New Golf R opens for ordering this week

[Phil 117]

Still really tempted to change from a GTD to a GTI. I just know my bottom line will constantly be on fuel.

Logged into my old VW desktop today, and the Golf R can be ordered this week. Wonder if this will be a 12 month wait...

FYI anyway:

Fastest accelerating production Golf yet is real firecracker

New Golf R opens for ordering on 5 November VW1319-13
VW1319-13

The new Golf R opens for ordering this week, adding real fireworks to the range. Keep an eye on Desktop for when it will appear on our vehicle ordering system.

The hottest of hatchbacks is the fastest-accelerating Golf yet, and comes with a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine that produces 300PS and 380Nm of torque.

Golf_R_front quarters on track VW1319-13

The power is transferred to the road via the latest 4MOTION four-wheel drive system which enables the R to accelerate from standstill to 62mph in just 5.3 seconds (compared with 5.7 seconds for the previous model), or 4.9 seconds when fitted with the optional six-speed DSG gearbox. Top speed is electronically limited to 155 mph.

Golf_R_on track VW1319-13

The new Golf R isn’t just faster, either; with officially verified fuel consumption of 39.8 pg on the combined cycle (40.9mpg for the DSG version), and CO2 emissions as low as 159 g/km it is up to 18 per cent more efficient than its predecessor.

The volkswagen.co.uk configurator for the model is due to be completed on 2 January. In the meantime, the Golf R features on the site’s ‘Coming soon’ page.

Golf_R_side-on VW1319-13

Download an electronic copy of the price list below.

Dynaudio sound system will not be available at launch and is expected to be released from mid-2014. Park Assist will not be available on Golf R.

Prices

R 3dr 6spd manual   R 3dr 6spd DSG   R 5dr 6spd manual   R 5dr 6spd DSG
£29,900   £31,315   £30,555   £31,970
The on-sale date is planned for  4 February 2014 by which time we will have finalised the ABI insurance information.

Retailer demonstrators will be allocated in the normal way.

Key differences from Golf GTI:

Fuel tank capacity increased to 55 litres (from 50)
Luggage capacity reduced from 380 litres to 343 litres (rear seats up)
Luggage capacity reduced from 1,270 litres to 1,233 litres (rear seats folded)
New colour available for the R – Lapiz blue (see images)
Standard wheels are 18-inch Cadiz alloys, with a 19-inch Pretoria alloys optional
‘Race Mode’ available when the Adaptive Chassis Control (DCC) is chosen
Standard bi-xenon headlights with new design LED daytime running lights (double-U design)
Quad-chrome exhaust pipes and other external styling tweaks such as matt chrome mirror caps
‘ESC Sport’ mode delays the activation of the ESC systems which can also be fully deactivated
Golf R dials and key

[2014GTi]

Priced well but not being able to have Dynaudio sound system until mid-2014 sounds bad. 

[matchboy]

Nice info!  Pricing pretty decent as well tbf.  What is 'race mode' though?

[lew321]

I'm changing from the GTD to GTI. I went in to my dealer to order another GTD to replace my mk6 one but decided the GTI was more fun to drive after a test drive. It's going to be a shock with the fuel consumption difference ! I would love an R, maybe in 3 years

[CraigW]

Wow, the pricing is excellent. I would be very interested to see if there is any discount available. God it's tempting to find out how much it would cost to trade up

[2014GTi]

I already own the best looking and sounding Racing Golf's.... so I'm giving this one a miss.
Not too keen on its looks and why on earth does it need 4 exhaust pipes for a 2.0 turbo engine.
One of the reasons I opted for the GTi was that I feel the lesser weight and e-Diff will make the GTi more fun around the corners. 

[matchboy]

Wow, the pricing is excellent. I would be very interested to see if there is any discount available. God it's tempting to find out how much it would cost to trade up

I was thinking the same thing Craig.  Like, I think next year once the Dyaudio becomes available I'd be very tempted if I could secure a a good discount.  The DSG would be a tempter too given the level of power available this is when an auto box comes into its own.  Hmmmmm! 

[CraigW]

Wow, the pricing is excellent. I would be very interested to see if there is any discount available. God it's tempting to find out how much it would cost to trade up

I was thinking the same thing Craig.  Like, I think next year once the Dyaudio becomes available I'd be very tempted if I could secure a a good discount.  The DSG would be a tempter too given the level of power available this is when an auto box comes into its own.  Hmmmmm! 

The DSG would definitely be a tempter especially for launch control, 300bhp and 4wd of the line would be epic. The problem with me is i'd get the R and then a few months later they release the new TT and im wishing i had waited for that and so on. It's never ending 

[Mr Savage]

Did anyone else read the specs and think "Why didn't I wait with ordering my GTI?"

That is tortue! 4 wheel drive & all that power! Why didn't I wait! Makes the GTI feel old news already! Lol.

[Gnasher]

Now don't get me wrong, the R is going to be a superb car, but I'm happy to have my GTI on order.

Would the R be that much quicker than a stage 1 tuned GTI apart from the 0-60 sprint?

Does the R look better or worse than the GTI (admittedly a subjective one this)

Lastly, would I be happy with a vanilla build R or prefer a pretty well specced GTI? 30k RRP is pretty much my upper limit really!

Still happy with the GTI, although I can see the draw towards the R - definitely more exclusive, quicker (as standard) and available in a blue I actually like!

Hopefully they'll not make the same mistakes with the order books etc as they did with the GTI/GTD and there's less of a wait!!