2025 Volkswagen Golf R First Drive Review: Pint-Sized Grand Tourer

At this moment in time, I can’t think of a quicker car for the task at hand than the 2025 Volkswagen Golf R.

We’re on an indirect route between VW’s American headquarters in Virginia, and Summit Point Motorsports Park in West Virginia. With a tight schedule and the promise of track time on the other end of this largely narrow, twisty route, the Golf R is a rocket, offering all the power and poise one can hope for in such a compact footprint. More than that, it has a sufficiently different attitude from its mellower GTI sibling to warrant its spendy price tag—well, mostly.

What’s New for 2025:

More than in the GTI, which I also drove at the same event. The Golf R also continues to use the EA888 turbocharged four-cylinder engine, though unlike the GTI, it has seen a bump in power here. Not that the R needed more of the stuff, but we’re now talking 328 horsepower, a baker’s dozen more than before. Torque remains at a useful peak of 295 pound-feet.

Like the GTI, the Golf R is now a strictly two-pedal affair. That’s right, the manual is gone, due to the low take rates in other markets. If you want a row-your-own Vee Dub in 2025, your sole choice is the affordable Jetta GLI.

Tired of looking across the pond at the extra goodies Golf buyers enjoy in the Heimatmarkt? The spendy Euro Style Package charges more for less: out go the leather seats for grippy cloth and ArtVelours faux-suede numbers, which also means no front-seat ventilation or memory settings. Say goodbye to the sunroof, too. Checking the ESP box does net the tasty-looking (and sounding) Akrapovič exhaust setup, mind you.

Exterior Style:

The Golf R sees many of the same exterior tweaks found on the GTI: slightly more angular headlights are the tell, along with a connecting light bar (with matching light-up badge) and a recontoured lower bumper. New wheel designs not only look great, but shave a full 4 pounds of unsprung weight per corner.

Buyers have the choice between the standard R and the Black Edition; the latter does the whole blacked-out trim thing, plus the wheels, and adds bits of carbon fiber to the cabin. VW chose to showcase this in Mythos Black instead of the high-contrast Pure White or traditional Lapiz Blue, so it was a photographer’s nightmare.

Powertrain and Fuel Economy:

I’m going to level with you: without having driven a previous R, I can’t tell you whether the power bump is noticeable. I’m leaning towards “no,” since this is a car tipping the scales at over 3,400 pounds. The Euro Style Package shaves off 80 or so of those pounds, which could be enough to shave a tenth off the usual straight-line metrics. Maybe.

Regardless, there’s a distinct attitude here compared to the GTI. The R isn’t just more powerful: it’s more eager to rip right through to its redline, where the seven-speed DSG will automatically upshift, even if you’re in manual mode. Drivers can override this by switching to the special Nürburgring drive mode, which also sets every adjustable parameter to its most extreme setting, bar the DCC dampers.

On the 1.1-mile track, I can’t say I miss the manual. The DSG responds quicker than I could ever hope to, even when left to its own devices. While the track cars are lacking the fancy exhaust, there’s still a suitably bassy burble to proceedings, with the cracks and pops present on the overrun. Even the road cars are just slightly more muted than I’d like given the available firepower, however.

Handling and Drivability:

Out on the road, the Golf R is tied down and oh-so predictable. The steering feels fuzzier than in the GTI, odd given the front axle no longer has to handle all the power and direction changes. It is nonetheless consistent, but hustling the hatch still requires more trust than relying on actual feedback. The trick active rear differential sends more power to the outside wheel, pushing the little Golf around tighter curves with a distinctly more rear-biased flavor than the GTI.

This attitude is amplified on the tight, technical Jefferson Circuit at Summit Point. Allow for a little more time on turn-in due to the added weight, ease off the throttle, and the Golf R tucks in neatly. From there drivers can pile on the power and feel the tail just edge outward, effectively tightening the turn.

The R gives you options: the GTI requires a precise, traditional slow-in fast-out approach. I find that rewarding, and in theory more so than the point-and-shoot nature of the Golf R, but there’s no denying big brother is the quicker of the two on any point-to-point route.

Ride Quality and Comfort:

The R’s other advantage is the standard DCC adaptive dampers, available only on the top Autobahn spec of the GTI. The setup allows for a broad range of ride quality, from plush-with-an-edge to rattle-the-fillings-loose. The most extreme setting is arguably too much for the road, and it’s telling that the special ‘Ring mode keeps the dampers in their more laid-back setting.

The Euro Style seats do feel more special than the leather-wrapped standard items, nicely grippy and looking cool as heck. The almost complete lack of power adjustability hurts at this price point, however, and not having ventilation is a strike against something that is going to have a bunch of journos getting in and out on a warm day. I will go on record for this one: all track-capable cars should have at least driver’s seat ventilation.

Interior Style and Quality:

While the Golf may get a new wheel devoid of those annoying touch-sensitive buttons, the Golf R is not so lucky. This is due to the unique R mode button on the left spoke, according to VW—even though it’s possible to adjust the drive modes elsewhere in the car. Oh well.

The rest of the cabin is typical Golf. It’s respectable and keeps frills to a minimum, with materials that are good at the GTI’s sticker price. I said it in that car’s review and I’ll say it here: the gratuitous piano black and tiny shifter turn me off of the center console. The carbon fiber trim helps separate the R from baby brother.

Value Dollars and Sense:

Getting into any of the five doors of the Golf R requires $48,325 including destination. The Black Edition is a $1,315 upcharge if you’re into that kind of thing. That Euro Style Package, all comfy but simple seats and tuneful exhaust? A hefty $3,795.

Canada, as always, does things a little differently. The exhaust is a $3,000 CAD option on its own, but buyers have the choice of adding a sunroof to either the $53,045 CAD base or $55,645 CAD Black Edition. Those purist seats? A no-cost option.

Final Thoughts:

The improvements to the 2025 Volkswagen Golf R continue to put some distance between it and the humbler GTI. It has a broader set of abilities, and loses less by going auto-only. Like the original R32 of over two decades ago, this is a grand tourer wrapped in a humble hatchback shell. Unleash it on a track and the R will show a wild side as well. Just be prepared to spend for the full Euro treatment.

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