Author: Lance Branquinho

Sibling rivalry is a terrible, yet irrefutable, fact of life.

Whether it’s getting the top bunk in your shared room or avoiding the hand-me-down sports gear, there’s always this desire to prove, to be recognised, as an individual unique as the superior (favoured) one.

The bigger the family, the larger this issue - and more intense the clamouring for recognition. It’s no different in the automotive world, especially when you're part of the (rather) elaborate VW Group organogram where the issue of sibling rivalry rages with intent.

GOLF R v. S3 – FUNDAMENTALLY

What has this to do with the new Golf R? Well, quite a lot. You see, since its 2007 launch, Audi's second-generation S3 has been considered the premium performance hatchback. Stylish, fast, poised and comfortable (with a surfeit of all-important self-promoting image appeal), the S3 was the hot hatch everybody publicly loved to hate but privately wanted to own.

Then, when VW released the specification data for its fastest Golf yet (in 2010), many (myself included) could not help but spot an awful lot of S3-like commonalities. The idea of an imitation S3, with a VW-roundel and premium pricing, seemed a rather ill-conceived bit of product planning.

The Golf R’s engine, for instance, is not a more powerful version of its Golf6 GTI sibling’s, instead, it’s an evolution of the Golf5 GTI’s EA113 2-litre turbocharged four – similar to the S3’s.

For South African customers, essentially, you pay 2011 money for 2006 technology, because the level of power local Golf R owners are getting (down 11kW on European market cars due to local fuel, altitude and climate) is exactly what the S3 offers, and it's been on sale for quite a while. 

OK, in R-line trim the Golf 5 GTI engine gains a redesigned alloy cylinder head, drives pistons connected by more strain-resistant conrods, and feeds via high-pressure injectors, all mechanical euphemisms for blueprinting it to current S3 specification. The fact remains that power peaks at 188kW in SA, supported by 350Nm of torque.

European Golf R owners (irritatingly) get the full-power 199kW version. Conundrum? Very much so.

"But it’s better than the R32 was, isn’t it?" Well technically,  you’d be correct.

Compared to its R-line forebear, the overweight (yet acoustically endearing) R32, VW’s latest Golf R-car makes four kW and 30Nm more with substantial improvements in weight distribution and reduced fuel consumption, the latter claimed to be 15% better. Statistically, the Golf R’s only a negligible 58kg lighter than the R32, but more than half that mass reduction (35kg, to be exact) is due to the R’s smaller engine, crucially reducing rolling mass above the centre point between the front wheels resulting, theoretically, in sharper turn-in characteristics and less understeer.

Now, all those numbers sound promising, but wouldn’t it all be better (and the Golf R even lighter) without the all-wheel drive?

AWD: FACTUAL BENEFIT OR FALLACY?

the Golf R’s signature mechanical engineering detail is the sophisticated all-wheel drive system it shares in perfect imitation with the S3.

Supplied by Swedish drivetrain specialist Haldex, it’s a marvel of mechanical engineering but, ironically, also happens to be the Golf R’s most contradictory feature. Why? Well, it adds weight (two more differentials and rear side-shafts) and there's a vexing question about the value of all-wheel drive in dry climate markets.

Let me explain.

Whereas once it was implausible that a front-wheel drive car could possibly steer with accuracy (and find traction) when deploying in excess of 150kW, advances in ABS-modulated traction control (and mechanical limited-slip differentials) have made front-wheel drive cars such as the Ford’s Focus RS (224kW) and Renault Megane RS (184kW) class-leaders.

VW’s Golf6 GTI, producing 155kW, is a case in point. As a reference, consider that the current Golf6 GTI manages to combine similar performance to Lamborghini’s original supercar (the Miura, good for 0-100km/h in 6.7 sec) with everyday four-door hatch utility. Thanks to its clever XDS electronically locking differential, understeer (the bane of all powerful FWD cars) is quelled in a manner unimaginable to owners of classic hot hatches such as the Golf3 VR6.

Why the need for all-wheel drive then, if all it manages to do is add weight and increase drivetrain drag, reducing overall performance? If Ford’s Focus RS, a substantially more powerful car, can cope prove dynamically fluid with its front-wheel drive configuration thanks, simply, to a (really) clever limited-slip differential and some neat steering rack and suspension geometry, what reason for the Golf R’s all-wheel drive?

In Europe, where the proliferation of all-wheel drive performance cars started, the logic is simple: in winter, with snow and black ice surfacing most roads, all-wheel drive is awfully desirable. In most dynamic driving scenarios though, bar full-throttle acceleration in a low gear out of a hairpin, it’s a bit much of a muchness. Is this really the case with Golf R too? Do you actually need all-wheel drive to tame its 188kW?

SIMPLY A GOLF6 GTI +1?

Before unpacking whether a week’s driving VW’s six-speed manual Golf R vindicated its all-wheel drive mechanical complexity, let me give credit where it’s due and admit that VW has delivered a sophisticatedly stylish premium hot-hatch package in terms of design.

I don't think any other manages to appeal to budding boy-racers, (ex) boy-racers (the ones with a large bond and family to provide for) and neutral observers.

The Golf R looks neat, yet striking, buoyed by its R-line accessories: a subtle rear spoiler, dual central exhausts, LED daytime running lights and 19-inch Talledega alloy rims. It’s tasteful without appearing garishly aftermarket – something of a rarity with elaborately powerful hot hatches nowadays; Ford’s Focus RS being a case in point.

Inside, you’ll struggle to notice any fundamental difference between a Golf R and its GTI sibling. The instrument dials have blue needles and there are R-specific chromed badges on the transmission shifter and steering wheel.

Unless you opt for the bucket seats (R20 000), sunroof (R6 300) or high-end Dynaudio system (R13 650), it's very much GTI fare.

Amazingly, despite VW being keen to deplete your bank balance of more than R400 00 for the privilege of Golf R ownership, even the low-end RCD 150 radio/sound system is a R4000 optional extra…Not to mention the R14 581 you have to add for an optional 90 000km maintenance plan.

In mitigation, the cabin is a high-quality environment with immaculate panel shutlines and premium materials.

After settling into the optional composite tub bucket seats (superb, once you’re settled in, yet an ungraceful chore to get out of), the ‘ starts with little fanfare, unlike its R32 predecessor.

The clutch action is light and with 350Nm or torque to roll it along (at an engine speed of only 2500rpm) a morning commute is generally painless, with no traceable hot-hatch drivetrain petulance. It must be said though: you’d have to be a fanatical heel-and-toe/double-declutching driving enthusiast to choose the six-speed manual in favour of VW’s superb DSG transmission, which drives like a fuss-free automatic in traffic and allows one to keep both hands on the helm when on the limit.

Gauged against a regular daily commute usage pattern, the ‘R is an experience eerily similar to driving a stock Golf6 GTI.

Although it's 25mm lower than the series production Golf 6 (and 10mm lower than a GTI) its specifically calibrated shock absorbers and springs ensure a ride quality that is never harsh or unsettled. Adaptive chassis control is not standard though; so, if you want the ultimate in driver engagement (and adaptability to all road surfaces) you’ll have to add to your budget for continuously variable custom damping (R10 470). It’s an option well worth having – considering the state of South Africa’s rapidly deteriorating national network of blacktop…

VERY RAPID ONCE UP TO SPEED

Once road conditions become more conducive to deploying the R’s 188kW, this limited edition Golf starts to make (some) more sense.

Although the R’s recalibrated steering is a touch too light at speed, its sniper-rifle accurate and quick. Supported by outstanding suspension compliance (mid-corner bumps do little to unsettle its poise), Golf R’s a very unintimidating car to place accurately on even very challenging roads, travelling at substantial speeds. Despite feeling only fractionally faster than a GTI when launched from a standing start (due to the drivetrain refinement and Golf6’s inherently low levels of NVH, due to its outstanding engineering integrity) the R’s greater pace only becomes (crushingly) perceptible as the speedometer starts needling into the three figure values.

Roll-on acceleration beyond the legal limit (initiated by executing overtaking manoeuvres in fourth gear), is phenomenal. With the preponderance of automatic and dual-clutch transmissions nowadays, it’s a rarity to happen upon a modern manual-transmission car where a clutch-dip and shift back to fourth yields such a seamless torrent of accelerative force.

If you require slightly more tactile Golf6 GTI handling with substantially stronger high-speed cruising (and overtaking ability), well, then Golf R starts making an awful lot of sense.

The ‘R is properly fast and an impeccable long-distance cruiser.

I did a weekend breakaway in it (two couples, obscene volume of luggage, including the obligatory skottelbraai) and honestly, it was some of the most relaxing four-up travelling I’ve experienced in quite some time.

The utility billing, then, is faultless. But is it really mad enough to be carrying the “R” badge with pedigree?

I was never really convinced.

The first debit is its four-cylinder forced-induction acoustic signature, which is not the last word in sonorous petrolhead appeal. This lack of exhaust note drama, even when the tachometer needle swings past 4000rpm, was a greatest disappointment.

No matter how truthfully a petrolhead mate, who’s owned a Focus ST, told me "it sounds great from the outside, really, I could hear you four blocks down the road", the ‘R just lacked that hooligan elocution induction noise so fundamental to any memorable hot hatch experience.

Although purists will miss the signature V6 soundtrack of the R32 (as I did), Golf R's blend of performance and economy is better, though its fuel consumption is not as infinitely superior as one would like to think. I averaged 12.4l/100km during a week’s testing, which involved very little outright boost addicted hooliganism, a figure well in excess of VW’s claimed 8.5l/100km.

The second major debit concerning Golf R remains its all-wheel drive system.

In theory, the Haldex technology is flawless. Whereas most all-wheel drive systems require a difference between front and rear wheel rotation speeds (plainly, wheel slip) for the mechanics to engage and move torque around, the fourth-generation Haldex system is powered by an electric pump which ensures a constant working pressure of 30 bar in an hydraulic reservoir – which releases pressure as it is required. All very technical, but, for keen drivers (which Golf R owners are expected to be), there's now the guarantee of 100% torque going to the rear wheels in extreme lift-off oversteer scenarios.

Now, although it's heartening to know the rear wheels are torque loaded when the fronts start to lose grip, when and where (even) the most enthusiastic Golf R driver is going to actually benefit from Golf R’s sophisticated all-wheel drive system day-to-day it’s nearly impossible to tell.

You’re unlikely to reap the Haldex system’s full advantage on a public road driving at moderate speeds, unless a Woolworths refrigeration trucks dumps its frozen vegetable load and litters packing ice in front of you on the N1 north. In summer, if you wish to be quickest around those traffic circles in your housing estate during a Highveld thunderstorm, or if you attend a trackday each week, then yes, possibly there is a trace benefit. For all intents and purposes though, is really is overkill for the South African market – and there is not greater vindication of this than by VW’s product planners themselves, as the Scirocco R is front-wheel drive…

JUST A FIVE-DOOR S3?

Is it a contrived marketing exercise then, this fastest Golf yet? Well, no.

On a circuit, driven at the limit, the ‘R is reassuring stable and conserves momentum with effortless ease – its upgrades brakes, impeccably calibrated suspension and all-wheel system harmonise to render a very settled, yet undeniably swifter, hot hatch experience than the already fantastically accomplished Golf6 GTI.

You feel the helm writhe slightly as the multi-plate Haldex system’s centre clutch sets about squeezing torque to the wheels most likely to need it, which adds to an element of driver involvement – but you really need to take it to the ragged edge of what any sane person would class as "spirited driving" to feel the all-wheel drive’s benefit.

If you’ve always hankered after Audi S3, but need the five-door convenience of a more traditional hatchback configuration, Golf R is a godsend. It's a tremendously easy car to drive (very) fast, unwittingly cloaking drivers of varying experience in a generous safety margin of mechanical grip. Then again – so does the stock GTI.

Threading the logic of my opening statement regarding sibling rivalry, the genius behind VW’s product planning is clear to see with the 'R. The VW group can move you effortlessly between brands (with relatively little difference in product offering or advanced technology) and sell you essentially the same (dated) product at current inflation levels.

Bin the R-line styling bits and contemporary infotainment system options and you’re essentially buying a five-door S3, with technology that’s five-years old. In Europe, with its severe winters and the promise of 199kW worth of power, Golf R makes more sense, locally though...

Whereas the R32 gained near immediate classic status due to its V6 configuration and characteristic noise, it was not a great car – its Golf5 GTI sibling was in many ways a better drive. Ironically, the Golf R, a better car in every possible way (bar its soundtrack) to the R32 runs the risk of not gravitating to instant classic collector’s status, simply due to being too good at too many things – it’s what petrolheads would call, artificial. I can’t help but wonder, considering what Renault manages with the Megane RS in front-wheel drive, what a lighter, full-power, front-wheel drive ‘R would be like…

If you wish to purchase a modern hot hatch classic, the current GTI very much is one, and costs R86 500 less. Ironically, when it comes to the hot hatch rivalry raging within the VW group, the most junior family member remains the chosen one.