400BHP R To Be Fastest Golf Ever

EXCLUSIVE IMAGES VW mega hatch shapes up with new look and potent 4WD drivetrain, as part of flagship family

- Jonathan Burn

VOLKSWAGEN will turn up the heat with the next Golf R to create the most ‘extreme’ version of the hatchback there has ever been, Auto Express can reveal.

The Mk8 Golf is due to go on sale next year, and has been described by new VW Group boss Herbert Diess as “the versatile car”. However, while the Golf has continually topped sales charts across Europe, bosses want to strengthen the brand’s position in the hot hatch segment. At the moment, the Golf R has been left trailing by rivals from Honda, Mercedes and Audi.

“The R brand is going extreme,” VW’s sales and marketing boss Jürgen Stackmann told Auto Express. “The role of R is that it can go beyond the rational; nobody needs a compact car with 400bhp, but is there a place [for it?]. Certainly, and that’s the turf of R.”