The Golf R represents the current pinnacle of Volkswagen’s performance offerings in the United States, but despite rumors of its demise, the automaker will release an updated car for the 2025 model year. VW recently teased the revised eighth-generation car, saying that it would debut on June 26.
VW only shared a front-end image of the car, which shows updated headlights with an LED light bar and illuminated logo. Previously spotted spy shots of the car show an updated front end, but other revisions appear to be more subtle. Other changes are expected to follow those made to the 2025 Golf GTI, which include a new touchscreen, physical buttons, and a fresh look.
The Golf R could also pick up a power boost for 2025, similar to the one VW gave the GTI. Current output lands at 315 horsepower and could climb higher with the updates, though the automaker killed the manual transmission after the 2024 model year. The seven-speed dual-clutch transmission delivers quicker acceleration and blindingly fast shifts, however.
While the R is an impressive performance car with surprising acceleration, its temperament and electronic guardrails make it less engaging to drive than something like the Toyota GR Corolla. That said, the R’s all-wheel drive system with torque vectoring and selectable drive modes puts an impressive amount of power to the ground, and the DSG transmission is far from being a slouch.
[Images: Volkswagen]
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