2025 Volkswagen Golf R Consumer Reviews
Pricing
Base - $48,325 MSRP
What others are paying
$48,900Low supply is pushing the market average above MSRP.
1 for sale near you
Prices based on sales in SC thru 8/11/25
Final assembly in Germany
We have a limited number of reviews for the 2025 Golf R, so we've included reviews for other years of the Golf R since its last redesign.
Release the hounds!
Xmeromotu, 12/02/2023
2024 Volkswagen Golf R 4dr Hatchback AWD (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6M)
4 of 4 people found this review helpful
Wow! I have an M3 that’s a track car, and the Gold R is much faster for much less money. The technology in the little engine is amazing. I’m planning to get an ECU tune and probably a suspension tune from APR, plus an open air intake system to let the turbo breathe easier, but this little guy has already got plenty of power. Personally, I don’t see the problem with the switches myself. (1) I’m going to assume that VW made them to last, and (2) I don’t need to mess with the buttons all the time, and I have no idea why other owners would have to change setting all the time. How are people “accidentally” hitting the heated steering wheel switch?! There’s a perfectly good place for your thumbs on the wheel. The driving modes are controlled via the screen so no problem there, and “Automatic” is the best setting for the climate control and for the headlights, though it is the lesser choice in transmissions. 🤣 The “comfort mode” really is quite comfy, even without any extra tuning, and absorbs all the bumps without making the springs and dampers feel “mushy” at all. “Comfort” mode is still plenty responsive for most daily driving. “Sport” and “Race” modes definitely tighten things up, but I plan to baby this beast and keep it off the track for a couple years. Then again, it’s mighty tempting since I live only about 15 or 20 miles from a track. First World Problems, right?! Love the car, and glad that I bought it before those unable to drive a manual ruined the experience.
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My opinion has changed
Michel, 10/04/2023
updated 10/04/2024
2023 Volkswagen Golf R 20th Anniversary Edition 4dr Hatchback AWD (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6M)
11 of 14 people found this review helpful
I have been driving my new 2023 Golf R for about a year now, so my opinion on an earlier review has somewhat changed. I still believe it's a very nice, well equipped and really fun to drive car, but with a number of issues. The heat sensitive keys on the dash are a real nuisance, since they don't work if you wear a glove. You must remove your glove if you want to do any kind of adjustment on the dash. Not fun for those who live in a cold country. Also I discovered a number of glitches on the top control panel mainly with the sun roof, nothing serious but VW couldn't fix them. I also experienced outbalanced tires, hard to fix due to the type of tire and finally the failure of a pollution control valve which took a long time to repair because the VW dealer didn't have it in stock. It is an expensive car, does it worth the price? Not sure any more.
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2025 Volkswagen Golf R for sale near you
Showing 3 of 170 listings
- Black Edition 4dr HatchbackMSRP: $54,03673 mi away
- Black Edition 4dr HatchbackMSRP: $54,03683 mi away
- Black Edition 4dr HatchbackMSRP: $54,03699 mi away
See all 170 listings
Germans common sense lost, trouble coming?
trai an, 05/26/2022
2022 Volkswagen Golf R 4dr Hatchback AWD (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6M)
18 of 28 people found this review helpful
Good car but user experience destroyed by touch/swipe/wave controls. Touch screen, full one second latency mixed with rigid suspension means fifty-fifty chance of changing temp, air flow, media source or playlist etc on first try. And likely even then involving at least ten seconds of distraction from driving itself... Other half the time your finger lands just so that you touch something else (add time to get menu back) or en route your hand waved by another sensor, so by time finger reached screen it meets another menu, not one you wanted. Then the wheel, omg, purified disgrace of engineering and design. Holding both hands on in standard position but riding hard can make either right thumb base touch the wheel-heating touch-button (doesn't toggle on/off, have to cycle through four settings, same with seat heating, btw), or left thumb base touch and trigger driving mode change. So now you are out of your drive setting. And the fake/virtual display changed with that (different looks asigned to different driving modes). Like a teen on meth playing DJ for their fix. Graphic touch-based user interface with layered menus for a fast and hard driving mechanical construct where user is in unstable position. That's what held me back from buying electric, all those i tried had the plasma screen in the middle and touch GUI, did not see it coming that decent German engineering would give me same on 300hp stick driven hot hatch. Other functions acceptable but few hiccups present, not expected in price range: engine hood rubber dampener flying out of position every fifty miles or so; wireless phone charger overheats so much that the phone dies and base of stick shifter heats up; mirror not turning down on reverse though setting "on"; system not flagging low tire pressure repeatedly and on all wheels (as low as 29 psi from recommended 45). Manual shifter took about a thousand miles to flow and not stick, at five thousand miles now almost as good as best ones I've used.
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Nice but not as special as previous gen
Mike, 05/10/2024
updated 05/13/2025
2024 Volkswagen Golf R 4dr Hatchback AWD (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 7AM)
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
2025/05/12 (17500 kms) - Still a great car to drive, lots of fun for the side roads, and comfortable for long trips with the practicality of the hatchback. Can't think of a better vehicle out there for the money. AWD is great in the snow. The only down side is that to put a hitch on (for bikes) you have to either put a hole in the bumper under the license plate, or the diffuser. The heads up display doesn't work very well for me because I always wear sunglasses when driving during the day and it is not visible with them on. PROS -great acceleration -customizable gauge cluster with possibility to have current gear front and center -quieter than earlier models and less vibration transmitted to the driver, so better for longer trips -good fuel economy on the hwy (about 7.5 l/100 km) -good handling and cornering -comfortable seats CONS -steering wheel buttons annoying and don't function well. -below par sound system -city fuel economy poor (17 miles / gal) -compared to previous generation it just lacks the specialness it once had, but still a great car.
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Has exceeded my expectations in every way
EA, 04/27/2024
updated 10/31/2024
2024 Volkswagen Golf R 4dr Hatchback AWD (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 7AM)
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
Handling, Speed, Brakes, Comfort, Interior Quality and Refinement are all excellent, as is the Infotainment system. There's been so much written about how hard the Infotainment is to use - after a few hours it becomes second nature and it actually looks nice and uncluttered. Really like ability to change drive modes and set up the instrument display the way you want it to be. Also like the under the radar element - it's fast but the external styling is restrained and mature. Having 19”wheels is likely excessive. 18” or even 17” would still provide great handling but with a more comfortable ride. Still loving it after the first six months of ownership!
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