Volkswagen is celebrating the 20th anniversary of its R Performance division with the Golf R 20 Years edition, the most powerful factory Golf yet. The new model is based on a regular Golf R, but in this case, the EA888 2.0-liter turbocharged engine is allegedly tuned to produce 329 hp, up 13 hp on the output of the European-spec R in standard trim. The engine is hooked up to a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, and as with every R model since the very first Golf R of 2002, drives all four wheels.
The engine breathes through an Akrapovic
titanium sports exhaust, which should liberate some extra soul from the engine
and annoy the hell out of your neighbors. And that’s not the only reason the
rest of your street will hate you. VW has developed an “Emotional Start”
function that revs the engine up to 2500 rpm on start-up, according to Autocar.
The DSG transmission has been remapped to give “noticeable feedback when
shifting up,” which we take to mean VW has engineered more abrupt gear changes
to heighten excitement, which would be funny given how the original DSG’s
smooth shifts helped it change the paddle-shift game. Autocar also claims the
turbocharger now runs at a constant speed under part throttle, which makes
pick-up quicker.
The special edition Gold R is available in
either Lapiz Blue or white. Go for blue and your 19-inch Estoril alloy wheels
comes finished in gloss black; choose white and they get a stylish blue
treatment. Whichever you specify, you’ll also be able to wrap them with
Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 track rubber.
Other model-specific upgrades include
mirror caps (blue on white cars, black on blue ones), “20” badges on the door,
and even a reconfigured puddle light design that now shows a “20 R” logo. The
cabin also receives a boost thanks to genuine carbon fiber trim on the dash and
door cards and a blue “R” logo on the steering wheel.
The R 20 Years edition is confirmed for
sale in the UK, Europe, and Australia, but we’re still waiting for confirmation
about U.S. availability. Australian website Drive says the European order book
opens on June 2, and that the model won’t be limited by volume, but by the fact
that it’s only available for one year.
