New VW Golf range brings power to the people…lots of power

New Launches 

The humble hatchback’s position as the go-to choice for many lease customers has been under pressure from a wide range of crossover SUVs. They offer similar levels of equipment, comfort, and practicality, but they can’t really compete in one key area: the Hot Hatch. To prove the point, let us introduce you to the new VW Golf GTi Clubsport…and the new VW Golf R…and the new VW Golf R Estate…and the new VW Golf R Black Edition.

No, we haven’t lost the plot. The VW Golf – the original hot hatch – is now available as not one, not two, not even three, but four of the most powerful production Golf models to ever hit the road.

Opting for a crossover SUV might give you an experience similar to a hatchback, albeit with a bit more headroom, a little extra storage space, and a slightly elevated driving position. All of those things are incredibly useful, and they are the reason why the crossover segment is one of the strongest in the UK, and why you have so many to choose from.

But can a crossover compete with a hot version of one of the most popular and most successful hatchbacks in the history of the automobile? The simple answer is no. Or at least, not without spending a significant chunk of extra money on your next lease agreement.

If you’re still clinging to your appreciation of the hatchback, Volkswagen’s new line-up of performance Golf models should offer you something to put a spring in your step, and a knowing smile on your face.

VW Golf GTI Clubsport

The new Golf GTI Clubsport was unveiled at the famous Nürburgring in Germany. It shares many of its design features with the regular Golf GTi already on sale, with a few extra Clubsport tweaks to tempt you.

It boasts a sharper design with Clubsport front bumpers complete with honeycomb air-intake grille, Volkswagen’s latest LED matrix headlights, and an illuminated Volkswagen logo. The rear also gets animated LED tail lights, and the whole lot sits on striking 18-inch Richmond alloy wheels. The extra specification also includes keyless access and start, heated front seats, three-zone air conditioning, adaptive cruise control, and Volkswagen’s latest infotainment system with a 12.9-inch touch display.

When it comes to performance though, the Clubsport has 45 advantages over the standard Golf GTi.

The Golf GTi Clubsport features the same 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine and seven-speed DSG gearbox, but where the regular GTi gives you a perfectly respectable 240bhp, the Clubsport increases the power to 295bhp. The extra 45bhp means the Clubsport is almost one second quicker to 62mph – 5.6 seconds compared to 6.4 in the GTi – and has a limited top speed of 155mph. It also features VW’s front differential lock and progressive steering to help you make the most of the bends.

VW Golf R and R Estate

We know we listed this as two cars further up the page even if they are technically the same underneath. That being said, the option of a superpowered Golf with the added practicality of an estate is such a brilliant idea it wouldn’t surprise us at all if it actually proved the more popular of the two.

Despite the obvious differences in body shape, both the VW Golf R and R Estate share the same specification.

The new models boast a redesigned front end with LED matrix headlights, an illuminated Volkswagen badge, air curtains in the bumper, and new LED tail light clusters. The Golf R also sits 20mm lower on its 18-inch alloys. The upgraded R interior features front sports seats with integrated head restraints, plus the updated infotainment system with voice assistant and 12.9-inch display. It also gets a configurable digital cockpit and multifunction steering wheel with R button for instant access to the Race profile.

Underneath the skin there are a few extra modifications over and above the already-brilliant Clubsport GTi. You get the same 2.0-litre turbocharged engine and DSG gearbox, with R models also adding 4Motion all-wheel drive, R-Performance torque vectoring, and VW’s adaptive chassis control system. That means more grip, more control, and more stability at high speed.

All of which should prove useful in keeping the new Golf R’s 328bhp on a short leash.

It will sprint to 62mph in an even more impressive 4.7 seconds, and while it still has a limited top speed of 155mph, the Golf R also gives you the option to install the R Performance package. As well as upping the limit to 167mph, this also swaps the wheels for larger 19-inch alloys and adds a race-inspired rear spoiler.

VW Golf R Black Edition

Squeezing even more power out of the engine makes the new Golf R one of the most powerful production models VW currently makes. We have to say “one of…” because the Golf R has a twin with a dark side: the Golf R Black Edition.

You get the same 328bhp 2.0-litre TSI engine fitted to the other new R models, and again it’s connected to the all-wheel drive system and seven-speed DSG transmission. VW has then wrapped the whole package in a suitably sinister dark exterior.

Volkswagen badges and R logos are darkened, as are the tailpipe trims and LED matrix headlights. It sits on black 19-inch Estoril alloy wheels that reveal glimpses of brake callipers featuring a dark R logo, and the large roof spoiler that completes the car’s muscular appearance is fitted as standard to the Golf R Black Edition.

Sharing the same powertrain ensures you can still sprint to 62 mph in 4.6 seconds - the same time as the standard Golf R - but the Black Edition also gives you a 168mph top speed whether you want it or not. Thanks to the inclusion of the R performance package in the standard specification, the Black Edition boasts two additional racetrack-specific driving modes – drift and special – for the motorsport enthusiast, a GPS lap timer, and a G-meter, alongside the increased top speed.

The original Golf GTi may be the car that brought the hot hatch concept to life, and even today it is still considered a fantastic driver’s car. But time moves on, and so has the VW Golf GTi. These four new trims – the Golf GTI Clubsport, R, R Estate and R Black Edition – are the latest iteration of a motoring icon and the most powerful and highest-performing models in the new Golf range. Oh, and they’re also available to order right now, so why on earth are you still drooling over them instead of letting us know which of these Golfs you want to lease?

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