Used 2016 Volkswagen Golf R Base Hatchback Review
Consumer reviews
Read what other owners think about the 2016 Volkswagen Golf R Base Hatchback.
Most helpful consumer reviews
Incredibly fast and market-dominating hot hatch
Hawkeye, Saint Paul, MN, 04/07/2016
2016 Volkswagen Golf R 4dr Hatchback AWD (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6M)
Firstly, before I get into the nitty gritty, if you are going to compare this in any way to a GTI, don't. They are both in totally different classes and the golf R is on such a higher performance tier than the GTI, you'd be doing yourself a dis-service. This car is competing with STI's, EVO's, M235i's, CLA45 AMG's, Focus RS, etc.
Anyways....I bought the car shortly after it came out, … deep pearl black, 6spd manual, no dcc/navigation. Was one of the lucky few that was able to walk into a dealership, find the perfect one, was not being held, bought it same day.
Car is incredible!!! Factory performance on these is nothing short of stunning. Judging from the overall looks of the car, it's quite surprising what this thing is really capable of. If I were to compare to others in it's class, it is more refined (excluding the BMW and Mercedes I mentioned above of course). In my honest opinion, there is not a better performance car that you can buy for the money, currently.
Power/Engine performance:
292hp/280tq reported by VW. This is very impressive as it sits, coming from a 2.0L. However, after having the car tested on a dyno after the break in period (100% stock) the numbers were far closer to 318hp/310tq (which makes sense when these run against EVO's and STI's and out pace them). Since then, I purchased the stage 1 package from APR (just a tune) and it becomes a completely different predator. With the tune, you'll be looking at 354hp and 379tq (dsg 0-60 mph capable of sub 4 second times). In this setup, much fewer cars can compete in terms of speed, acceleration, agility.
Handling:
I think the handling is excellent. The model I have does not include the dynamic chassis control, and it still handles on rails (I can only imagine how well the DCC model handles).
Traction:
Excellent. Uses the exact same quattro system as the Audi S3 (actually the whole car is almost an exact copy of the S3, minus some interior options). I've had this in snow, gravel, ice, mud (not by choice), rain, you name it. Nothing will keep this thing off the road, I would pit it up against the best AWD's out there in terms of traction/grip.
Interior:
Very impressed with the interior of this car. Everything is either carbon fiber (it's a vinyl like carbon, still looks nice), quality italian black leather (yes it's real leather, not like the crap on Jetta's), and piano black trim. Looks very classy and sexy, feels like a much nicer car than a VW. Gear shift has a quality feel to it, along with all of the interior buttons and knobs. Makes me feel as if everything was well thought out and materials were not skimped on in any circumstance.
Exterior:
Love it. I personally am a big hatch fan, so this is a little biased. I dig the small, hunkered down, lowered look of the R. Quad exhaust tips are a sporty/sexy addition. I also appreciate how tasteful the body kit is. It's not near as "boy racer" as many of it's competitors, and outruns all of them!
Overall, I absolutely love the car. I highly recommend this to someone that is interested in an STI, EVO, M235i, S3, etc. I strongly feel that VW has done an amazing job with this car, very excited to see how the next few R's progress.
Golf R - The Best All-Around Car I've Owned
Daniel, Hollywood, FL, 08/02/2016
2016 Volkswagen Golf R 4dr Hatchback AWD (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6M)
This is definitely one of the most stunning and surprising cars that I've ever driven that has a high-quality Porsche feel to it when you're driving. I also love the fact that it is purely a sleeper car. For a mere $800 you can get a stage 1 tune and add almost an extra 100 HP and beat 2015 M3s, Porsche Carreras, and all sorts of muscle cars from Mustangs to Camaros and Dodge … Chargers/Challengers. What's even more amusing is when you add some turns to the track and the Golf R will compete extremely well against anything you throw at it. Even with all the power, the gas mileage is pretty high around 25/26 combined mpg (80% city, 20% hwy).
Seven months in...and very pleased.
Scott K, New York, NY, 10/09/2016
2016 Volkswagen Golf R 4dr Hatchback AWD (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6M)
Two cars were in my final list; the R and a Focus RS. Here in Canada (Nova Scotia...had to use a Maine zip code to submit my review), the RS is $8k (!) more than the R. So the R was the obvious selection...and I am not disappointed. Definitely understated WRT its exterior...and I'm fine with that. Folks who know cars come up an ask me about routinely. It is very quick...especially when … moving from 2nd, 3rd thru 4th. Brakes are outstanding. Got a chance to enjoy the 4Motion in the snow the day it arrived (March 2016) and through out the remainder of the winter...also excellent on dry pavement when you are working the corners hard. Interior is consistent with VW/Audi...logical and good quality. Lots of soft surfaces. The exhaust tone is a bit pedestrian, but not a big issue for me. One item of ongoing irritation - Android Auto. Quite unreliable - only connects to my phone after multiple efforts. Once it does, it's great (Spotify, Google Maps) but it should be seamless. Summary, for someone living in Canada, there aren't may vehicles that can touch the R's performance/$ ratio.
Simpicate and Add Less Weight
Bob Maurer, Scotrun, PA, 07/27/2016
2016 Volkswagen Golf R 4dr Hatchback AWD (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6M)
The worst thing about my 2016 Golf R is the Owner's Manual! 434 pages fill mostly with attorney written warnings repeated over & over again to the point that it makes it almost unreadable. And the Owner's Manual is only 1 of 3 books that cane with the car. The brakes are great! Once you get above 2,000 rpm the engine has lots of grunt. The steering is a little numb in that you do … not get to feel the road surface but force feel is appropriate. Like many cars today, the steering wheel is loaded with buttons but most of them are so small that you have to look down at the wheel to use them. The 'touch screen' does not work very well - I think they want you to use the tiny buttons. When you start driving the car, the complaints disappear since it is a joy to drive!!!
Edmunds Summary Review of the 2016 Volkswagen Golf R Base Hatchback
Pros & Cons
- Pro:Impressive all-wheel-drive performance
- Pro:civilized ride quality, even on rough roads
- Pro:interior is fitted with high-quality materials
- Pro:hatchback design means generous cargo capacity
- Pro:admirable fuel economy for such a fast car.
- Con:Debatable value relative to regular GTI.
Full Edmunds Review: 2016 Volkswagen Golf R Hatchback
Edmunds Insurance Estimator
The Edmunds TCO® estimated monthly insurance payment for a 2016 Volkswagen Golf R in Rhode Island is:
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