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Volkswagen's latest Golf R performance hatch is due to hit showrooms early in the new year alongside the seventh-generation Golf. We were recently treated with a first look at the track star but now we have a full gallery and even a video.
The Golf R makes its world debut next week at the 2013 Frankfurt motor show and is expected to go on sale overseas mid-2014 as a 2015 model. Powering the car is the same turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder found in the 2015 Audi S3, and as the video above confirms it has a meaty sound that should see the Golf R stand out from other Golf variants including the GTI.
The engine delivers 221kW of power and 380Nm of torque, although Australia's hotter climate always meant the Golf R we got here was detuned. Australian-spec Golf Rs produced just 188kW and 330Nm, compared to the European-spec 200kW/350Nm.
The new R’s extra power brings a performance hike, with the 0-100km/h time claimed to be 4.9 seconds with the six-speed twin-clutch auto and 5.3 seconds with the six-speed manual.
Driving the car in the above video is VW’s star rally driver Sebastien Ogier, who is currently leading the points table in the 2013 World Rally Championship. It appears he’s equally at home in the new Golf R as he is in his Polo R WRC car.
Like the MkVI Golf R this new MkVII replaces, a Haldex-based all-wheel-drive system is standard, as is a cross differential lock (XDS) for both the front and rear axles. The car’s stability control system can also be fully deactivated for track driving, alleviating one of the major downsides of the previous Golf R.
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