2025 Volkswagen Golf R Review

For performance-car enthusiasts, there always seems to be one model that defines an era. For several decades, it was one V8-powered Holden and an equivalent Ford. In the 1990s, the Subaru Impreza WRX was the vehicle of choice. Then the Golf GTI Mk5 came to market in the 2000s and became the thing to have.

More recently, the Volkswagen Golf R has been the performance hero of the people. The car’s 2.0-litre turbocharged engine offered seemingly endless opportunities to make power with cost-effective modifications, they handled well due to the all-wheel-drive grip, and they provided a level of prestige – but without the perceived baggage that can come with other German car badges.

The Volkswagen Golf R Mk8.5 has now arrived, representing the major mid-life update for the current-generation Golf. With it, brings exterior and interior changes, along with a minor boost to the R’s power.

Volkswagen’s people are very proud of this car, but to be frank, we’ve heard this kind of excitement from them before.

We spent two days with the new Golf R – testing it extensively on winding country roads, highways, and at the track – to see if the new Golf R can live up to its legacy.

Spoiler alert: it does.

How much does the Volkswagen Golf R cost?

‍The 2025 Volkswagen Golf R is priced from $70,990 before on-road costs in Australia – which is a very modest $400 increase over the model it replaces, and around $5000 more than when the Mk8 launched in 2022.

These days, the Golf R is available in Australia exclusively as a hatchback – despite the wagon still being available overseas – and fitted with an automatic dual-clutch transmission, with no manual available for this generation.

While the Golf R is still considered by many to be a hot hatch, the term is relatively subjective, and I tend to keep the moniker reserved for front-wheel-drive models like the Honda Civic Type R, Cupra Leon VZx, and the Golf GTI.

No, with all-wheel drive and a sub-five-second 0-100km/h, the Golf R is worthy of being called a performance hatch. 

For those in the market for such a vehicle, you’ll likely be cross-shopping with the Toyota GR Corolla, which has slightly less power with 221kW and 400Nm – but a manual is available from $67,990 before on-road costs, while the equivalent automatic is $70,490 plus on-roads.

For those willing to spend more, there’s an argument for the BMW M135, Mercedes-AMG A35, and the closely-related Audi S3. But frankly, those models simply make the Volkswagen Golf R look like a proper bargain by comparison.

For the Australian market, Volkswagen has ticked almost every feature for the Golf R, ensuring it comes almost fully loaded straight off the bat.

If you’re very quick, you might still be able to get one of the last Golf R Black Editions, which adds black exterior trims, black badges – including a special illuminated black VW logo, which required board approval – tinted lights, black brake calipers, and black 19-inch ‘Warmenau’ lightweight alloy wheels.

It’s arguably the best-looking Golf, and it’s priced from $72,490 before on-road costs.

Otherwise, buyers can add a panoramic glass sunroof for an additional $2100, or the Warmenau package (Black Edition excluded), which adds a lightweight titanium Akrapovic exhaust system, real carbon-fibre interior trims, and 19-inch ‘Warmenau’ lightweight alloy wheels – all for an extra $6500.

Consider that Audi is offering the titanium Akrapovic exhaust system for the S3 alone for $9900, the Warmenau package suddenly feels like an absolute bargain.

2025 Volkswagen Golf R Pricing:

• Golf R – $70,990
• Golf R Black Edition – $72,490

Note: Prices exclude on-road costs and are subject to change.

Plan hatched

‍Most people would be hard-pressed to call out any styling changes on the Mk8.5, but the slimmer LED headlights, IQ tail-lights, and the revision to the front bumper have improved an already good-looking car.

It does seem to strike the right balance – a warning of sorts to those who try to challenge the Golf R – while still remaining relatively low-key.

But it’s the Black Edition that delivers a subtle menacing demeanour, like it’s about to stage a heist – especially with a black exterior. Option a white Golf R Black Edition though, and the contrast looks downright cool. In a large gathering of Golf Rs for the media launch, the white Black Edition was the one I found myself staring at more than any other.

Keep it simple, sexy

‍Volkswagen got strung and quartered when the Mk8 Golf arrived, with widespread criticism of its general lack of buttons – as well as its use of haptic panels on the steering wheel.

While I agreed with the criticism fundamentally – and applaud Volkswagen for listening to the feedback – I feel like the German carmaker probably took the brunt of the community’s frustration at a direction the entire industry was taking. The evaluations were correct, the fire-spitting condemnation was a little much.

A product planner at Volkswagen told me the steering wheel – with its haptic panels – had to remain, otherwise an entirely new steering wheel would have had to have been designed and engineered at great cost, no doubt causing a price jump. Instead, the sensitivity of the haptic buttons was turned down, and the feedback was turned up.

The fat lower ‘chicken drumstick’ part of my thumb did still engage the haptic buttons once or twice during spirited driving, but it’s a huge improvement over the pre-facelift model – and a welcome one at that.

The shortcut buttons below the infotainment screen are also a good addition, allowing easy access to the climate control.

I appreciate that a lot of people like swapping them out themselves for aftermarket aluminium items, but the plastic paddle-shifters felt straight-up cheap, like something I’d find on a value city SUV. I was also a little disappointed with the so-called witness marks – ridges left over from manufacturing – on the back of the indicators.

The sports seats carry over from the pre-facelift Golf R, and offer a high level of comfort and lateral support. Plus, they look great. Finding my ideal driving position was quick and easy, though I would have preferred the steering wheel to be slightly less tilted.

The rest of the cabin is classic Golf – intuitive, attractive, and well built. The design is attractive, and it’s frankly a nice cabin to spend any sort of time in.

Part-time seats

‍The back seats are okay, but I wouldn’t call them a feature of the Golf. 

Headroom in the hatchback is decent enough, but I found my knees had to find space on either side of the seat in front, making it less than ideal for adults for anything other than short rides.

For those families using the Golf R as a work commuter with the occasional school pick-up, the Volkswagen would work well.

If you do need to transport people regularly, it would be worth sitting in the back of one at a dealership before pulling the trigger.

Yep, it’s a boot

‍The Golf offers pretty standard levels of luggage space for a hatchback in this segment, certainly nothing groundbreaking.

While Volkswagen quotes 341 litres of boot space, it’s slightly more than the Audi S3 – presumably the sedan – which has 325 litres.

With the rear seats down, the Golf offers up to 1197 litres of space, which is decent enough to fit some larger items in.

R, me hearties

‍The Golf R is powered by a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine, producing 245kW and 420Nm, and mated to a seven-speed automatic dual-clutch transmission with steering-wheel-mounted paddle-shifters.

Performance is perfectly balanced – providing near-instant power on tap, without compromising low-speed driving in peak-hour traffic or highway cruising. The Golf R is very easy to drive, yet can summon deep reserves of performance whenever required.

Volkswagen claims the Golf R can cover the 0-100km/h sprint in 4.6 seconds, which is faster than a Nissan R34 Skyline GT-R.

Rather than using a Haldex system, which – as I mentioned in my recent Audi S3 review – is more like on-demand all-wheel drive, the Golf R uses a much newer and more sophisticated torque vectoring system. Still on-demand all-wheel drive, but much more sophisticated.

While around 94 per cent of the engine’s torque is driving the front wheels at all times, any reduction in traction has up to 50 per cent of the power sent to the rear axle – with up to 100 per cent of that able to be sent to either one or both rear wheels.

But it’s more than just a way to provide traction.

The system on the Golf – which is now the same used on the S3 and RS3 – uses torque vectoring to send power to the rear outside wheel during the exit of a corner, neutralising understeer and propelling the car around. It feels like some kind of magic trick.

It’s difficult to get definitive answers as to whether the transmission is exactly the same hardware found in the S3, but certainly the way it was tuned didn’t feel quite as advanced as what I’ve previously experienced in the Audi.

It’s a bit like saying this fine bottle of champagne isn’t quite as good as this other bottle. The ingredients are fundamentally the same, the outcome is the same, but one feels slightly less refined than the other. Either way, you’re still having fine champagne.

The Golf R also has M-Plus mode for the transmission. Rather than putting the car into manual mode, then having it upshift for you if you get up to redline, M-Plus puts the driver completely in control – allowing for limiter-bashing.

Which brings us to the exhaust. I’m convinced the Warmenau package is worth every dollar – for the Akrapovic titanium exhaust alone – but the standard exhaust isn’t overly exciting, even in ‘Race mode’.

As far as fuel consumption is concerned, Volkswagen quotes 10.6 litres per 100 kilometres in the city and 7.0L/100km on the highway, for a combined 8.3L/100km.

Round of Golf, anyone?

‍Driving the car for several hours along slow and fast winding roads between Orange and the Blue Mountains, the Golf R was superb. The wet weather and rain-damaged roads increased the challenge, but the vast levels of grip provided all the confidence required to attack each corner with aplomb.

In the wet, it was exceptional. Hours behind the wheel in sometimes torrential rain – seat and steering-wheel heaters on, music on in the background, blasting through the New South Wales countryside like Spiderman through New York City skyscrapers.

Volkswagen’s people – including a full-time test driver – encouraged us to use the car in ‘Nurburgring Mode’. A special driving mode that combines comfort suspension with race settings for throttle, transmission, and noise. Best suited to the famous German circuit, but also suitable for empty country roads in poor condition.

While on the whole it performed very well, especially given this is fundamentally a performance hatch, I think the comfort suspension doesn’t quite match the level of enthusiasm with which it was presented to us.

Was I uncomfortable? No, almost never. But we’re not talking Bentley levels of comfort here. I felt all the big bumps and potholes that were unavoidable. But like a prize fighter, the Golf R just takes the hit, unbothered, and keeps punching forward.

However, the reduced levels of traction – thanks to the poor weather – meant it was impossible to push these cars to their cornering limits. Thankfully, there was another opportunity to test out the car’s limits – in a safe and legal environment.

Start your engines

‍A trip to Sydney Motorsport Park on a bright and sunny morning did provide us with all the opportunities we needed to find the limit of the Golf R. And you have to be brave and disciplined to get to that ragged edge.

Though in a slightly different way to the Audi S3, at the edge – and beyond – the Golf R sends a warning flare up by way of understeer, telling you when you’ve pushed the car beyond its capabilities. The fantastic thing is this can be neutralised, almost against your better judgement, by leaning on the throttle.

This allows the rear-end to start working, with the torque vectoring powering the rear outer wheel so the car can pivot, making the driver look like a pro.

As is standard at these sort of events, we all had instructors sitting next to us, well-versed in getting the most out of a lap of the full circuit. What I found very interesting is, while they understood the corners, they hadn’t been briefed on the car.

Whereas most vehicles require power to be gradually fed on after the apex, the Golf R’s torque vectoring allows – and actually encourages – more power to be used to help rotate the car on exit.

In other words, the universally-accepted method of driving a car fast on track – or, one aspect, at least – has to be modified due to how technologically capable the Golf R is.

And it is capable. And quick.

On a wet skidpan, we also got to test out the car’s ‘Drift Mode’, which sends the maximum allowable power to the inside rear wheel, allowing the car to hold a pretty big angle around both small and large circles.

It’s certainly not the same as more traditional rear-wheel-drive drifting – but for an all-wheel-drive performance hatch, it’s a neat party trick. Probably not one to do on public roads though. Leave it for the skidpan.

Fast, and safe

‍The Australasian New Car Assessment Program, better known as ANCAP, has awarded the current-generation Volkswagen Golf with a full five stars, with the vehicle being given the score based on 2022 criteria.

Of the four main sections, ANCAP rated the Golf 88 per cent for Adult Occupant Protection, 87 per cent for Child Occupant Protection, 76 per cent for Safety Assist technology, and 74 per cent for Vulnerable Road User Protection – which includes pedestrians and cyclists.

The Golf R comes standard with:

• Eight airbags
• Adaptive cruise control with stop & go
• Lane-keep assist
• Lane-centring assist
• Blind-spot monitoring
• AEB with pedestrian & cyclist monitoring
• Rear cross-traffic alert
• Driver fatigue monitoring
• Exit warning system
• Front and rear parking sensors
• Rear-view camera
• 360-degree cameras

Standard fare

All brand-new Volkswagens come with a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty.

The Golf R requires servicing either annually or every 15,000km – whichever comes first – with the company offering both fixed-priced dealership servicing, as well as three- or five-year pre-paid servicing plans.

Fixed price servicing:

• One-year/15,000km: $557
• Two-years/30,000km: $1071
• Three-years/45,000km: $557
• Four-years/60,000km: $1460
• Five-years/75,000km: $557

Care Plans:

• Three Years: $1966 (10 per cent discount)
• Five Years: $3640 (First Service Free)

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What do you get with the Volkswagen Golf R?

‍2025 Volkswagen Golf R:

• Auto Matrix LED headlights
• Auto high beams
• LED tail-lights
• Head-up display
• 10.2-inch digital instrument display
• 12.9-inch infotainment touchscreen
• Harman Kardon audio system
• Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• Satellite navigation
• Digital radio
• Voice assistant
• 360-degree cameras
• Wireless smartphone charging with cooling
• Tri-zone climate control
• Leather-trimmed sports steering wheel
• Keyless entry and start
• Surround vehicle lighting
• Automatic parking
• 30-colour ambient interior lighting
• Chrome exterior highlights
• Privacy glass
• Drive mode selector
• Heated and ventilated front sports seats
• Power driver's seat with memory
• Nappa leather seat upholstery
• Adaptive suspension
• Progressive steering
• 19-inch alloy wheels
• Metallic paint

Options:

• Panoramic glass sunroof: $2100
• Warmenau package (not available on Black Edition): $6500

Final thoughts on the Volkswagen Golf R

‍A car doesn’t gain cult status by pure luck. The grandpappy of the Golf R, the V6-powered Golf R32, was never dynamically the best car on the road. It was a big engine in the small car, with lots of grip, an incredible sound, and something that was just a little bit special.

The 2025 Volkswagen Golf R no longer gets the V6, but this is now a serious performance car – a real contender in this space – and has developed a loyal fanbase which is entirely deserved.

It’s easy to drive slow, easy to drive quick, and can hoover up corners like few other cars available for less than six figures.

It’s also fun – and has pretty much everything a driving enthusiast could want in a one-car garage.

While Audi will frankly hate me for saying this, the Volkswagen Golf R is everything the S3 is, but with a more attractive interior and for a lower price. Sorry, Audi – but it’s not my fault the Golf R is this good.

Volkswagen's people are clearly very proud of this car, and with good reason. Their pride is entirely justified.

I hope I’m wrong, but it’s hard to imagine this kind of car existing a decade in the future. May its legacy continue for a long time to come.