First Drive: Could this be the ultimate load-lugger? We've been driving UKVolkswagen's new Golf R estate and the definitive verdict is in
When we say this is a quick estate car, we mean it. Even the official acceleration time might be a touch conservative; we clocked a 0-60mph time of 4.4sec using its easily engaged launch control. That’s a little bit swifter than the equivalent Cupra Leon estate, and that's to be expected, since the Golf R has an extra 10bhp for a total of 316bhp.
And if you want to keep farther ahead of said traffic, there’s always the £2160 Performance Pack, which raises the top speed from 155 to 166mph, shortening your commute time if you happen to be heading to the office via a derestricted German Autobahn. The pack also includes snazzy 19in alloy wheels, and a drift mode for a moment of tyre-smoking track-day hilarity before you get black-flagged.
If there’s one area that’s a little lacking in excitement is engine noise. The engineers must have known this because the sportier drive modes have a setting for a bassier augmented engine tone piped into the cabin. It never comes across as being particularly genuine and is actually better switched off before it gets on your nerves.
However, no amount of ritzy trim can disguise the fact that the Golf’s interior has recently taken a nose-dive in terms of quality, with hard plastics adorning every surface below eye-level. Ease of use has taken a hit too, because most of the controls – such as those for the air-con – have been relegated to the central touchscreen.
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