New Volkswagen Golf R to be a ‘real driving machine’, hybrid option ruled out

KUALA LUMPUR: The new Volkswagen Golf R would be a ‘real driving machine’, said Jost Captio, chief of the German automobile manufacturer’s R brand. The Golf R will be based on the car’s MkVIII model and will represent an evolutionary change over its predecessor, he said. While Captio didn’t reveal much about the car, he admitted that it will have a number of small improvements.

Capito, however, confirmed that the upcoming Golf R won’t have a hybrid powertrain, unlike the Touareg R. The R division, he said, can’t develop its own hybrid engines because the sales volume is too small. The Touareg R, he said, benefits from the powertrain components it shares with the Bentley Bentayga hybrid.

The Volkswagen Golf R will be hauled by a traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) and will come with all-wheel-drive. The earlier Golf R was equipped with a turbocharged, 2.0-litre engine which produced 288 PS of maximum power. The new Golf R is expected to pack in a more powerful motor. The engine will be mated to a dual-clutch transmission (DCT). Captio, however, didn’t reveal whether the 6-speed manual gearbox from the old Golf R will be retained in the new model.

The Wolfsburg-headquartered company is expected to unveil the refreshed Golf R at the Paris Motor Show later this year. Volkswagen may reveal the car online a few days before the official launch.

The top-level model of the standard Golf, which commands a price of RM 305,562, is the most expensive Volkswagen car sold in the Malaysian market. It is equipped with a 1,984 cc turbocharged stratified injection (TSI) engine which produces 287 PS of maximum power and 380 Nm of peak torque. The four-cylinder petrol motor is mated to a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission (DCT).

Volkswagen has already introduced three performance models of the new Golf. The Golf Gran Tourer Injection (GTI) was followed by the Gran Tourismo Diesel (GTD), and the Gran Tourer Electric (GTE). The Golf GTE is not a pure electric vehicle (EV) but a hybrid alternative to the GTI. It shares a number of parts with the Audi eTron.

Captio claimed that the new Volkswagen Golf R will have technology that none expects.