceed remains one of the best-value family hatches on the market. With every model loaded with equipment and an unbeatable 7-year warranty, the latest Ceed is aimed squarely at its core European rivals. Rather confusingly, the range kicks off with the 2 trim level, but this entry-level car is generously specced with alloys, smartphone connectivity, and plenty of active safety tech.
Higher spec models gain bigger alloys and more luxuries, while the top-spec 201bhp Ceed GT is the hottest performance model available, for now. Sharing a platform with the Hyundai i30, the new Ceed gets a good range of engines, with three petrols to choose from with various outputs and a torquey 1.6-litre diesel. Ride and handling still aren鈥檛 quite on par with the Golf and the Focus, but they鈥檙e a great step up from the old model. Like in the Ford Focus, the infotainment screen looks rather cumbersome, just stuck on top of the dash. The system is easy to use, though not quite as crisp as a VW Group unit. All models get Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard and unlike many other manufacturers, Kia has kept the core controls for climate control and volume as easy-to-reach buttons. The rest of the interior feels high-quality while boot space is up there with the Skoda Octavia. If you need even more space, Kia also offers the Sportswagon estate version and the rakish ProCeed shooting brake.
