2022 Volkswagen Golf R Wagon REVIEWED and LOVED

When Volkswagen finally got around to releasing Golf 8, we expected more. We expected it to have more power, more grace, and to come fully loaded with fancy techy gloriousness. So, does it live up to expectation.

At first, you might be excused for feeling a trifle deflated but think of it as natural evolution to put you in the right frame of mind. We’ve reviewed a couple of other Golf 8’s here:

From the outside you notice a smoothing of exterior, a slimming of the lights, and a soupçon of extra class. There is no overt butchness that hot hatches of the past have embarrassed us with. There are no silly guards flared to the point of ludicrousness, just a calm, understated sense of power and ability.

2022 Volkswagen Golf R Wagon, and its hatch companion, are subtle and refined. It’s taken lessons from over 40 years of Golfing, to distil it into one, beautiful, sexy, classic hot hatch.

Grab a Brochure and Specifications HERE: golf_r_spec_brochure

Outside:

Dressed in the colour that has become synonymous Golf R, our Lapis Blue Golf R Wagon looked a million bucks. Too often, wagons get a bum rap, consigned to mum’s taxi duty ferrying little darlings between soccer events.

Golf R takes that notion, and kicks it into the stands.

2022 Volkswagen Golf R Wagon is 354mm longer than the hatch. We got carried away in the video, incorrectly saying 451mm, but it was the enthusiasm that swept us away. It is 50mm longer in the wheelbase too, and that translates into a bunch of extra space where it counts, inside.

The lines are classic Golf, and lovers of the MK 1 Golf would have hearts stone were they not to be moved by the pared-back, restrained, MK 8. Sans bulging arches, Golf R Wagon still manages to look gym-fit.

Then there are the striking lights displays front and back. IQ-matrix LED headlights bend light around oncomers so no one is ever dazzled. Rear lights beg to be lit just so they can be enjoyed. Their intricate pattern appears carved directly into your retinas.

Rear doors access a generous passenger cabin, and side mirror caps gently reflect light from their satin finish.

19” Estoril alloys are understated, but their 235/35 R19 tyres keep a vice-like grip on the road until drift mode is summoned.

Only subtle touches of blue, and stylised R badges, hint at the excitement beneath the skin.

This Week Review: 2022 Volkswagen Golf R Wagon REVIEWED and LOVED

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The Cabin:

Thankfully, cabin design changed in Golf 8, with materials claimed to have been of higher quality. However, a quick look in the back sees the usual suspects present, with cheap hard plastic on the window sills. The front seaters are treated to the soft sell, with tasty surfacing and a delicious mix of carbon fibre and technology.

Across the front is a simple sweep designed give the driver a sense of importance.

The dash is the latest look VW magic with a pair LCDs, and a smart jet-fighter-style HUD, displaying everything from climate to speed, and settings. GTI and R models have the addition of Drive Modes, with R models having the coolest of blue highlights.

Nappa covered Heated/cooled seats are essential, but powered adjustment is for the driver only. The front passenger has to shift-em-‘imself. There is enough comfort to allow a decent highway trip, while holding you firmly in place on a track. Space has been well thought out, but as the driver seat automatically slides back on exit, so the bloke behind may want to shift the feet when the driver’s door opens.

There aren’t a lot in the way of options, with Harmon Kardon at $1000, and a glass sunroof for 2 grand, being the only boxes to tick. That’s just as well for the princely number of shekels a buyer must shell out.

Matching the blue R highlights, is a blue R button on the steering wheel. A casual caress brings up a couple of extra options on the Drive Mode menu, including Drift Mode where all the power is locked to the rear wheels.

The biggest advantage of the wagon over the hatch is a bigger boot to bag your bits and bobs. With the seats down, there is over 1.8m of length between the back door and front seatbacks, and who doesn’t like extra length? Imagine all the goodies that could be secreted therein.

Grab a Brochure and Specifications HERE: golf_r_spec_brochure

The drive:

R models are all about going fast, and the 2022 Golf R Wagon is a peach with attitude. It is set on a modified version of the previous platform, but the wider track promises a little extra grip.

But wait, there’s more: not only is the power up from the old model, but the 4MOTION AWD system has been got at, and now has a rear-wheel “drift” mode. Chunky chavs will be bleating with joy.

Adaptive suspension replaces the magnetic ride of old, and the 7-Speed DSG has been given a gentle touch up.

What that means is a 0-100 of 4.8 for the hatch and 4.9 seconds for our wagon. 0.1 of a second matters much in the dick-swinging contests going on in forums worldwide. Modders go mad for it, but Mk 8 Golf R manages to do quite nicely without the their soup can exhausts.

235kw/420Nm 2.0L turbos are not class leading by any means, but Golf 8 R is more than the sum of its parts, and only after a few days in the saddle will a newbie really get it.

Pressing the R button probably does brilliant things on a track, but sport mode is plenty for we plebs. The relatively lightweight 1583kg wagon gets out of corners at a fair clip, but the highway ride is firmer than you might light, even in comfort mode.

She some habits.

First, it always starts in Sport mode. That would be fine if it made Golf R a hot, spitting, mess of a thing, but it doesn’t. In fact, it is a little too demure noise-wise.
The infotainment system is a little pernickety to fettle when you’re on the move.
The sport mode button doesn’t seem to scroll through your options, so you have to press the centre screen. The same goes for the R button.
During spirited cornering, the heated steering wheel button is easily knocked on, or off as the case may be

Voice control was completely useless, so I used wireless Apple CarPlay to “Hey Siri” myself into a frenzy. Both the built-in navigation and Apple Maps will happily display on the HUD. While on the subject of wireless CarPlay, Volkswagen has no plans to start charging a subscription for it, BMW-style.

All in all, the 2022 VW Golf R feels solid, precise, and completely predictable. Unless pushed beyond the pale, steering feels pleasingly light, and the brakes feel like they’re nicked from a Jumbo jet.

Highway driving was noisier than you’d want, especially on that revolting course chip tarmac, and there was an annoying whistle somewhere in the bowels of the vent system.

Grab a Brochure and Specifications HERE: golf_r_spec_brochure

Conclusion:

2022 Volkswagen Golf R Wagon is a love-hutch on wheels. The race-ready mum’s taxi is a sheep in town, and a wolf in the bends, and I like it. In fact many gay readers have left comments and sent emails. They praise the German hot hatch for its simplicity and brute strength.

Do I like it more than the MK 7.5? Yes, but only after a week of too-ing and fro-ing. She is almost 10 grand more than the old model, even more if you can’t wait for a factory order. Dealers are registering everything they can get, then selling them on at up to $90,000. Like all “used” cars, they’ve gone up in price.

If you can wait, then I suggest you do, and circumvent the dodgy dealings. Insist on a brand-new car that’s never been registered before, and you’ll save yourself up to 15,000 of our Australian dollars. On-road in NSW, a new Golf R is around $75,000.

Remember, dinosaur-burning transport is in its death throes, so roll-up, roll-up, while the going is good. There is unlikely to be another R.

2022 Volkswagen Golf R Wagon