It was a very good car, the old Golf R estate. It had as much power as the Passat R36, but drove far more convincingly. It retained very nearly everything that made the Mk7 R hatch such a success, albeit without the slightly dubious image the three- and five-door models adopted over time. Indeed the wagon body suited the Golf R down to the ground: there were arguably more exciting hot hatches to drive available elsewhere (in the rest of the Golf range, in fact), but all-weather traction, DSG ease of use and a slightly sportier look made eminent sense in a fast estate. 'Junior RS6' would be overselling it a bit (the Golf R wasn't that good) - yet there was no doubting how well suited the 300hp package was to load lugging.
All of which poses a problem for VW's second swing. As the hatch has moved to more focused territory with options like a Nurburgring suspension setting and a Drift Mode, do those extras sit comfortably with what a wagon-shaped Golf R is actually meant to do? Or does the manufacturer tone done the Mk8 evolution and risk accusations of a half-baked job, in light of the additional £10k VW is asking compared to what its predecessor cost in 2015?
Well, an opinion on Drift Mode will have to wait for another day, as it wasn't fitted here. Otherwise, the mechanical spec is as per the hatch, just like it was before. With 320hp and 310lb ft channelled through the familiar seven-speed DSG, VW believes this is a Golf estate that will reach 62mph in less than five seconds. With the Performance Pack (that brings the Nurburgring mode as well as the rear axle torque vectoring), the R will reach 168mph. If only by a little, it's certainly faster than before.
Given its similarities with the hatchback, it's no surprise to find it drives much the same. Albeit with a familiar proviso: creating a car this vast - 611 litres with the seats up, 1,642 with them down - can't come without penalty, and the estate is 154kg heavier than the five-door, at 1,630kg. Therefore the additional sharpness conferred on other Mk8 Rs through tweaks like more negative camber and a lighter from subframe has been dulled somewhat - but it would be unreasonable to expect anything different. Bottom line, this is still a tremendously fast, mightily capable VW.
Crucially for anyone comparing old R wagon with new, this a more rewarding car to drive as well, even without the additional lairiness of Drift Mode. From little touches like a brake pedal that's easier to modulate to a 4Motion system that feels much less nose-biased than before, this Golf R is an improvement over its two-dimensional predecessor. The Performance Pack still feels worth having, because the rear torque vectoring helps the car turn even at less than 'hold my beer' commitment, though the R impresses out of the box.
The optional £815 dampers are again here in all their 15-setting glory. For an Individual mode it seemed on a brief drive that a firmer setting for wagon than hatchback (maybe six or seven, rather than five) delivered a decent compromise that avoided both float and unwanted firmness. Don't forget you'll need the dampers to also have the Performance Pack. As in the hatch, it still doesn't feel that any one of those settings delivers quite the composure or control of something like a Civic Type R or Focus ST Edition; crucially, however, there aren't estate versions to rival the Golf. And boasting about steering feel or superior body control seem less crucial when you can haul flat pack furniture around.
Which is where the R really starts to come good, actually. Some may have bemoaned the demise of both the manual gearbox and three-door body for the Golf R hatch, but the DSG doesn't feel like as issue here because that's all there's ever been (even if it does now feel a tad sluggish). And where the five-door car faces stiff competition from both the mega hatches above it, and the front-wheel drive superstars that cost less, there are far fewer fast wagons to rival it at c. £40k. Add that to the fact that this is a better Golf R to drive quickly anyway, and it does feels like job jobbed for the estate...
Of course, it's not quite that simple. While it's easy to imagine some preferring the look of this Mk8 to the old Mk7, the now-infamous interior will win far fewer fans. Not least with the price now being asked for a Golf R; add just the paint, 19-inch wheels and dampers here and it's already beyond £45k. Bear in mind the last Performance Pack hatch we drove breezed past £50k and it's easy to see how similar could happen with the wagon. It is better than before, yes, but it ain't that much better.
Which does rather lie at the heart of the issue. Because for all the fanfare about a firmer springs, faster steering and bigger brakes, this is merely an improved Golf R - not a wildly different or wonderfully focused one. The R would be as useful and usable as any other Golf, and keener drivers will relish the satisfaction of pushing on, but without a flawless interior in the plus column and only a development of the ubiquitous old powertrain, you wonder how persuasive the alternatives really need to be. After all, a Cupra Leon starts at less than £40k with just 10hp fewer, and while the Octavia vRS isn't as powerful, it also has an RRP £10k less than the Golf. The Focus ST is better than ever, too, from £36,000. And if it's only fair to mention, with its much lovelier cabin and comparable looks, there are plenty of low mileage Mk7s out there. Hand on heart, this Golf is probably still the most complete, most appealing package of that small bunch - and promises to be improved further with the Performance Pack - but its advantages over both its rivals and its predecessor arguably come at too great a cost.
SPECIFICATION | 2022 VW GOLF R ESTATE (MK8)
Engine: 1,984cc, four-cyl turbo
Transmission: 7-speed DSG auto, four-wheel drive
Power (hp): 320@5,200-6,600rpm
Torque (lb ft): 310@2,100-5,350rpm
0-62mph: 4.9 seconds
Top speed: 155mph
Weight: 1,630kg (DIN, without driver)
MPG: 35.7 (WLTP)
CO2: 180g/km (WLTP)
Price: £43,175 (price as standard; price as tested £46,345, comprised of Lapiz Blue Metallic paint for £800, 19-inch Adelaide wheels for £760, Dynamic Chassis Control suspension for £815, Winter Pack (heated front seats and heated leather steering wheel) for £290 and Meta Trak S5-VTS GPS tracker (including one-year subscription) for £505.
1 / 12
