Volkswagen is set to release some of its most powerful production cars as four new trims of Golf hit the market. The Golf GTI Clubsport, R, R Estate and R Black Edition will be available to order this week so let’s look at them in more detail…

Golf GTI Clubsport - £41,655

Recently unveiled and given its debut drive at the Nürburgring as part of the 50th anniversary of the Golf, the 295hp GTI Clubsport is powered by a 2.0 litre turbocharged petrol engine with a seven-speed direct shift gearbox. It can do 0-62mph in 5.6 seconds and has a top speed of 155mph.

In terms of styling, it shares many of the same features as the Golf GTI with the addition of Clubsport front bumpers and a honeycomb air-intake grille. This is topped off with 500 metre range IQ.LIGHT LED matrix headlights and an illuminated VW logo, while the tail lights are also LED.

Other notable standard features include heated front seats, keyless access and start, adaptive cruise control and a 12.9-inch touch display screen. There are also driver assistance features including Lane Assist, Traffic Jam Assist and Emergency Assist.

Golf R (£43,320) and R Estate (£44,685)

These 328hp models, along with the Black Edition (more on that later), are now among Volkswagen's most powerful production models.

Also powered by a 2.0-litre turbocharged engine, the hatchback and estate version have a top speed of 155mph which can increase to 167mph with the optional extra R-Performance package. The 0-62mph time is a little quicker (4.6 seconds) in the hatchback compared to the estate (4.8 seconds). The R versions comes with 4MOTION all-wheel drive with R-Performance Torque Vectoring as standard.

All of the latest infotainment software and hardware is included on the 12.9-inch touch display, including voice assisted AI service ChatGPT.

Golf R Black Edition - £44,570

Despite the Golf R Black Edition coming with the same 328hp engine and 4MOTION four-wheel drive as the standard R models, the dark exterior paintwork and black 19-inch alloy wheels fully distinguish it from its siblings.

Other dark styling features include VW badges, brake callipers, tailpipe trim and darkened IQ.LIGHT LED matrix headlights. There are darkened R logos throughout and the large roof spoiler gives the Black Edition some extra muscle.

The R Performance package (an option on the R versions) is included on the R Black Edition as standard, making it perfect for track days thanks to two additional racetrack specific driving modes - drift and special. These provide a GPS timer and G meter for motorsports enthusiasts. When you get out on track, expect a 0-62mph time of 4.6 seconds and a top speed of 168mph.

All four models are available to order from Thursday 8th August.

Read John Marcar’s feature article ‘ The Story of the VW Golf GTI - Mk1 to Mk8.5’

Read John Marcar’s review of the VW Golf GTI Mk8.5 (2024)

Watch ‘NEW VW Golf GTI (Mk8.5) & The Story of the GTI so far’ video from the Driven YouTube channel.

words: Mike Booth
pictures: Volkswagen