Final report: As flagship Golf leaves our fleet, we decide: is it the ultimate version of Mk8.5?

The Volkswagen Golf R popularized the hot-hatch genre of sporty, higher-performance versions of more-pedestrian models, starting with the transformation of the European Golf in the 1970s and the ...

The 2025 Volkswagen Golf R is no longer just an all-wheel-drive GTI-plus hot hatch. Volkswagen pushed the R to a new level with the introduction of the torque-vectoring rear differential that arrived ...

While we'd love to be proven wrong, it's extremely likely this mule is rigged to test the upcoming VW T-Roc R, which shares a drivetrain with the Golf R. First, the facts. We’re looking at a ...

We recently sampled these changes in an unusual but very rad way: Volkswagen tossed us the keys to the Golf R and told us to tear up an ice track in northern Sweden. In these conditions we couldn’t ...

The 2025 Volkswagen Golf R is arguably the biggest beneficiary of the eighth-generation Golf refresh. It doesn't just get updated styling and an improved infotainment system; rather, it gets even more ...

In recent years, the Volkswagen Golf R has become somewhat of an odd proposition. It’s deservedly renowned for its versatility—a comfortable super tourer among hot hatches one minute, and an apex ...

PROS ›› Great performance, fun to drive, practical and stealthy, improved infotainment CONS ›› No beauty, not available in US, steering wheel buttons The GTI’s near-50-year career means it’s still the ...

Volkswagen provided accommodation so Ars could drive the Golf GTI. Ars does not accept paid editorial content. VW has been making hot Golfs for as long as I’ve been on the planet—next year will be the ...