Say Hello To The Slightly More Powerful VW Golf R

The first details have emerged for the updated Volkswagen Golf R range, and it starts with a power boost.

We were wondering what Volkswagen would do when the news broke that the Seat Leon Cupra will match the Golf R for power, and the result is a 10bhp nudge up to 306bhp. Peak torque stays at 295lb ft.

Visual modifications for the ‘facelifted’ car are harder to find than a practically new Honda NSX, but we’re assured they’re there somewhere. Probably. The LED tail lights look slightly different within the cluster.

Still, the R is good for a 0-62mph sprint of 4.6 seconds, the release claims, and it will continue to be built as an estate as well as a hatchback. Both DSG and manual gearboxes will be carried over.

Inside, there’s now a standard infotainment system imaginatively named Composition Colour, but in the R it looks like that can be upgraded to a 9.2-inch top-spec unit.

12.3-inch fully digital instrument cluster much like the one used by the Passat – and various Audi models.

At the bum-end of the Golf range there’s some less good news, with an 85bhp version powered by the new 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbo. It’s likely to be, in part at least, a ploy to make the range’s starting price lower than it otherwise would be. A cheaper billboard price is always good news for marketers, but they won’t expect to sell many for that amount.