5 Bold Features of the 2016 Volkswagen Golf R

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Copyright © 2016 Bold Ride LLC.

Posted by Jeff Perez 

                               

                                          

There’s something so likable about the 292-horsepower Volkswagen Golf R. And no, it isn’t just the added oomph (even though it does help).

 

 The Golf R comprises the best aspects of the standard Golf, and combines that with some of the most fun performance bits from the hot hatch segment.

 

When you break it down, these are the five bold features that make the Volkswagen Golf R as fun as it is.

Amazing All-Wheel Drive
 

“Take your Subaru WRX and shove it,” says the Volkswagen Golf R. For the same price of said Subie, you can get an all-wheel drive Golf with more power. But it’s the way it handles all 292 of those horses that should impress the race car driver in you.

It grabs, it sticks, it claws its way around each corner without any sort of fuss. Where the previous generation Golf R was good, the new MQB platform and the more advanced all-wheel drive system make it something spectacular.

Tactile Steering

Speaking of cornering, it’s not just the advanced all-wheel drive system that’s doing the heavy lifting. The steering rack on this car just…flows, for lack of a better word. It’s not too light, it’s not too heavy—if Goldilocks were a V-Dub fanboy she’d say it’s “just right.”

Muscular Design

I can only assume the word ‘subtle’ is tattooed on the faces of VW designers in Wolfsburg; there isn’t a car in the Volkswagen lineup that isn’t. But when you take that subtle approach, and apply to to a 292-horsepower hot hatch, it sort of takes on a whole new meaning.
The Golf R is pretty, in a very clean, very German sort of way. Nothing about this car is in your face—it won’t immediately draw the attention of anyone not familiar with what’s under the hood. But that’s the way it should be, like any good VW.
Tons of Technology

A performance-minded buyer might not necessarily think (or care, really) that the Golf R is a tech heavy hatchback with the millennial buyer in mind. But it is. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto come standard, along with a whole suite of safety equipment like front assist, blind spot monitoring, rear traffic alert—the whole shebang.

Loads of Space

What’s all this power and technology, though, if you can’t share it with a few friends? The Golf R is spacious—or at least, as spacious as the rest of the Golf lineup. In terms of four-door performance cars, there’s a bunch more room for junk in the trunk; 52.7 cubic feet of max cargo room to be exact.

Photo Credit: Jeff Perez for BoldRide