The VW Golf R Performance Pack Gives 168mph Potential, Costs £2300

The R may have only received a 10bhp boost as part of the Golf’s mid-life refresh, but VW has another trick up its sleeve to keep the car relevant in the hot hatch arms race. It’s called the Performance Pack, and VW has just announced how much it’ll cost in the UK, and what it’ll contain.

You’re looking at a not-so-unreasonable £2300, for which you’ll get 19-inch ‘Spielberg’ alloy wheels, a bigger boot spoiler that generates an additional 20kg of downforce, better brakes and the removal of the 155mph speed limiter. On the hatchback that results in a 166mph top speed, while the de-limited estate will run out of puff at 168mph.

You can tell the ‘R-Performance’ brakes apart from the standard stoppers thanks to the silver finish on the callipers. The system is 2kg lighter than the stock setup and features ‘built pin’ discs, which behave much better at high temperatures.

If you don’t mind splashing out an extra £2950 there’s a titanium Akrapovic exhaust to be specced (not available on the estate), shedding a further 7kg from the car. Although we reckon you’re best off saving that cash and optioning the one thing missing from the Performance Pack: stickier tyres.

The R Performance we drove in Spain earlier this year had semi-slick Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2s fitted, making it an utter beast on track. While missing from the UK version of the Performance Pack, VW UK confirmed to Car Throttle that Cup 2s will soon be appearing on the R’s options list soon. There’s no word on price, but we’re expecting them to be far less than that shouty exhaust…