Volkswagen Australia customers can again join the performance bandwagon, with the Golf R Wagon arriving to combine 235kW, 420Nm and a 4.9-second 0-100km/h with extra rear legroom, a power tailgate and a 611-litre boot.
It will join the lauded Golf R hatch and Tiguan R, and the forthcoming T-Roc R and Touareg R. For this, the second generation Golf R Wagon, it is also the first time both the overall length and wheelbase of the wagon exceeds that of the hatch.
Sitting at 4644mm length (up 354mm), and on a 2681mm wheelbase (up 50mm), the result is rear legroom expanding from 903mm in the hatch to 941mm, further complementing the luxury of Nappa leather upholstery.
There’s also tri-zone climate control with rear touch controls, and multiple rear storage solutions, with that massive lift in boot volume, up from 374-litres in the hatch, and with the inclusion of a full metre of length between the tailgate and upright rear backrest.
The difference is even more pronounced with the 60:40-split backrest folded, raising the space from from 1230-litres in the hatch to a large car challenging 1642-litres.
The Golf R Wagon also uniquely includes chrome roof rails, an electrically operated tailgate with easy open and close functions, and a luggage net partition able to be extended from the rear seat backrest to the roof lining.
Even with this substantial increase in size, comfort and practicality though, the Golf R Wagon retains and further extends the essential virtues of the hatch that have cemented its position as the clear leader among key competitors.
This includes the 2.0-litre turbo four-cylinder, the latest iteration of the 7-speed Direct Shift Gearbox (DSG) and a petrol particulate filter (PPF), with the latter allowing the Golf R Wagon to achieve just 7.4-litres/100km on mandatory 98 RON premium unleaded.
The Golf R Wagon likewise retains 19-inch alloy wheels, progressive steering, the latest 4MOTION all-wheel drive with R-Performance torque vectoring and adaptive suspension; featuring Comfort, Sport, Race, Special and Drift modes.
The ‘Special’ profile is tuned to suit the bumps, undulations and corners of the Nürburgring-Nordschleife by incorporating more compliant damping with maximum powertrain performance.
The ‘Drift’ profile provides optimal driving dynamics away from public roads, distributing 100 per cent of the rear torque to one wheel. It defaults to ESC Sport while ESC Off can be individually selected.
The 2022 Volkswagen Golf R Wagon is priced at $68,990 plus on-roads, and features a bevy of technology and safety goodies, including matrix LED headlights with dynamic cornering lights and dynamic light assist and LED DRLs and tail lights.
Dark tinted rear and rear side windows, heated and ventilated front seats, rain sensing windscreen wipers, Digital Cockpit Pro and a Discover Pro 10-inch satellite navigation system, DAB+ digital radio and a head-up display are also included.
Wireless App-Connect, wireless charging, four USB-C ports, sports seats with integrated head restraints, and 30-colour ambient lighting also features, as does traffic jam assist, travel and emergency assist, park assist and lane assist.
Other safety features include front assist with pedestrian and cyclist monitoring, side assist with rear traffic alert, driver fatigue detection, ESP and a rear view camera. Front and rear parking sensors and manoeuvre braking round out the package.
More information is available from your local Volkswagen dealer. If you’re keen to own one, and need finance, visit CreditOne.
