Volkswagen Wants To Say Goodbye To Combustion With Hardcore Golf R
Key Takeaways
- Volkswagen consiering Clubsport version of the Golf R, catering to enthusiasts seeking a more track-focused experience.
- The Golf R Clubsport could feature increased output, but weight is a challenge.
- While plans for the Golf R Clubsport are in progress, the project’s approval by the board and potential US release remain uncertain.
Fresh off revealing the special-edition Golf GTI Clubsport in celebration of the nameplate’s 50th anniversary, it has emerged that Volkswagen may have one last treat for Golf R enthusiasts before combustion is eliminated from the Golf range altogether.
2023 Volkswagen Golf R
- Base MSRP
- $44,740
- Engine
- 2.0L Turbo Inline-4 Gas
- Horsepower
- 315 hp
- Fuel Economy
- 20/28 MPG
- Base Trim Engine
- 2.0L Turbo Inline-4 Gas
- Base Trim Transmission
- 6-Speed Manual
- Base Trim Horsepower
- 315 hp
- Base Trim Torque
- 280 lb-ft
The Clubsport name is one VW uses for tauter, more powerful, more agile versions of its front-wheel-drive hot hatch, but perhaps it’ll soon find a home on the AWD alternative. Road & Track spoke with Martin Hube, global spokesperson for Volkswagen, and he confirmed that Wolfsburg is very interested in attaching the Clubsport moniker to the Golf R.
“There’s another interesting car we are working on at the moment. They are thinking about and working on a Clubsport version of the Golf R.”
-Martin Hube, Volkswagen Global Spokesperson.
Built For The Track
The interview was conducted at the 24 Hours of Nürburgring, where the Golf GTI Clubsport was unveiled, and that would be the sort of place this hardcore Golf R would shine, too. According to Hube: “We will have an AWD, more track-oriented version, and then the standard Golf R, too. On the one hand, it’s a torquey, road-going sports car. On the other hand, because it’s a bit heavier, it’s not a track tool.” For the record, the EA888 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder in the existing Golf R produces 315 horsepower and 280 lb-ft of torque, and the ridiculously expensive 333-unit Golf R 333 made 328 bhp (333 metric horsepower).
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With the R division becoming a standalone EV brand soon, we’re hopeful that VW will crank output up for the combustion-powered Golf’s last hurrah. That said, we were led to believe that the GTI Clubsport would be the most powerful FWD Golf ever, and it arrived with less than the decade-old Clubsport S. Still, we can certainly expect more than the regular Golf R, and Hube’s comments imply that weight reduction will be part of the package.
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The Board Is Not Yet Decided
All of this sounds good, but don’t break out the champagne just yet. “This car will be a mule for the future,” said Hube, indicating that there is justification for this project beyond the desire to satisfy a handful of enthusiasts in a shrinking niche, but production is not a foregone conclusion, with Hube adding, “I really hope that we can convince them [Volkswagen board members].” Unfortunately, even if the runout special is approved by the board, there’s no guarantee that it will come to the States. The same publication reports that the increased power of the GTI Clubsport would have required new homologation tests if it were to be sold in America, and that would have made it even pricier than a Golf R despite having less power. With that in mind, we wouldn’t hold out hope for the track-focused R.
Source:
Road & Track
