AN EXPENSIVE ROUND OF GOLF (some text hidden) SECTIONED_new_volkswagengolfrestate_2023

By Jonathan Crouch

Want the ultimate compact fast station wagon? The Golf R Estate might well be it. Jonathan Crouch drives it.

Ten Second Reviewword count: 72

Volkswagen's Golf R Estate is the fastest compact station wagon out there - but that capability comes at a price. Still, if you're prepared to pay that, then the Wolfsburg maker reckons this is the most complete, most rewarding and most dynamic compact estate yet made. Depending on your mood, it can reach 168mph on the racetrack or register better than 35mpg on the school run. Your everyday supercar is right here.

Backgroundword count: 138

Maybe, just maybe, the kind of super-fast hot hatch you really need isn't actually a hatch at all. Maybe, just maybe, it's this. Welcome to Volkswagen's Golf R Estate. We liked this car in its previous MK7 'Type5' form, launched in 2015, with a 'Performance Pack' option added in 2018. And there's potential to like it even more in this redesigned MK8 'CD1'-series guise, launched in 2021. There's no other performance-orientated Golf Estate variant of any kind and this one, as you'd expect, shares all its mechanicals with the MK8 Golf R hatch. Which means that this time round, apart from the longer wheelbase and sharper looks, there's a heavily reworked 4MOTION 4WD system, revised suspension, more drive modes and a little extra power. There's also a considerably higher price tag. Does it all add up? Let's see.

Driving Experienceword count: 310

Obviously, there aren't many significant differences between the driving experience of this Golf R Estate and an equivalent Golf R hatch. This station wagon version's 80kgs heavier, so never feels quite as nimble and agile. But on the other hand, it's longer and has slightly more even weight distribution, hence suspension settings a fraction different from those of the hatch. 62mph from rest takes 4.9s (0.2s slower than the hatch). Otherwise, everything's familiar, if you're up to speed with the engineering and handling spec of the ordinary MK8 Golf R. In case you're not, we'll tell you that the fourth generation 'Evo 4' version of this Volkswagen's EA888 2.0-litre TSI turbo petrol engine now puts out 320PS and all this motor's pulling power is available from just 2,100rpm. If you pay extra for the optional 'R-Performance upgrade' package, Volkswagen will remove the 155mph speed limiter so that 168mph is possible. Power though, is nothing without control - and this MK8 Golf R Estate has more of that. For the first time, power can be distributed not only between front and rear axles but also between the rear wheels. Thanks to a new torque vectoring system using a pair of electronically operated multi-disc clutches, output can be balanced across the rear axle from 0-100% within milliseconds. Other changes from the previous generation model include 10% stiffer springs, a 1.3-degree front axle camber change and steering software tweaked to be more direct. The brake discs are 17mm bigger and feature crisper pedal response. And the front aluminium subframe is 3kgs lighter. You're going to want that optional 'R-Performance' upgrade package because it includes two extra driving modes. 'Special' was configured for optimum performance at the legendary Nurburgring Nordschliefe race track (around which the latest car is apparently 17 seconds quicker than its predecessor). There's also 'Drift', configured for general wild racetrack use.

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