The next-generation 2022 Volkswagen Golf R will arrive in Canada in late 2021 with a turbocharged four-cylinder engine producing a whopping 315 horsepower.
The latest iteration of VW's popular all-wheel-drive hot hatch, which made its official debut this week, will come standard with a 2.0-litre turbo four-cylinder engine, a six-speed manual transmission, and all-wheel-drive. While VW Canada notes the six-speed manual "remains a popular feature in Canada," a seven-speed DSG gearbox will also be on offer for those customers who don't want to row their own gears.
Allowing customers to take full advantage of this performance-focused powertrain will be the standard drive mode select system, which includes traditional Comfort, Sport, Race and Individual driving profiles, along with new "Special" and "Drift modes. VW says that in the Special driving profile, all of the "main drive system parameters were configured for the Nordschleife," in Germany, giving it a quicker-shifting gearbox in DSG models and softer dampers than in Race mode. The Drift mode, meanwhile, is pretty self-explanatory. By turning off the ESC stability control and sending more power to the rear wheels through the all-wheel-drive system, this mode allows the user to easily perform smoky sideways drifts.
This latest Golf R will also come standard with a performance braking system with cross-drilled front rotors and a larger master cylinder, blue brake callipers, and 19-inch aluminum-alloy wheels. Other standout features include a black painted rear roof spoiler, which actually produces a meaningful amount of downforce on the rear axle, along with a black lower rear diffuser and a quad-tip exhaust.
Moving inside, occupants will be greeted by VW's 10-inch central infotainment touchscreen, which is joined by a digital driver's display with R graphics and performance pages for items like the boost pressure, gearbox temperature, AWD torque distribution, and engine output. The cabin also comes adorned in standard leather upholstery and features heavily bolstered R-branded front seats, a standard heated flat-bottom sport steering wheel and blue contrasting stitching. One of the only options is a large "rail-to-rail" sunroof, which is being offered on the Golf R for the first time ever in Canada.
VW Canada says pricing for the 2022 Golf R will not be announced until just ahead of its market launch late next year.
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