Volkswagen Reveals Most Powerful Production Golf Ever

Volkswagen nearly killed the venerable Golf hatchback in the United States, but we thankfully still get the two best models from the line. TheGolf GTIand rowdy all-wheel-driveGolf Rare all we have, but they're the cream of the crop. To celebrate R's 20th anniversary, Volkswagen is releasing a new 20 Years edition for the car with more power and exclusive styling. The standard Golf R's turbo-four generates 315 horsepower and 295 lb-feet of torque. In the 20 Years edition, the output increases to 328 horsepower (torque remains the same), making it the most powerful production Golf ever.

VW says the driver can opt to use an Emotional Start driving mode, which allows the car to start at up to 2,500 rpm, just likeMercedes-AMG's similarly named Emotion Start. But that's not all. When in S or S+ modes, the DSG transmission gives "noticeable" feedback on upshifts, and the turbo is always preloaded under partial throttle to provide better acceleration on kickdown. Acceleration to 62 mph takes just 4.6 seconds, which is edging on legitimate sports car territory. The standard Golf R is alreadyquicker than VW claims, so this car could be a beast. In addition, the car comes as standard with R-Performance upgrades that are normally optional, which means a larger roof spoiler, R-Performance Torque Vectoring, and additional driving calibration options that include Special and the all-important Drift mode.