The interior of the 2017 Volkswagen Golf R is refreshingly modern.Fast facts
– Model: 2017 Volkswagen Golf R – Exterior color: Tornado Red – Interior color: Titan Black – Engine: 2.0-liter, turbocharged, 4-cylinder – Horsepower: 292 – Transmission: six-speed manual – Fuel economy: 31 mpg highway, 22 mpg city – Local Dealership: Village Volkswagen of Chattanooga – Price (as tested): $36,475
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The 2017 Volkswagen Golf R is the jalapeno pepper of hot hatchbacks: spicy, attainable and potent.
It’s hard to overstate how much the automotive press loves this car, which occupies the top shelf on the impressive Volkswagen Golf line-up. And what’s not to love? The 292-horsepower, all-wheel-drive Golf R gets high marks in build quality, drivability, performance, versatility, value and comfort.
And all this comes in a stealth package that flies under the radar. From a distance, the Golf R looks like your pizza delivery guy’s hatchback. Only an R badge on the front quarter-panel and four exhaust pipes distinguish it from its more pedestrian siblings. You’d never pick the R out of a line-up as a vehicle that can dash from zero to 60 mpg in less than five seconds (with automatic transmission).
In all performance metrics, the Golf R trumps the 210-220 horsepower Golf GTI, which is a fine piece of automotive engineering itself. But all this comes at a price. Our tester this week is a Tornado Red 2017 Golf R from the factory. Our base Golf R with no options and a six-speed manual transmission has a sticker price of $36,450. Add VW’s excellent dual clutch automatic transmission and the price jumps $1,100. The automatic, with its lightning-fast shifts, actually accelerates faster than the manual.