trd420
Go Kart Champion
- Location
- Richmond, ca
Suddenly quit your job and move to Nepal, and explaining yourself will be nearly as difficult as spending nearly 40 grand for a Volkswagen Golf. At $37,415, the 2015 Golf R five-door nips at 2015 Audi S3 territory, yet R buyers know they’re really getting the Audi with tidier proportions, a useful hatchback, and a $4580 discount.
Both cars are based on Volkswagen’s MQB architecture and share Haldex-enabled all-wheel drive, a six-speed dual-clutch automatic (marketed as DSG here and S tronic on the Audi), and a potent 2.0-liter turbo four pumping out 292 hp and 280 lb-ft of torque. When the Rs begin to arrive in the next quarter, most will be fully loaded at $39,910 and reserved for the first 500 who preorder the car from VW’s website.
The additional $2495 is translated to 19-inch wheels, navigation, parking sensors, Fender audio, and DCC active damping. The basic R comes standard with 18-inch wheels, selectable driving modes, a 5.8-inch touch screen with satellite radio, Bluetooth and iPhone connectivity, keyless entry with push-button start, bixenon headlamps, a backup camera, and dual-zone automatic climate control. Heated front leather sport seats with 12-way power adjustment for the driver are also part and parcel, along with VW’s Car-Net telematics system that can unlock the car remotely and provide automatic crash notification, among other basic services. The R’s body addenda—large air intakes, quad exhaust tips, and more—and its lowered stance clearly mark it as more than a Golf or GTI.
By now you may be wondering where the six-speed manual we’ve been promised is hiding. It’s coming, but only after a batch of DSG cars make it to our shores and hopefully at an even greater discount over the dual-clutch-only S3. For its part, Audi says only that it’s examining the possibility of a manual S3.
VW estimates a 30-mpg highway rating and a launch-control-augmented zero-to-60-mph time of 4.9 seconds. We’d expect to shave some tenths off that in our own testing, although perhaps not the 4.4-second time we recorded on the S3. Top speed is electronically leashed to 155 mph. If you really love the S3’s infotainment system and its three-box profile, the choice is clear. If you want a hatchback or (eventually) a manual, well, that choice is clear, too. But good luck explaining your decision to the uninitiated.
