I've said it a million times before there's no such thing as the perfect car.
You see the perfect car has to be [UNKNOWN] 62 in less then five seconds, do more then 150 miles per hour, achieve more then 100 miles per gallon, look amazing and take A lot of flat pack furniture.
However I've been told there's something that is very close to perfect and unsurprisingly it's German.
[BACKGROUND MUSIC] This is a Volkswagen Golf.
The architect for hatchback.
The go to for people looking for a sensible car that will do ll the things they need like Carry things, and people, and not be nasty to look at, and go long distances without causing numb buns.
You know, the usual stuff.
This isn't any Golf this is the Golf R. The all wheel drive one, the fast one, the one that makes the GTI look positively sluggish.
Under its nose is a two liter turbocharged engine with 310 horsepower and 280 pound foot.
[UNKNOWN] takes 5.1 seconds if you have the stick shift.
It takes 5.6 if you have the VSG like I do today.
And its top speed?
155 miles per hour.
That is not slow.
Yeah, I know a Golf GTI is also pretty quick and beautifully [UNKNOWN] and one of the best things out there but if the GTI was a sandwich, it would be a ham and cheese.
It does the job [UNKNOWN] up, makes you feel warm and shiny inside but the R Well, it's more of a hog roast, soft cheese, applesauce, hyper, mega, super bread of a sandwich kind of thing.
Basically the same, but also offers a lot more.
What kind of more?
Well as well as going like the [UNKNOWN] the new go far comes with all the VW's jazzy new generation [UNKNOWN] stuff.
So the new [UNKNOWN] is now all digital all the time and gives you plenty of info.
The entertainment has been given an overhaul as well and it's pretty slick.
It's the kind of update that means you've something to make people with the old one feel Brag about themselves, but it's not something that'll change your life.
You also get a slightly updated front and rear to highlight the changes which is good.
I mean the face is a little bit, blink and you'll miss it, but it's still a handsome car.
And actually part of the Golf's appeal is that it's never ugly.
It fits in Everywhere, but the biggest appeal about this car is what lurks beneath.
Looking at this from a sensible point of view, this is a Gulf at it's heart, so it'll fit five people and a healthy slug of luggage on board, and it won't break down all that often.
It's a VW, so they used to have a bad that didn't come with a smirk, admittedly less so now.
But it's a simple family car for doing simply family things.
Right, then, Golf R, what have you got for me?
Well, 310 horsepower in something like a Golf is a lot.
I can tell you it's a lot, because, well, when you give it a little bit of a boot full, the rate at which it goes its speed It's just silly.
Because you use all of its 310 horsepower and you start going round corners.
And you realize it's got all wheel drive grip.
And then your face starts pulling a little bit and it just keeps gathering speed.
You're pushed back in your seat.
310 horsepower nowadays doesn't sound all that much, which is a stupid thing to say.
But when you consider McLaren now produces as its sort of staple car a 720 horsepower car, 300 horsepower is like the 150 horsepower hot hatches of way back when But it's a serious amount of power, especially for something this size.
The Golf GTI Performance I drove a while ago, that is pretty brisk, naught to 62 in 6 and a bit seconds isn't slow, 150 odd miles an hour isn't slow.
But this, it's another level.
The DSG transmission knocks the naught to 62 time down.
4.6 seconds in a Golf.
It's a family hatch back.
Once you learn it and get used to it, it's a really malleable, pliable car.
It's really fun to drive.
It's hilarious and For the day to day for a [UNKNOWN].
Slipping through your favorite country lens, very few things would be able to keep up with this.
Because they tend to be bigger, and wider, and heavier, and a little bit more intimidating to drive whereas this is just a Golf.
The steering is decently weighted in its Sport Mode, and I really like the engagement that you get from it in that setting.
But it's still not the most The spectacular of set ups.
That said, you know what the front wheels are doing to a pretty decent degree.
So you can tell what it's doing at any given moment.
And you can play with it.
And you can adjust it.
And you can enjoy it.
Sport's where things get fun.
The gear box gets super aggressive and super angry.
Quite jittery actually.
If you put your foot down a little bit, it'll skip down a couple of cogs and fire you into the distance, and while doing so, it makes a lovely, lovely noise.
[SOUND] And if [UNKNOWN] more or so than the GTI.
The GTI has quite [UNKNOWN] in a best possible way.
Whereas this has a bit more gruff, it's a bit [UNKNOWN] meaner and angrier.
The brakes are pretty decent The standard steelies.
The pedals got a fairly decent travel, too.
It's quite long, easy to play with, easy to fiddle with.
With that said, there is eventually a performance pack coming which gets you bigger brakes and a louder exhaust.
By Apropovich, I, no one's told me how to pronounce it.
Those people.
So if you are thinking about.
Only wait for the big breaks, if you're going to track it.
Otherwise they are perfectly good for day to day use.
Now negative wise, it's kind of hard to pick fault with it though.
Yes, if you drive it like a lunatic, it will under steer a bit.
The interior is a bit dark, some of the materials are very plasticky, but there is nothing not to like about it.
About it.
Would it take down the likes of the A45, the RS3?
Probably not, because those things are meant to be quick themselves.
Would it take down an S3 though?
Well, considering they're the same, [COUGH], don't let Volkswagen hear you say that, what would you rather have?
An Audi badge or a Volkswagen badge?
It's a sensible way of going very, very quickly, and that's to be commended So yeah, go far.
It is the Golf GTI plus a little bit of sophistication.
And that's good.
[MUSIC].
