{"id":104011,"date":"2025-08-28T21:54:14","date_gmt":"2025-08-28T21:54:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/104011\/"},"modified":"2025-08-28T21:54:14","modified_gmt":"2025-08-28T21:54:14","slug":"volkswagen-to-celebrate-25-years-of-the-golf-r-by-giving-it-the-audi-rs3s-badass-engine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/104011\/","title":{"rendered":"Volkswagen to Celebrate 25 Years of the Golf R by Giving It the Audi RS3\u2019s Badass Engine"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Volkswagen Golf R stands above all other Golf variants in terms of performance and prestige. First introduced as the Golf R32<\/a> with a 3.2-liter narrow-angle VR6 engine and standard all-wheel drive, an R-badged Golf has served as the top-shelf model in the U.S. since the 2004 model year. To the jealousy of American VW enthusiasts at the time, the R32 arrived in Europe earlier, in 2002 for the 2003 model year. <\/p>\n

In the intervening decades, the mega hatchback evolved to possess a 2.0-liter turbocharged I-4<\/a> as it changed with the times, but it never lost its propensity for quick launches and entertaining driving dynamics. What Volkswagen has neglected to do, despite enthusiasts\u2019 pleas, is offer a version of the Golf R with the punchy turbocharged I-5 that\u2019s available in the 2025 Audi RS3<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\"2025<\/a><\/p>\n

That\u2019s about to change as VW plans to debut a 25th anniversary version of the Golf R equipped with the EA855 engine used in the RS3 and the Cupra Formentor VZ5<\/a>. Outfitted with this 2.5-liter turbocharged inline-five, the hotted-up Golf R could produce as much as 401 hp and 369 lb-ft of torque. That\u2019s a big jump from the existing Mk8.5 Golf R\u2019s output<\/a> of 328 hp and 310 lb-ft. <\/p>\n

The existing RS3 should launch from 0 to 60 mph in less than 3.6 seconds, so expect VW\u2019s extra-hot hatch to do just about the same. We expect the five-cylinder Golf R to share many of the Audi sedan\u2019s upgrades, as well. Those performance enhancements should include a rear torque splitter, brake-torque-vectoring system, and semi-active suspension tuned for the RS3\u2019s ability to carry higher speeds through corners. <\/p>\n

\"32<\/a><\/p>\n

Expect the Golf R\u2019s brakes to be beefed up and complemented by new wheels celebrating the top-level hatchback\u2019s heritage. VW is also likely to outfit its uber Golf R with a spicier exhaust like the RS Sport Exhaust offered by Audi. As with the Golf R and Audi RS3, a quick-shifting seven-speed dual-clutch automatic will likely be the only gearbox on offer. <\/p>\n

Both the Golf R and Audi RS3 were refreshed recently. Based on our early impressions, each is a bundle of fun<\/a>, suggesting this latest addition to the Golf\u2019s lineage could be one of the greatest yet. But here\u2019s the potential disappointment: While we hope the 25th anniversary version of the Golf R comes to our shores, a VW representative declined to comment on the matter when we contacted the company to inquire. <\/p>\n

Reports indicate sales will begin in the U.K. in 2027, 25 years after the first Golf R32 was available globally in 2002. Should VW bring the five-cylinder Golf R to the U.S., expect its pricing to just undercut the Audi RS3\u2019s, which begins just shy of $70,000. Volkswagen is off to a good start sharing some of its European-only content with its American fans, as seen with the Golf R\u2019s Euro Style package, so here\u2019s hoping we also get the hottest Golf to date on our shores. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Volkswagen Golf R stands above all other Golf variants in terms of performance and prestige. First introduced…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":104012,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[443],"tags":[584,49,48,622,59689,82,59690],"class_list":["post-104011","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-golf","tag-audi","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-golf","tag-hatchbacks","tag-sports","tag-volkswagen"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/104011","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=104011"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/104011\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/104012"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=104011"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=104011"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=104011"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}