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Carsales Staff12 Jun 2020
REVIEW

Volkswagen Golf R Final Edition 2020 Review

Current Volkswagen Golf 7.5 sent off with a fitting – if slightly manufactured – farewell
Review Type
Local Launch
Review Location
Luddenham, NSW

After seven years on sale (the last three in Mk7.5 guise), the current generation of Volkswagen Golf is about to make way for a Mark 8 replacement. Before that, however, Volkswagen Australia has assembled a send-off of sorts for its venerable hatch. The Volkswagen Golf R Final Edition arrives in Australia in limited numbers and costs $2500 more than the standard hot hatch.

Purple reign

If watching NBA documentary The Last Dance has taught us anything, it’s that Michael Jordan finished playing basketball at the perfect time.

Or did he? Jordan’s buzzer-beating shot to land the Bulls their sixth NBA Championship is the stuff of legend; a seemingly perfect ending to his career. Except that Jordan famously came out of retirement as a 38-year-old for two seasons with the Washington Wizards and, let’s just say, never really managed to recapture his world-beating form.

That brings us to the Volkswagen Golf R. Since the current generation’s debut in 2013 – tweaked again in 2017 with the Mark 7.5 – the Golf R has been an evergreen force within the hot hatch set.

It has also been reworked into numerous editions, lost a manual transmission and, recently, had its voice box muffled as a result of stricter sound standards in Europe.

So then, the 2020 Volkswagen Golf R Final Edition: a charging Bull or a hapless Wizard? We hit the track in a loud purple iteration to find out.

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The details

Special-editions have become something of a forte for Volkswagen in recent times, covering everything from the Amarok utility to the Passat passenger car.

The Golf has had its fair share of limited-edition treatment, too, with Wolfsburg and Special Editions paving the way for the swansong Final Edition.

Limited to 450 examples, the 2020 Volkswagen Golf R Final Edition features a number of cosmetic and equipment enhancements over the regular Golf R.

Additionally, 150 of them will also wear three previously unavailable hand-applied Custom Concept paint colours – Violet Touch (purple), Victory Blue and Green metallic (a homage to the discontinued Scirocco R) – which are applied in a specialised factory shop before the car is returned to the assembly line for completion.

Colour aside, the all Golf R Final Edition vehicles come with 19-inch black Pretoria alloy wheels, gloss-black side mirrors, Carbon Nappa leather-appointed upholstery and an upgraded Dynaudio sound system.

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Pricing for the Volkswagen Golf R Final Edition is set at $57,990 (plus on-road costs) – a $2500 premium on the donor car. Opting for one of the 150 specially painted versions adds a further $300.

The remainder of Australia’s allocation of Final Editions will be offered in familiar Pure White, Lapiz Blue and Deep Black at no extra charge. And a panoramic glass sunroof will be the only option, for $1900.

The standard Volkswagen Golf R continues to be available, priced at $55,490 and fitted as standard with a sports body kit, LED headlights with cornering lamps, heated front seats, power driver’s seat adjustment, dark-tinted rear glass, metallic or pearl-effect paint and a 9.2-inch infotainment touch-screen with satellite navigation and voice and gesture control.

All Volkswagen models come with a five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty. The Golf R is available with three-year or five-year service packages spaced over 12-month/15,000km intervals, the latter priced at $2799.

Safety is likewise a strong, thanks to the installation of standard features such as adaptive cruise control, lane assist with adaptive lane guidance, traffic jam assist and blind spot monitoring.

A five-star ANCAP safety rating applies, back-dated to 2013.

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Pricing and Features

Oily bits

The important numbers are all carry-over from the donor Volkswagen Golf R, and that’s no bad thing.

Under the bonnet resides a 213kW/380Nm 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder matched with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission and 4MOTION all-wheel drive.

Officially, nought to 100km/h sprint takes 4.8 seconds in automatic guise. Sadly, the manual version of the Golf R was recently consigned to history as a result of the complicated WLTP emissions process and relatively low take-up.

Speaking of which, the Golf R claims a combined fuel consumption figure of 7.2L/100km on 98-octane premium unleaded.

Elsewhere, the Golf R features an electronic differential lock, 19-inch tyres (235/35 section) all-round and a space-saver spare.

Lowered sport suspension with adaptive chassis control and anti-roll bars are located front and rear, the former supported by independent MacPherson struts and the latter via an independent four-link configuration with coil springs.

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Dressed to impressed

We’ll get to driving in a moment, but first it’s remarkable how well the Volkswagen Golf R has aged.

A mid-life update in 2017 played a big part in the interior’s presentation, introducing a 9.2-inch centre display with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, along with an equally well-specced digital driver’s instrument cluster.

It means the Golf R retains a contemporary, sophisticated feel from inside the cabin, with dark, soft-to-touch trims and quality materials at all the important contact points.

Granted, the dial and button-centric lower section of the centre fascia is beginning to show its age, but instrumentation is crisp, clean and easy to navigate – eight years on from its debut.

The front seats offer occupants adequate bolstering and comfort over long journeys – the driver’s chair has electric adjustment – while the rest of the cabin features strong incidental storage and adequate USB points.

Further back, a 343-litre boot means the 4.2-metre-long VW Golf R isn’t averse to carrying suitcases, golf clubs or the weekly shopping.

Persistent types could also justify its place as a family car, with two rear ISOFIX attachments, a split/folding rear seat back and rear air-vents.

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Drive time

There are no surprises from behind the wheel, where the Volkswagen Golf R Final Edition remains a consummate all-rounder, ably juggling comfort and performance duties.

A short jaunt on circuit reveals the Golf R is deceptively quick as a point-to-point car.

After a signature and oft-mentioned low-speed hesitation – a virtue of its dual-clutch automatic gearbox and some turbo lag – power is seamless and tractable through to its 6500rpm cut-out.

In fact, peak torque arrives over a broad and accessible 1850-5300rpm, while peak power comes on tap over 5400-6500rpm.

The Volkswagen Golf R feels every bit as fast as its 4.8sec 0-100km/h claim suggests, but even more impressive is its in-gear acceleration thanks to an explosive mid-range power band.

Volkswagen’s electronic differential lock, which transfers power from the spinning wheel to the wheel with the best traction, enables excellent power-down traits out of corners.

The Golf R retains an inherent front-drive bias when driven fast, however, on circuit there is a healthy degree of playfulness: one that would become even more pointed if you turn the electronic nannies off altogether. We didn’t do that on this occasion, but have done so many times in the past.

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Accurate, well-weighted steering and excellent control of the Golf R’s 1450kg mass make it a composed and surprisingly quick track machine. Ultimately, our quick expression session in Sydney’s west asked questions of the Golf R’s brakes, but on the road they’re well up to the task with ample power and pedal feel.

And the road, really, is the Golf R’s happy place – and where it remains one of the hot hatch benchmarks in terms of ride and handling balance, bringing a decent pedigree of performance without the oft-imposed compromises.

On road, the steering is light at low speeds and the chassis shakes off all but the harshest of bumps with aplomb. Naturally, for a car riding on 19-inch wheels and sports suspension, small pitter-patter undulations will niggle their way into the cabin, but the dynamic trade-off is well worth it.

The Volkswagen Golf R Final Edition acquits itself remarkably well on the open road, with top gear spinning the engine at about 2500rpm.

The drivetrain can also play the efficient card when required: we managed fuel consumption of just 6.5L/100km on a highway run, but that grew to 11.5L/100km in a mix of conditions including circuit driving.

Our only mechanical gripe with the Golf R is that it has lost its signature belch between gear changes – a symptom of tightening exhaust noise restrictions in Europe.

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Golf R Final Verdict

The Volkswagen Golf R Final Edition is special, but not because of any fancy paintwork or tinsel. The bones of this eight-year-old hot hatch remain remarkably strong – especially in the context of a daily driver.

Ultimately, the Final Edition doesn’t really emulate the visceral sensation of the Akrapovic-equipped Special Edition released in 2018.

But if you’re a sucker for limited-run production hot hatches, history will record the outgoing Golf R as one of the best of its generation.

How much does the 2020 Volkswagen Golf R cost?
Price: $57,990 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 213kW/380Nm
Transmission: Seven-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel: 7.2L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 166g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2013)

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Written byCarsales Staff
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Our team of independent expert car reviewers and journalistsMeet the team
Expert rating
79/100
Price & Equipment
15/20
Safety & Technology
16/20
Powertrain & Performance
16/20
Driving & Comfort
17/20
Editor's Opinion
15/20
Pros
  • Balance of on-road comfort and performance
  • Punchy yet efficient four-cylinder engine
  • The Golf R has aged well inside and out
Cons
  • No manual option available
  • Low-speed hesitation caused by DSG
  • Exhaust note toned down from earlier versions
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