Volkswagen Golf R

The 2024 Volkswagen T-Roc's cabin will immediately appear familiar to anyone who has been in the Golf 8. There are a number of 'R' touches though. The seats are fabric-covered and get funky blue detailing. The dashboard, doors, and steering wheel also get blue inserts. Similarity with the regular Golf can be found in the use of hard plastics lower down inside the cabin, particularly at the back. That's quite unacceptable for a hot hatchback. All control buttons feel premium and are easy to operate. The car gets standard 30-color ambient lighting. Ambience-enhancing extras like a sliding panoramic sunroof and heated Nappa leather seats can be added. The 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment unit displays crisp graphics and comes with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity. The controls are placed at the bottom of the screen that operate the climate control system. An 8.0-inch digital instrument panel works as intended. It provides plenty of customisation options. 

Volkswagen announced in 2023 that the 2024 will be the last model year of the current-generation Golf R. The car is expected to debut in a new avatar in 2025. The 2024 Volkswagen Golf R retains the unique front bumper, lower grille, and front intakes. The upper grill is now vestigial and carries a full-width daytime running light (DRL) bar. The air intake has been moved south of the bumper bar. Body-colored fangs wraps around the lower edges and divide the grille into three parts. The car's rear has four functional exhaust pipes. The taillights look like stylized ray guns. The Volkswagen logo in the centre looks impressive. The car runs on 18-inch alloy wheels.

The cabin of the 2024 Volkswagen Golf R is spacious. Occupants in the front will love the comfortable and supportive seats. There's enough legroom and headroom. The steering wheel offers a lot of up-down and fore-aft adjustment. Space on the back seat is sufficient for two adults. But accommodating three persons will be a squeeze. Most hatchback crossovers have a similar seating arrangement. There's no dearth of legroom and headroom on the rear row, though the front seats may sometimes feel claustrophobic compared to the regular Golf. Boot space is 341 litres which is less than the regular Golf. The suspension system is lower but is capable enough to absorb all road imperfections. Body roll is negligible.  

The 2024 Volkswagen Golf R is hauled by a turbocharged, four-cylinder, 2.0-litre petrol engine that produces 315 PS/400 Nm. The motor is mated to a 7-speed automatic. The powertrain is super-responsive and the car is always eager to move ahead. On highways, the Golf R performs as a stable cruiser. Handling is effortless. The light and responsive steering helps to turn corners quickly.

The 2024 Volkswagen Golf R earned a full five-star rating in European crash tests. It scored 78 percent for safety assist and 95 percent for adult passenger protection. The standard safety kit includes adaptive headlights, cruise control, surround parking sensors, autonomous brake assist, lane assist, and rear traffic alert. It also comes with Volkswagen's Car2X communication system that transmits road condition data between vehicles.

The 2024 Volkswagen Golf R is a well-built car that offers reliability. It's powerful and savagely quick but is still affordably priced in its segment. The Golf R is easy to handle and performs nicely on city streets and highways. It comes with very functional driver-assist features. Hot hatchbacks are a vanishing breed in the face of competition from crossovers and sports utility vehicles (SUVs). The Golf R is a worthy car for those willing to invest in a premium car hatchback.