Hot & hotter Golf variants, incoming!
The performance variants of the new 2017 Volkswagen Golf are on their way to Australian shores, and they’re coming in hot. Expected to land sometime in August, the Golf GTI will be coming back in both 3- and 5-door body styles, with the former arriving in the shape of the Golf GTI Performance Edition 1. The Golf R is also coming back in 5-door form, as well a surprise appearance by the Golf R wagon.
The performance Golf lineup begins with the Golf GTi, with prices starting at $41,490 (before ORCs) and a standard six-speed manual gearbox. If you don’t want to do the work, $43,990 is what you’ll need to bag a GTI with a six-speed dual-clutch DSG automatic. The engine remains the same 2.0-litre turbocharged unit, but power’s been bumped up to 169kW. Torque remains the same at a considerable 350Nm.
Standard kit includes things like 18-inch alloy wheels (dubbed ‘Milton Keynes,’ which is a bit odd), adaptive chassis control, selectable driving modes, dual-zone climate control with AirCare, keyless entry and go, leather multifunction steering wheel, a full-colour driver’s information display, an 8.0-inch ‘Discover Media’ infotainment system with GPS satellite navigation and smartphone mirroring, and LED cabin lighting.
LED headlights (with dynamic cornering), automatic wipers, front foglights, all-round parking sensors and electrochroamatic dimming rear view mirrors cap off the list of standard fare. All models also get autonomous emergency braking as standard, as well as seven airbags and a driver drowsiness monitor.
Optional kit includes things like metallic paint (for $500), ‘Driver Assistance Package’ (for $1600), Infotainment Package (for a heady $2300), and a GTI Luxury Package (for $3900). Driver Assistance bags you intelligent cruise control, lane keep assist, blind spot monitoring, parking assistance, and dynamic light assistance.
Infotainment pack gets a 12.3-inch ‘Active Info Display’ digital instrument cluster, 9.2-inch ‘Discover Pro’ infotainment system with gesture and voice control, as well as a 10-speaker Dynaudio system that clocks 400W of boom-boom. You can add a few more niceties by ticking the optional ‘GTI Luxury’ pack, which gets you a panoramic sunroof, Vienna leather upholstery, heated front seats, electrically-adjustable driver’s seat (with memory function), and power-folding exterior mirrors (which is linked to the seat memory).
Move up to the three-door Golf GTI Performance Edition 1 (for $47,990), and you get more power. 180kW/370Nm gets cranked out of the same 2.0-litre petrol engine as in the regular GTI, but this time it gets paired to a seven-speed wet-clutch DSG automatic gearbox. The additional power gets sent through a front differential lock to the front wheels; larger disc brakes and 19-inch ‘Brescia’ alloy wheels keep everything reigned in, while leatherette-and-microfleece upholstery keep you hemmed in.
Upgraded LED taillights with dynamic indicators mark out the 3-door on the outside, while the cabin sees all the kit from the aforementioned Driver Assistance Package at no extra cost. The only extra here is the panoramic sunroof (for $1900); They even give you a merchandise pack (worth $300) free of charge.
Now, we get to the Golf R. 213kW/380Nm gets wrung out from the 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine, and is sent through either a seven-speed DSG gearbox or a six-speed manual, and gets put down to the ground via Volkswagen’s proprietary 4Motion all-wheel drive system. The R gets a smorgasbord of standard kit (as is fitting a range-topper), with the 9.2-inch ‘Discover Pro’ infotainment screen and 12.3-inch digital instruments thrown in, along with Vienna leather upholstery, heated front seats, electric drivers’ seat adjustment (with memory function and lumbar support), power folding mirrors, privacy glass for the rear, metallic paint, 19-inch ‘Spielberg’ alloys, and those ‘Premium’ LED taillights with dynamic indicators.
The surprise here comes in the form of the Golf R Wolfsburg Edition, which will be making an appearance on our shores in both hatch and estate body styles. This limited-run series will utilise the DSG automatic exclusively, though prices have yet to be finalised.
Shelling out for the Wolfsburg Edition models will see the fitment of 19-inch ‘Pretoria’ alloys, carbon-fibre mirror caps (real carbon fibre, too), chrome roof rails for the estate model, ‘Carbon’ nappa leather upholstery, a 10-speaker Dynaudio system, intelligent cruise control, lane-keep assistance, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and dynamic light assist.
The only options for the Golf R are the ‘Driver Assistance’ pack, which curiously misses out on the autonomous parking functionality. The other option is the panoramic electric sunroof, which comes in at $1900.
All hot Golf variants are available to order from dealerships now, though units are not expected to arrive until sometime in August. We will bring you information on the impending Wolfsburg Edition models as information comes to light.
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