This is it: Volkswagen Golf 8.5 R debuts as most powerful Golf ever

Teased sporadically since January, the most recent having been its launch confirmation this month, Volkswagen has officially debuted the Golf 8.5 R as the expected final combustion engine model its performance division will produce.

End of era

Ahead of the R brand’s move towards complete electrification before 2030, the 8.5 R also becomes the equal most powerful production Golf ever made with outputs of 245kW/420Nm from the venerable EA888 2.0 TSI engine.

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An accolade it shares with the US-market only Golf 8 R 333 and the R 20 Years Edition, the 10 kW uptake in power also comes with an increased limited top speed of 270 km/h when fitted with the optional Performance package.

As standard, the R will still do 250 km/h and despite the same torque output as the Golf 8 R, accelerate from 0-100 km/h in 4.6 seconds. Carried over is the 4Motion all-wheel-drive system and the seven-speed DSG.

What has changed

Building on the aesthetic of the standard Golf 8.5, the R, again offered as either a five-door hatch or the European-market exclusive Variant estate, receives model specific front and rear bumpers and door sills, a new deeper lower air intake, the otherwise optional LED Plus headlights and, as further cost extra, 19-inch Warmenau alloy wheels Wolfsburg claims aids brake cooling in addition to being eight kilograms lighter per wheel than the standard 18-inch Bergamo wheels.

Available for the first time, but limited to the hatch, is the new Black Edition that receives the Performance package from the onset, along with the darkened clusters for the Matrix I.Q. LED headlights.

While the illuminated grille from the “standard” R is carried over, the Black, as per its name boasts a darkened finish on the 19-inch Estoril alloy wheels, on the exhaust outlets, brake calipers and the Volkswagen as well as R badges. Residing on the B-pillars are Black decals.

Surprisingly not changed underneath its skin, bar the addition of a Drift mode and so-called Special setting modelled on the Nürburgring Nordschleife similar to that of the Golf 8.5 GTI Clubsport, the R’s interior has undergone a more extensive rethink related mostly to tech.

Inside

Mirroring not only its regular sibling, but also the new Tiguan and Passat, the R gets both the 10.2-inch Digital Cockpit Pro digital instrument cluster plus the 12.9-inch infotainment system, the latter equipped with the new MIB4 software and integrated ChatGPT.

Reserved for the Performance pack is a lap time and G-meter displayed on the former, although standard on both are illuminated touch sliders for the dual-zone climate control, an improved voice recognition system and sport seats with R embroidered front seatbacks.

As an additional option, the R can be specified with imitation or “real” carbon decorative inserts and Alcantara trimmed seats with blue stitching.

In the case of the Black Edition, the Alcantara chairs are swapped for black Nappa leather with the only blue finishing residing on the steering wheel and the R badges.

Not yet confirmed

On-sale from 3 July in Germany with pricing from €53 795 (R1 054 045) to €58 440 (R1 145 057) for the Black Edition, the Golf 8.5 R, as with the regular Golf 8.5, has not been confirmed for South Africa where only the Mk 8 GTI and R have been sold until now.

Should eventual approval be given, expect this strategy to remain unchanged and possibly come to local market fruition before the end of the year.

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