You’d expect a quick car to not be practical, and a practical car to not be quick. And whilst that is usually true, there are exceptions to the rule. The Golf R is very much one of them.

Mainstream German cars tend to be sensible, well-specced and well-equipped vehicles suitable for daily duties. These manufacturers almost always have a skunk works division, in which engineers transform sedate machinery into mind-meltingly quick, track-capable weapons.

That is exactly what the Volkswagen engineers have done, transforming a pedestrian Golf into a four-wheel drive hot hatch that comes factory fitted with a drift mode. So then, very un-sensible, but yet somehow the overall package feels just right.

The Ultimate Golf

The Golf R, like its regular Golf cousins, is built on the Volkswagen-Audi Group’s MQB Evo platform. This is the same platform that has been used to build the hot hatches from the VAG umbrella, including the Audi RS 3 and the CUPRA Leon.

They all adhere to roughly the same formula. Cars that could pass off as just regular traffic to the passers-by, though those in the know, would obviously know. There are many R-specific exterior components obviously, including a unique body kit with an aggressively-styled front fascia, a rear-end finished with a diffuser and quad Akrapovic exhaust tips.

The car also gains a more prominent spoiler, and larger alloy wheels to clear the uprated R brakes. But again, there’s nothing overly shouty about its exterior, so you can have your fun, whilst very much flying under the radar.

Sensible on the Inside

The same subtly has been employed in the creation of the cabin. It is largely similar to a normal Golf, though again you’d find many R-specific features. The steering wheel gains an ‘R’ button, as well as blue stitching and highlights on the bottom spoke.

A faux carbon dashboard trim panel runs the width of the cabin, and the R makeover is complete with the inclusion of two ultra-supportive sports seats. In keeping with the overall theme, they have the ‘R’ insignia embroidered into the backrests, as well as blue piping, stitching and contrast fabrics.

Otherwise, it is largely the same as a regular Golf. So space upfront is decent, and whilst you can get comfortable in the rear, do not expect to find copious amounts of room (it is a hatchback afterall).

A True Handling Powerhouse

The premium you’d be paying over a pedestrian Golf has mostly been spent under the bonnet. It comes with the same 2.0-litre turbocharged EA888 engine as you’d find in the GTI, albeit it has been reworked to produce more power.

How much extra sauce has Volkswagen added to the engine? Well, about an extra 70 bhp, so the Golf R packs 310 bhp. This power is then sent to all four wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. With a light-by-modern-car-standards 1.5 ton kerb weight, the Golf R will be able to accelerate to 100 km/h from a standstill in just 4.7 seconds.

Of course, being a thoroughbred hot hatch means mechanical feats greater than its ability to be rapid in a straight line. These cars have been bred to be fun to toss about in the corners. And the Golf R excels in that department.

The suspension, whilst stiff, manages to still be tolerable on a daily basis. Even when driven at higher rates of speed on some tight twisty roads, the Golf R properly mitigates body roll. Sticky tyres, advanced electronic nannies and torque vectoring means you’d virtually be able to take any corner that you want, at any speed at you want.

Practically Entertaining

But the performance doesn’t come with the usual practicality penalties. There are many byproducts of the powertrain – think the pops and crackles from the factory-fitted Akrapovic exhaust, and the noticeable but subtle slip from the rear axle.

It is the ultimate recipe for a genuinely capable feel-good track toy. Still, as it is still very much a Golf, it knows how to behave when you need it to behave. It is a properly quick car that you can legitimately use every day, and there aren’t very many cars capable of doing so!

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