Volkswagen revs up Golf R Special Edition as ultimate pocket rocket

Australia’s insatiable appetite for go-faster cars has sparked the creation of a special Volkswagen Golf R for down-under drivers.

It’s being pitched as the ultimate pocket rocket, two steps up from the Golf GTI and one above the regular Golf R.

Priced at $61,990, the Golf R Special Edition crackles with a titanium exhaust system from Akrapovic, bigger and better brakes, special 19-inch alloy wheels and a premium 400-watt exhaust system.

Only 400 cars are coming to Australia, around November, and Volkswagen Australia is expecting a similar sell-out result to previous-generation specials on the GTI platform.

“We tailored a package of pieces specifically for Australia,” Todd Ford, product manager at Volkswagen Australia, tells Australian Business Traveller.

“This is the first time we’ve used R Performance parts, which are normally only for Europe. We worked with the factory to get it right, then negotiated on the price.”

Picking the Special Edition package adds $5,000 to the Golf R bill, but Ford says it’s a relative bargain.  “The exhaust alone would probably cost $5,000,” he says.

The exhaust, wheels and brakes also trim around 15 kilograms from the car’s weight, for a slight performance edge.

Confirmation of the Special Edition comes as Volkswagen locks in the latest development of the Golf R package for 2019, priced from $56,490 or $58,490 as a wagon. They come with 213 kilowatts of turbo power, all-wheel drive and a 7-speed DSG gearbox, but the big boost is added safety from radar cruise control and a blind-spot monitor.

“Right now, 20 per cent of all Golfs are Performance models, either the GTI or Golf R,” says company spokesman, Paul Pottinger.

Paul Gover

As Motoring Editor for Executive Traveller, Paul Gover spends less time at his Gold Coast home than he does on the road (literally) test-driving the best of the four-wheel world.