More and more Vrrr-Phaa: What’s (probably) coming for the hottest Golfs
The South African market is the only place in the world where performance-oriented Golfs make up more than half of this model range’s total sales. The leader of this charge is the ever-popular GTI, but Volkswagen also has a few even hotter derivatives coming down the pipeline for the next generation. Let’s gaze into the crystal ball, to predict the direction planned for the top-level Golfs.
Beyond GTI
We’ve already given you a preview of the upcoming Golf 8, and we’ve also reported on the recently-announced GTI hot-shot. The news looks very promising so far: even though the Golf 8 still employs the MQB platform, a thorough re-development has seen improvements on every front, and a whole lot of in-cockpit electronic advances.
Related: Top 3 things to look forward to in the Golf 8 GTI.
And, as usual for the GTI, it comes with a moderate power boost from its predecessor’s output. It will be a little bit faster, a little bit better-handling, and a lot more high-tech inside – pretty standard fare for the GTI’s recent evolutions. But, as in the past, there will be yet more hot Golfs to slot in above the GTI in the model range. Two of them are practically confirmed already, and the third one is a strong possibility, if given the go-ahead from VW’s top brass, that is!
GTI TCR
Volkswagen South Africa recently announced the limited availability of 300 top-level GTIs from the outgoing (Golf 7.5) generation, due to arrive in July 2020 and carrying the TCR badge. And what a firecracker it is: the EA888 2.0-litre turbocharged mill is massaged to essentially Golf R-level, with peak outputs jumping to 213 kW and 380 Nm. But, just like the very limited-edition GTI Clubsport (Edition 40) from a few years ago, the GTI TCR is front-wheel drive only, which should make that onslaught of ponies rather difficult to manage.
Related: Find out more about the Golf 7.5 GTI TCR here.
For the Golf 8 GTI TCR, the engine will be similarly tweaked, but this time power will go up to 221 kW, although it will remain FWD only. It might make the transition from limited-edition to full production status, though, because VW’s going a bit insane with their future fast-Golf program, with the Golf 8 GTI TCR due to act as a bridge between the normal GTI and the upcoming Golf R. To get a proper perspective about its positioning: the TCR will be the wildest FWD Golf you can get, with a track-tuned suspension and a host of other modifications to help it absorb all that power.
Onto the R
Expect the same formula as the current-generation Golf R, with a further-enhanced engine and the addition of all-wheel drive. But, seeing as the GTIs are moving up in their outputs, the R needs to receive a similar boost: power will go up from 228 kW in the Golf 7.5 to 245 kW for the Golf 8. This will make it the most-powerful production Golf to date (although there’s a chance that it won’t hold onto that throne indefinitely – see below.)
As usual, the Mk 8 Golf R will boast a brace of enhancements, ranging from a redesigned aero kit to the next evolution of VW’s DCC (Dynamic Chassis Control) and quad exhaust tips, as shown in recent spy photos taken at the Nurburgring. This will be the top Golf for the near future, and will pose a serious challenge to the BMW M135i, Mercedes-AMG A35, and upcoming Audi S3. Nice.
Related: The top 7 differences between the Golf 7 and the Golf 8.
But wait, there’s more
The idea of an “Über-Golf” keeps on resurfacing at Volkswagen. In fact, they came very close to putting one into production in the seventh-generation model, with development of a so-called “R400/R420” version progressing quite far before management pulled the plug on that project. The “400/420” here denoted the engine’s power output, with between 298 kW and 313 kW on tap from an enhanced EA888 engine. But this proposal didn’t get approved, so Hyper-Golf fans were left salivating but disappointed.
Enter the year 2020, and Volkswagen are again thinking in the direction of an even more potent Golf R spin-off. At first, the plan was to use the Audi RS3’s 298 kW 5-cylinder engine as motivation, but Audi’s management quickly scuppered that idea: they insisted on this engine remaining exclusively available in their entry-level RS-cars. Talk about being selfish...
That didn’t put the brakes on the entire concept, though, as Volkswagen are still exploring various options. Don’t expect this “Golf R Plus” to début very soon, though – 2023 is currently being mooted as the earliest possible release date, should the project get the go-ahead at all (it’s not even been confirmed as part of the Golf’s medium-term range expansion plan yet).
Related: Volkswagen reveals everything about the new Golf 8.
There are various ways of getting to that 400-horsepower (298 kW) mark, with the most obvious being an uprated version of the EA888 2.0-litre engine. The aftermarket tuning world is already reliably extracting 400+ kW from this 4-cylinder with fairly modest modifications, so getting to their target power level won’t be difficult for Volkswagen’s engineers at all. However, this will likely put the Golf R Plus in an unfavourable position regarding upcoming European emissions regulations, because it certainly won’t be able to meet the latest carbon emission targets in this trim.
According to information sources, the engineers are planning a different approach for the range-topping Golf, and it revolves around hybrid technology. See, the MQB platform is designed for easy electrification, and there are already a variety of hybrid Golfs for sale. So why not just let the normal Golf R’s 245 kW petrol engine drive the front wheels, with an extra 50 kW or so going to the rear wheels by way of a rear-mounted electric motor? This approach eliminates the normal Golf R’s AWD system (transfer case and drive shaft), which should save enough weight to allow the fitment of battery packs to power this hybrid setup without making it too heavy.
The advantages are clear: the top-level Golf will qualify for international hybrid-car tax incentives, cut carbon emissions in the official test cycle, provide an all-electric drive mode for cities which don’t allow internal combustion engines, and enable active torque distribution for excellent handling characteristics. At the same time, they’ll also get a viable alternative to the Mercedes-AMG A45 and the next-generation Audi RS3.
This "Golf R Plus" is, unfortunately, still in its gestation period, so there’s still a lot of development and verification to do before it could get the green light, but if or when it arrives, it may just re-write the rulebook on fast VWs. And, at the rate with which battery tech and electric drive systems are developing, this “performance hybrid” approach may finally give Volkswagen fans the 300+ kW Golf they’ve been craving for years...