Unleashed: Volkswagen Golf R Now Comes With More Power
In the four decades since first launching in South Africa, over 350 000 Golfs have been sold in the country. Since the launch of the seventh generation Golf model range in 2013 the Golf GTI, Golf GTD and Golf R models have made up more than 45% of all Golf sales in South Africa. Volkswagen is adding more power to the seventh generation Golf R performance derivative by increasing the power output to 228kW from 213kW - making it the most powerful Golf ever sold by Volkswagen South Africa. The seventh generation Golf R continues to be a benchmark for driver assistance systems in the compact class, employing technologies that significantly improve safety. These include the optional Blind Spot Monitor with Rear Traffic Alert as well as Adaptive Cruise Control with Front Assist and Autonomous Emergency Braking System. New exterior design highlights include the optional R Performance Titanium exhaust as well as optional R Performance brakes with brake calipers painted black with the 鈥楻鈥?logo. Standard features include the 鈥楻鈥?designed bumpers, LED headlights and LED taillights that create a design that gives the Golf R a dynamic look.
The tailpipes are placed further out to the sides giving the car a wider appearance. The exterior mirror housing caps come in Matte Chrome or optionally in Carbon. There are also various 19-inch wheel choices - the standard being the "Spielberg" 19-inch alloy wheels or the optional 19-inch "Pretoria" alloy wheels in grey metallic. Standard on the Golf R is the Active Info Display, panoramic sunroof and drive profile selection which includes the Sport Human Machine Interface (HMI) feature. Adaptive chassis control in an optional extra and offers the same feature - Sport HMI. In the Sport profile, the 鈥楽port HMI' of the infotainment system on the centre console shows current engine parameters such as power output and G-forces in play. The Golf R is offered in the following colours: Tornado Red, Pure White, Atlantic Blue Metallic, Indium Grey Metallic, Deep Black Pearl Effect Oryx White Mother of Pearl Effect and the classic Lapiz Blue Metallic paint finish. 2.0 TSI with 228kW. The Golf R rockets to 100 km/h in a swift 4.6 seconds thanks to 228kW of power and 400Nm of torque. This gain in dynamics is attributable to an extremely fast-shifting 7-speed DSG and the standard Launch Control feature as well as the overall high engine output. The Golf R comes standard with a 5 year or 90 000km Service Plan, 3 year or 120 000km warranty and a 12-year anti-corrosion warranty.
The Volkswagen Passat is a luxury car in all senses and it is safe to say that it has been engineered for practicality. The interior is typically German - understated but highly functional. Of course, it is premium with the thick black leather upholstery, soft-touch plastics and the dark wood trim on the dash adding richness. It gets a bunch of stowage spaces all around the cabin like the litre bottle holder in the door panel and two bottle/cup holders in the centre console. There is a wallet/document holder under the steering, a cubby hole under ahead of the gear lever, and storage under the driver armrest and of course, the sunglass holder on the roof while not forgetting the glove box. Even the rear passengers get their share of bottle holders, cup holders and even AC vents with a temperature controller. There are sunshades for the rear windows and the windscreen along with the cabin-boot access if you need to haul something on the move. Last but not least is the humungous boot that can almost fit in an entire room full of luggage which is expandable thanks to the folding rear seats.
When you read the letters 鈥楪TI鈥? whether it鈥檚 in the first sentence of a car review or on the grille of a hatchback, you think 鈥楪olf鈥?- don鈥檛 you? I bet you just have. Because while Volkswagen has been trying to for more than two decades now, it has never quite successfully developed its defining hot hatch identity into a proper performance sub-brand. However, now there鈥檚 a new and more concerted bid to turn 鈥楪TI鈥?into an established family of models, spearheaded by the go-faster version of the sixth-generation Polo. This Polo GTI has been in the making for the past three years and from the earliest design and specification stages of the VW Group鈥檚 MQB-A0 platform. The new Polo GTI gets the Golf GTI鈥檚 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine. It will be available first with a six-speed paddle-shift DSG gearbox, or with a six-speed manual later. Compared with the standard Polo, the GTI also has completely different front suspension knuckles, a stiffer torsion beam at the rear, re-rated suspension bushings, and entirely different axle geometries and roll centres.
