Volkswagen announced the new 20th Anniversary Edition of the beloved Golf R for North America. The model will be limited to “about 1,800 units” and will feature special design touches. What it won’t feature, however, is the Golf R 20 Years Edition’s pumped-up powertrain. Unlike the anniversary edition model being offered to European customers, which makes 329 hp, North America’s 20th Anniversary models will get the same EA888 evo4 engine as the standard model, making 315 hp.
Like the standard model, it will also be
offered with both the seven-speed DSG transmission and the six-speed manual
transmission, which ought to please enthusiasts. Also heartening is the deleted
sunroof, which comes standard on the regular Golf R. Closer to the ground, it
comes with 19-inch Estoril wheels that are finished in gloss black. They come
wrapped in summer performance tires to help take full advantage of the torque
vectoring all-wheel-drive and adaptive damping systems.
All examples will be sold in one of three
colors: Deep Black Pearl, Pure White, or, of course, Lapiz Blue Metallic.
Subtle trim modifications will help mark this out as a special edition. Models
sold in black and white, for example, will get blue mirror caps, while the blue
units will get black mirror caps. The R logos on the front and rear bumpers, as
well as the front fenders, are finished in blue and a 20th Anniversary badge is
placed on the B-pillars. When you open the door, meanwhile, the puddle light
projects “20 R” onto the ground.
Inside, the Golf R 20th Anniversary
Edition is the first production Volkswagen to ever be offered with genuine
carbon fiber trim elements in the U.S. Those are located on the door panel and
the dash. The flat-bottomed steering wheel gets an R logo (also finished in
blue) on the clasp, and it is joined by a blue R logo on the key fob.
Going on sale this fall, the 2023 VW Golf
R 20th Anniversary Edition will start at US$ 44,940 for the manual model, and at US$ 45,740 for the seven-speed DSG.
