2022 Volkswagen Golf R Review

After taking two years off, Volkswagen's hottest hatch returns to the U.S. market. The Golf R and its GTI sibling are the sole eighth-generation Golf variants to make it across the pond since the standard Golf has been discontinued for the U.S. Just as before, the Golf R is a turbocharged, all-wheel-drive version of VW's iconic hatchback. For 2022, its turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine now makes 315 horsepower, up 27 hp from the previous generation. The extra power and torque are immediately noticeable, and the R rushes to its 7,000-rpm redline from anything above 4,000 rpm quicker and with far more gusto than the GTI.

The Golf R also has a new all-wheel-drive system. In addition to the expected weather-beating and traction-enhancing abilities, the Golf R's new system has torque-vectoring capability at the rear wheels. It automatically shifts more engine torque to the outside rear wheel when turning to make the car more agile. There's even a special Drift mode that sends all of the available rear power to one wheel to let you do some nifty tail-out power slides (when you're on a racetrack, of course).

We like the Golf R's standard Driver Cockpit digital instrument panel, but the rest of the new interior lacks the more upscale feel of previous R models. The center stack's streamlined interface looks cool, but every physical control has been replaced with either a wonky touch-sensitive pad or a menu in the infotainment display. These changes are initially maddening, and the frustration is only mildly toned down once you get used to everything. We get that touch controls represent a neat leap forward, but fussing with a touch-sensitive temperature slider while trying to keep your eyes on the road simply isn't intuitive or safe enough.

As with previous incarnations, the 2022 Volkswagen Golf R is a bit of a niche choice. It offers superior performance and utility compared to the Honda Civic Si and Subaru WRX, but at a higher price. Alternatively, you might cross-shop it with luxury picks such as the related Audi S3 or the Mercedes-Benz CLA AMG 35. Either way we think the Golf R is a solid choice if you want a fun-to-drive compact that's also a great all-arounder.

The 2022 Golf R comes in one fully loaded trim. The only choice you need to make is between the standard six-speed manual transmission and the optional seven-speed dual-clutch automatic. Feature highlights include: