And another anniversary. At the same time with Tuareg 20th anniversary marks the “hot” hatchback Volkswagen Golf R32, which in addition became the company’s first R-model. Introduced in the summer of 2002, the car had a naturally aspirated VR6 3.2 engine (241 hp) and all-wheel drive. And it was also the first Golf with a preselective DSG “robot” (it was installed for a surcharge), which appeared on civilian versions only in the next generation of the model.
Anniversary Volkswagen Golf R and the first Volkswagen Golf R32
Initially, Volkswagen planned to release only five thousand Golf R32 hatchbacks, but in the end, 12 thousand cars saw the light. The same six-cylinder engine was in the fifth generation hot hatch. And since 2009, the most powerful version switched to a 2.0 TSI turbo four and became known as the Golf R. In addition to the Golf itself, models now have “charged” R versions. T-Roc, Arteon, Tiguan i Touareg. For twenty years, Volkswagen has produced more than 260,000 R-cars.
It was decided to celebrate the twentieth anniversary with a new special version of the current all-wheel drive hot hatch Volkswagen Golf R, which debuted a year and a half ago. And – a rare case! – Anniversary improvements were not limited to decor, but affected the technique. The new Volkswagen Golf R 20 Years Edition is equipped with the same 2.0 TSI turbo engine as the standard model, but its power has been increased from 320 to 333 hp. That is, now it is the most powerful serial Golf in history. And the fastest: this increase allowed to reduce the acceleration time to “hundreds” from 4.7 to 4.6 s.
In addition, a special Emotion Start mode has been added, in which the hot hatch starts from 2500 rpm for spectacular sound. The equipment includes the R-Performance package (for the standard model it costs 2265 euros), which includes an enlarged aft spoiler, 19-inch wheels, drift mode and a speed limiter shifted from 250 to 270 km/h.
Nameplates with the number 20 appeared on the front doors, which is also projected onto the road when the illumination of the space around the door is turned on. Wheels, mirror caps and R badges are painted in signature blue (but black on cars with blue bodywork), and nappa leather and carbon fiber are used for interior trim. On sale Volkswagen Golf R 20 Years Edition will appear in the summer. The circulation of the anniversary version is not limited, but it will be sold for only one year – until mid-2023.