Skip to main content
4.7

Volkswagen Golf R

Starts at:
$36,595
Choose Trim
Compare trims
4dr HB 4dr HB w/DCC/Nav Shop options
New 2015 Volkswagen Golf R
Choose trim
Compare trims
4dr HB 4dr HB w/DCC/Nav Shop options
Shop Cars.com
Browse new cars & save your favorites
Dealers near you
Find & contact a dealership near you
no listings

We're not finding any listings in your area.
Change your location or shop Cars.com to see more!

Change location

Your message was sent. You'll receive a response shortly.

Key specifications

Highlights
Intercooled Turbo Premium Unleaded I-4
Engine Type
23 City / 30 Hwy
MPG
292 hp
Horsepower
5
Seating Capacity
Engine
2.0 L/121
Displacement
280 @ 1800
SAE Net Torque @ RPM
292 @ 5400
SAE Net Horsepower @ RPM
Intercooled Turbo Premium Unleaded I-4
Engine Type
Suspension
Multi-Link
Suspension Type - Rear (Cont.)
Strut
Suspension Type - Front (Cont.)
Strut
Suspension Type - Front
Multi-Link
Suspension Type - Rear
Weight & Capacity
N/A
Dead Weight Hitch - Max Trailer Wt.
15 gal
Fuel Tank Capacity, Approx
N/A
Aux Fuel Tank Capacity, Approx
N/A
Dead Weight Hitch - Max Tongue Wt.
Safety
Standard
Stability Control
Standard
Backup Camera
Entertainment
Standard
Bluetooth®
Electrical
140
Maximum Alternator Capacity (amps)
480
Cold Cranking Amps @ 0° F (Primary)
Brakes
Yes
Disc - Front (Yes or )
N/A
Drum - Rear (Yes or )
13 in
Front Brake Rotor Diam x Thickness
Yes
Disc - Rear (Yes or )

Notable features

Back as a 2015 redesign after skipping 2014
Four-door hatchback body style
Turbocharged four-cylinder engine
All-wheel drive standard
Adaptive suspension available

Engine

2.0 L/121 Displacement
280 @ 1800 SAE Net Torque @ RPM
292 @ 5400 SAE Net Horsepower @ RPM
Intercooled Turbo Premium Unleaded I-4 Engine Type

Suspension

Multi-Link Suspension Type - Rear (Cont.)
Strut Suspension Type - Front (Cont.)
Strut Suspension Type - Front
Multi-Link Suspension Type - Rear

Weight & Capacity

N/A Dead Weight Hitch - Max Trailer Wt.
15 gal Fuel Tank Capacity, Approx
N/A Aux Fuel Tank Capacity, Approx
N/A Dead Weight Hitch - Max Tongue Wt.
3,340 lbs Base Curb Weight
N/A Wt Distributing Hitch - Max Tongue Wt.
N/A Wt Distributing Hitch - Max Trailer Wt.

Safety

Standard Stability Control
Standard Backup Camera

Entertainment

Standard Bluetooth®

Electrical

140 Maximum Alternator Capacity (amps)
480 Cold Cranking Amps @ 0° F (Primary)

Brakes

Yes Disc - Front (Yes or )
N/A Drum - Rear (Yes or )
13 in Front Brake Rotor Diam x Thickness
Yes Disc - Rear (Yes or )
12 in Rear Brake Rotor Diam x Thickness
4-Wheel Brake ABS System
N/A Brake ABS System (Second Line)
4-Wheel Disc Brake Type

Photo & video gallery

2015 Volkswagen Golf R 2015 Volkswagen Golf R 2015 Volkswagen Golf R 2015 Volkswagen Golf R 2015 Volkswagen Golf R 2015 Volkswagen Golf R 2015 Volkswagen Golf R 2015 Volkswagen Golf R 2015 Volkswagen Golf R 2015 Volkswagen Golf R 2015 Volkswagen Golf R 2015 Volkswagen Golf R 2015 Volkswagen Golf R 2015 Volkswagen Golf R 2015 Volkswagen Golf R 2015 Volkswagen Golf R 2015 Volkswagen Golf R 2015 Volkswagen Golf R 2015 Volkswagen Golf R 2015 Volkswagen Golf R 2015 Volkswagen Golf R 2015 Volkswagen Golf R

Factory warranties

New car program benefits

Basic
3 years / 36,000 miles
Corrosion
12 years
Powertrain
5 years / 60,000 miles
Maintenance
1 years / 10,000 miles
Roadside Assistance
3 years / 36,000 miles

Certified Pre-Owned program benefits

Age / mileage
MY 2016-MY 2017 vehicles / 75,000 miles; MY 2018- MY 2019 vehicles / 72,000 miles; MY 2020 and newer vehicles / 75,000 miles
Basic
Vehicles purchased on or after 1 / 5 / 21: MY 2017 & older, 2 yrs / 24,000 miles (whichever is 1st) limited warranty; MY 2018-19, 1 yr / 12,000 miles (whichever is 1st) limited warranty; MY 2020 & newer, 2 years / 24,000 miles (whichever is 1st) limited warranty
Dealer certification
100-plus point inspection

The good & the bad

The good

Punchy, smooth-revving engine
Front sport seats
Adult-size backseat
Cargo space
Fender premium audio system's clarity

The bad

Drivetrain lag
Lack of steering feedback
5.8-inch touch-screen size, graphics quality
Noisy motorized backup camera
Hefty price premium over Golf GTI

Consumer reviews

4.7 / 5
Based on 10 reviews
Write a review
Comfort 4.7
Interior 4.7
Performance 4.7
Value 4.4
Exterior 4.3
Reliability 4.4

Most recent

Golf r Uber fast got no soul!

Bought used golf R at 100k miles. Currently needs new struts dcc (3000), water pump 3rd time (2500), and walnut blasting (500). Maintenance is not cheap on these cars and they have known repeated issues(water pump). I have the DSG stage 1 car is wicked fast. Like embarrass a mustang 5.0 hang with and m5/m3, gap an sti or focus rs. Seriously one of the quickest cars out there in a straight line. But has no soul,interior is Uber quiet (can’t hear exhaust), dsg is great for up shifts but has a definite lag on downshifts. Suspension is awful especially with 19’s crashes and booms over everything passengers will jump, not good for daily driving on anything but the best roads. Brakes are phenomenal along with pedal feel and honestly will stop on a dime. It’s not true and as it is FWD until slip is detected but it rips. In my opinion even though it is way faster,brakes better, fender audio best I’ve heard, the Wrx is way more fun ! If you are ready for expensive repair bills and checking your fluids all the time buy a VW.
  • Purchased a Used car
  • Used for Commuting
  • Does recommend this car
Comfort 5.0
Interior 5.0
Performance 4.0
Value 3.0
Exterior 3.0
Reliability 2.0
0 people out of 2 found this review helpful. Did you?
Yes No

Jekyll and Hyde

Huge VW fan but I am also fair. By far its one of the best vehicles VW has created. I've owned an R32 and nothing beats a VR6 engine, however this little 4 banger is the real deal. With a push of a button you go from a daily commuter to an all out contender on the track. Someone please show me a better sounding 4 cylinder.
  • Purchased a Used car
  • Used for Commuting
  • Does recommend this car
Comfort 5.0
Interior 5.0
Performance 5.0
Value 5.0
Exterior 5.0
Reliability 5.0
5 people out of 5 found this review helpful. Did you?
Yes No
Photo of Mike Hanley

2015 Volkswagen Golf R review: Our expert's take

By Mike Hanley

You’ll grin as the 2015 Volkswagen Golf R’s turbocharged engine responds with each stomp of the gas pedal, but a lack of driver involvement diminishes the fun, making this car’s hefty premium over the exceptional Golf GTI hard to stomach.

Volkswagen redesigned its Golf hatchback for the 2015 model year. A number of variants are offered, including diesel and fully electric models. The Golf TSI, Golf GTI and Golf R all have turbocharged gas four-cylinder engines rated 170, 210 and 292 horsepower, respectively. The Golf R is the only variant with all-wheel drive. The rest have front-wheel drive.

Besides more power and all-wheel drive, the Golf R gets a unique suspension with available adaptive shock absorbers and a standard six-speed, dual-clutch automatic transmission. The Golf R competes with the Subaru WRX STI and Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution (see their specs compared here).

The Golf R starts at $37,415, which includes an $820 destination charge. Our test car’s options list included the adaptive suspension, touch-screen navigation, Fender premium audio and 19-inch alloy wheels, which raised the as-tested price to $39,910.

Exterior & Styling
I really like the styling direction Volkswagen took with the new Golf hatchback. Crisp lines give the car a taut, athletic appearance, and the new generation’s 1-inch-lower roofline gives the hatchback a sleek look.

Golf R styling cues include adaptive bi-xenon high-intensity-discharge headlights with LED daytime running lights, a gaping lower grille and quad exhaust tips. The optional 19-inch alloy wheels with low-profile summer tires fill out the wheel wells. The changes make for a sporty-looking — but not overly showy — performance car.

How It Drives
The Golf R backs up its looks with a punchy, smooth-revving turbo four-cylinder that lets you scoot through slower-moving highway traffic with ease. Mashing the gas pedal makes the dual-clutch transmission downshift quickly, bringing gobs of power that hurtle you forward. Volkswagen cites a zero-to-60-mph time of 4.9 seconds.

At slower, stop-and-go speeds, however, the drivetrain has annoying accelerator lag; in the first half-inch or so of pedal travel, nothing really happens. This type of lag was widespread about a decade ago as new cars adopted electronic throttle control, but it’s been eliminated in most of today’s new cars. Sadly, the Golf R isn’t one of them.

I was also dismayed by the dual-clutch transmission’s delayed response, even with the steering-wheel shift paddles. Whether upshifting or downshifting, there’s a half-second delay from when you press the button and when the shift occurs. It should be much more instantaneous with this kind of transmission. It is with other dual-clutch transmissions, like Porsche’s PDK unit, which shifts gears so quickly you’ll actually want to use this feature. I had no desire to keep using the Golf R’s shift paddles.

If you’d rather have a traditional manual transmission, the 2016 Golf R will offer a six-speed manual.

Volkswagen’s Dynamic Chassis Control adaptive suspension provides variable shock absorber firmness. The amount of damping between its Comfort and Race modes is quite different, with more suspension rebound variance than you normally see with these kinds of systems. In Comfort, the ride is still on the firm side, but it allows more suspension rebound over bumps. The middle Normal mode limits suspension rebound and the ride gets busier as the suspension transmits pavement dimples, and cracks. In Race, body motions are highly controlled, there’s minimal suspension rebound and the ride is very bumpy.

I like how the Golf R includes an Individual mode so you can create a custom setting for the adaptive suspension (when equipped), drivetrain and power-steering system. The location of the mode-selector button, though, isn’t the best; it’s to the left of the gear selector, right behind the start-stop button for the keyless ignition system. I kept doing double-takes to make sure I wasn’t about to press the ignition button by accident.

The Golf R’s steering is disappointingly short on feedback regardless of the drive mode you’re in. There’s no feel for what’s happening at the tires. There’s some heft to the wheel, but it’s a dead weight that doesn’t draw you into the driving experience like a performance car’s steering should. There’s no joy in taking a corner quickly.

Despite having all-wheel drive, the Golf R behaves like a front-wheel-drive car because it doesn’t direct more torque to the rear wheels; under light loads and when coasting, the rear wheels are decoupled from the driveshaft to improve gas mileage. Up to 50 percent of the engine’s available torque can be sent to the rear wheels. Other performance cars use rear-biased all-wheel-drive systems that send more torque to the rear wheels to provide desirable, rear-wheel-drive-like handling.

All-wheel drive can be an advantage when snow flies, but the Golf R has a few things working against it when it comes to winter performance. It’s offered only with summer tires, which aren’t suitable for snow-covered roads, even with all-wheel drive. All-season and winter tires are available from aftermarket retailers like the Tire Rack. The Golf R’s low 4.8-inch ground clearance also increases the risk of getting high-centered on drifting snow.

Interior
Volkswagen didn’t cheapen the redesigned Golf’s cabin the way it did the Jetta sedan when that car was redesigned a few years ago. While VW stripped away many of the Jetta’s premium qualities that people loved, in the redesigned Golf it used less-expensive materials more strategically. The Golf still has premium finishes on the dashboard and upper part of the front doors, for instance, but the backseat door trim is hard plastic.

I really like the Golf R’s front bucket seats. The driver’s seat has 12-way power adjustments with power lumbar, and the large side bolsters keep you in place without unduly squeezing your torso. Thigh support is good.

Our test car’s all-black interior — headliner included — created some claustrophobia, but forward visibility is good and over-shoulder views are decent. Rear visibility is supplemented by a standard backup camera.

Backseat comfort is good; there’s good legroom for taller adults in the outboard seating positions, but a tall hump in the center of the floor. Headroom is good too.

Ergonomics & Electronics
The Golf R’s 5.8-inch dashboard touch-screen is tiny in an era of increasingly larger screens, and the small size — which made for a cluttered navigation map — wasn’t the only problem. Graphics quality isn’t great, either, with on-screen text being especially fuzzy. The new multimedia system in the 2016 Golf R will have a slightly bigger 6.5-inch touch-screen and support Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone mirroring.

The 2015’s screen supports swiping and dragging, and it works as well as a smartphone. When you’re scrolling through a list of satellite radio stations, the system displays what’s currently playing on each channel, which is an uncommon but useful feature. The system paired easily with my iPhone using Bluetooth, but I did have to reactivate the Bluetooth streaming audio connection after restarting the car, which is unusual.

Cargo & Storage
Cargo volume is an impressive 22.8 cubic feet with the backseat up and 52.7 cubic feet with the rear seat folded. Storage space includes a decent-sized glove box, large bottleholders in the doors and a good-sized bin to the left of the steering wheel. Even though the front-seat center armrest slides forward and back, it oddly doesn’t open to reveal a storage bin; turns out it’s because of federal regulations.

Safety
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety says its Top Safety Pick rating for the 2015 four-door Golf applies to the Golf R too.

The Golf R has Automatic Post-Collision Braking, a system that automatically applies the brakes after a crash to lessen the chance for additional collisions. If you want active safety features you’ll have to get a 2016 model; it offers a Driver Assistance Package that includes adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning with automatic braking, lane departure warning and a blind spot warning system with rear cross-traffic alert. The package is a reasonable $1,295, but it’s available only on models equipped with the adaptive suspension and navigation.

For a full list of safety features, see the Features & Specs page.

Value in Its Class
The Golf R is one of the most refined high-powered hatchbacks around, but it’s this same refinement that isolates you from the driving experience. The Golf R doesn’t make you want to drive it, which is something a car like this needs to do — and the automaker’s own Golf GTI actually does. It’s just another example of the more powerful, more advanced and more expensive (by more than $10,000) car being less fun in everyday driving. While not a great outcome for Volkswagen, it’s good news for performance-hatchback enthusiasts on a budget.

email  
Read more

You’ll grin as the 2015 Volkswagen Golf R’s turbocharged engine responds with each stomp of the gas pedal, but a lack of driver involvement diminishes the fun, making this car’s hefty premium over the exceptional Golf GTI hard to stomach.

Volkswagen redesigned its Golf hatchback for the 2015 model year. A number of variants are offered, including diesel and fully electric models. The Golf TSI, Golf GTI and Golf R all have turbocharged gas four-cylinder engines rated 170, 210 and 292 horsepower, respectively. The Golf R is the only variant with all-wheel drive. The rest have front-wheel drive.

Besides more power and all-wheel drive, the Golf R gets a unique suspension with available adaptive shock absorbers and a standard six-speed, dual-clutch automatic transmission. The Golf R competes with the Subaru WRX STI and Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution (see their specs compared here).

The Golf R starts at $37,415, which includes an $820 destination charge. Our test car’s options list included the adaptive suspension, touch-screen navigation, Fender premium audio and 19-inch alloy wheels, which raised the as-tested price to $39,910.

Exterior & Styling
I really like the styling direction Volkswagen took with the new Golf hatchback. Crisp lines give the car a taut, athletic appearance, and the new generation’s 1-inch-lower roofline gives the hatchback a sleek look.

Golf R styling cues include adaptive bi-xenon high-intensity-discharge headlights with LED daytime running lights, a gaping lower grille and quad exhaust tips. The optional 19-inch alloy wheels with low-profile summer tires fill out the wheel wells. The changes make for a sporty-looking — but not overly showy — performance car.

How It Drives
The Golf R backs up its looks with a punchy, smooth-revving turbo four-cylinder that lets you scoot through slower-moving highway traffic with ease. Mashing the gas pedal makes the dual-clutch transmission downshift quickly, bringing gobs of power that hurtle you forward. Volkswagen cites a zero-to-60-mph time of 4.9 seconds.

At slower, stop-and-go speeds, however, the drivetrain has annoying accelerator lag; in the first half-inch or so of pedal travel, nothing really happens. This type of lag was widespread about a decade ago as new cars adopted electronic throttle control, but it’s been eliminated in most of today’s new cars. Sadly, the Golf R isn’t one of them.

I was also dismayed by the dual-clutch transmission’s delayed response, even with the steering-wheel shift paddles. Whether upshifting or downshifting, there’s a half-second delay from when you press the button and when the shift occurs. It should be much more instantaneous with this kind of transmission. It is with other dual-clutch transmissions, like Porsche’s PDK unit, which shifts gears so quickly you’ll actually want to use this feature. I had no desire to keep using the Golf R’s shift paddles.

If you’d rather have a traditional manual transmission, the 2016 Golf R will offer a six-speed manual.

Volkswagen’s Dynamic Chassis Control adaptive suspension provides variable shock absorber firmness. The amount of damping between its Comfort and Race modes is quite different, with more suspension rebound variance than you normally see with these kinds of systems. In Comfort, the ride is still on the firm side, but it allows more suspension rebound over bumps. The middle Normal mode limits suspension rebound and the ride gets busier as the suspension transmits pavement dimples, and cracks. In Race, body motions are highly controlled, there’s minimal suspension rebound and the ride is very bumpy.

I like how the Golf R includes an Individual mode so you can create a custom setting for the adaptive suspension (when equipped), drivetrain and power-steering system. The location of the mode-selector button, though, isn’t the best; it’s to the left of the gear selector, right behind the start-stop button for the keyless ignition system. I kept doing double-takes to make sure I wasn’t about to press the ignition button by accident.

The Golf R’s steering is disappointingly short on feedback regardless of the drive mode you’re in. There’s no feel for what’s happening at the tires. There’s some heft to the wheel, but it’s a dead weight that doesn’t draw you into the driving experience like a performance car’s steering should. There’s no joy in taking a corner quickly.

Despite having all-wheel drive, the Golf R behaves like a front-wheel-drive car because it doesn’t direct more torque to the rear wheels; under light loads and when coasting, the rear wheels are decoupled from the driveshaft to improve gas mileage. Up to 50 percent of the engine’s available torque can be sent to the rear wheels. Other performance cars use rear-biased all-wheel-drive systems that send more torque to the rear wheels to provide desirable, rear-wheel-drive-like handling.

All-wheel drive can be an advantage when snow flies, but the Golf R has a few things working against it when it comes to winter performance. It’s offered only with summer tires, which aren’t suitable for snow-covered roads, even with all-wheel drive. All-season and winter tires are available from aftermarket retailers like the Tire Rack. The Golf R’s low 4.8-inch ground clearance also increases the risk of getting high-centered on drifting snow.

Interior
Volkswagen didn’t cheapen the redesigned Golf’s cabin the way it did the Jetta sedan when that car was redesigned a few years ago. While VW stripped away many of the Jetta’s premium qualities that people loved, in the redesigned Golf it used less-expensive materials more strategically. The Golf still has premium finishes on the dashboard and upper part of the front doors, for instance, but the backseat door trim is hard plastic.

I really like the Golf R’s front bucket seats. The driver’s seat has 12-way power adjustments with power lumbar, and the large side bolsters keep you in place without unduly squeezing your torso. Thigh support is good.

Our test car’s all-black interior — headliner included — created some claustrophobia, but forward visibility is good and over-shoulder views are decent. Rear visibility is supplemented by a standard backup camera.

Backseat comfort is good; there’s good legroom for taller adults in the outboard seating positions, but a tall hump in the center of the floor. Headroom is good too.

Ergonomics & Electronics
The Golf R’s 5.8-inch dashboard touch-screen is tiny in an era of increasingly larger screens, and the small size — which made for a cluttered navigation map — wasn’t the only problem. Graphics quality isn’t great, either, with on-screen text being especially fuzzy. The new multimedia system in the 2016 Golf R will have a slightly bigger 6.5-inch touch-screen and support Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone mirroring.

The 2015’s screen supports swiping and dragging, and it works as well as a smartphone. When you’re scrolling through a list of satellite radio stations, the system displays what’s currently playing on each channel, which is an uncommon but useful feature. The system paired easily with my iPhone using Bluetooth, but I did have to reactivate the Bluetooth streaming audio connection after restarting the car, which is unusual.

Cargo & Storage
Cargo volume is an impressive 22.8 cubic feet with the backseat up and 52.7 cubic feet with the rear seat folded. Storage space includes a decent-sized glove box, large bottleholders in the doors and a good-sized bin to the left of the steering wheel. Even though the front-seat center armrest slides forward and back, it oddly doesn’t open to reveal a storage bin; turns out it’s because of federal regulations.

Safety
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety says its Top Safety Pick rating for the 2015 four-door Golf applies to the Golf R too.

The Golf R has Automatic Post-Collision Braking, a system that automatically applies the brakes after a crash to lessen the chance for additional collisions. If you want active safety features you’ll have to get a 2016 model; it offers a Driver Assistance Package that includes adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning with automatic braking, lane departure warning and a blind spot warning system with rear cross-traffic alert. The package is a reasonable $1,295, but it’s available only on models equipped with the adaptive suspension and navigation.

For a full list of safety features, see the Features & Specs page.

Value in Its Class
The Golf R is one of the most refined high-powered hatchbacks around, but it’s this same refinement that isolates you from the driving experience. The Golf R doesn’t make you want to drive it, which is something a car like this needs to do — and the automaker’s own Golf GTI actually does. It’s just another example of the more powerful, more advanced and more expensive (by more than $10,000) car being less fun in everyday driving. While not a great outcome for Volkswagen, it’s good news for performance-hatchback enthusiasts on a budget.

email  
Read more

Latest news from cars.com

See all news

Volkswagen dealers near you

You might also like

$37,900
Compare
$24,950
Compare
$27,270
Compare
$43,650
Compare
$54,900
Compare
Compare

Volkswagen Golf R history

Your list was successfully saved.
Your comparisons
 
 
 
 
Save list Compare