The Volkswagen Golf R should have been a new car. I waited anxiously when it became available for testing. Both it and the GTI have long been on the shortlist of cars I would actually buy, even if price isn’t an issue. I’m not alone here. “You should buy a GTI” was basically a running joke on the “Spend my Money” segment of the Autoblog podcast. But then something happened to the latest generation Golf R and GTI: the interior became a nuisance.
While most of the justly deserved praise for Volkswagen’s new interior layout/controls/concept was directed at the ID.4, which got it first, the GTI and Golf R received the same complicated touchscreen interface and unlit sliders, which replaced the previous generation’s perfectly usable screens and buttons. True, there are still rear window switches on the driver’s door, and the markings on the mirror buttons don’t disappear in the sunlight, so that’s totally better. This interior annoyed me so much in the ID.4 that I had no interest in driving the Golf R and GTI because, frankly, it would make me angry. And then sad.
But then things got even sadder when Volkswagen announced that it would no longer offer the GTI and Golf R with manual transmissions from 2025. Well, now they just want to piss me off. Okay, so if this is going to be the last hurrah, I’d better do a final test before it’s too late.
Here are my thoughts…
1. The touchscreen is still bad
It may not suffer from the same lag as previous versions, but it’s still bad. Here are my three main problems… The multi-menu heated seat process with buttons that are too small. No permanently docked menu shortcut icons. The radio that doesn’t display your favorites list and song information at the same time.
I have other problems and originally devoted 500 words to them, but you don’t want to read that. So let’s move on…
2. However, the touch sliders are still bad
It’s not just that they’re not lit, especially since VW is adding lighting for 2025, just like the 2024 ID.4. You still won’t be able to see them much during the day due to the glare from the piano black trim. There will still be no haptic feedback. And it’s still likely that when using the touchscreen you’ll accidentally press one of them while resting your hand on the bar they’re on. Other car manufacturers have literally put a strip in the same place for this purpose. They’re just smart enough not to include touch-sensitive controls.
3. And yes, the touch buttons on the steering wheel are still bad too
The volume control is just terrible. A slider on the steering wheel is even worse and pushing it is just so inaccurate. Thankfully, this nonsense is being replaced by one with real buttons, similar to the Atlas 2024.
4. The digital instruments have three useless viewing options
To be clear, I am not against viewing/layout options for digital instruments. The more the better. I’m not even against these particular view/layout options. Only three of them are missing a key element: a tachometer! Obviously these were not designed for a manual transmission. Which I don’t think will be a problem for much longer. There’s one with a big old tachometer front and center and a special R-track layout. However, the radio information is displayed prominently, as is the bar speedometer, and your speed is displayed in approximately 14-point font at the bottom right. I’m not sure it’s as performance oriented as the designer intended.
5. Right, so that’s terribly negative…
… and I actually enjoyed my time with the Golf R. I finally made peace with the touchscreen and I don’t think that would be a dealbreaker for me. That’s because there’s still so much that’s right about this car.
6. The adjustable suspension has 15 settings!
For vehicles that have adjustable suspension and a custom/individual drive mode, it’s common to set everything to Sport except the suspension, which is set to “Comfort” or perhaps “Normal.” There are two possible reasons for this. First, the car’s “Normal” or “Comfort” settings for the steering, throttle, and transmission are numb, a sluggish gradient that I don’t want to deal with, but I also don’t want a firm, sporty ride while driving around town. Secondly, the sports suspension setting is too firm for mountain roads with imperfect asphalt, where mid-corner bumps can upset the suspension. In this scenario, better suspension compliance is good.
The Golf R has individual settings for comfort, sport, racing, drift and Nürburgring. Let’s just leave the last two aside. Interestingly, the car defaults to Sport, which is commendable and different from the norm. To be clear, I completely agree with this and with the attitude towards sports in general. Definitely not a slop. But! Take a look at all of these DCC adjustments, aka DCC, aka adjustable dampers. Not only can I select the Comfort suspension with everything else set to Sport, but I can also go three clicks below Comfort!
That’s exactly what I did during a three-hour drive to San Diego (and back), thoroughly enjoying this unique combination of sharp throttle response, perfect steering, and a ride that moved subtly over major bumps. Fantastic! Plus, since the car has a manual transmission, I didn’t have to worry about the Sport drive setting locking up top gear and affecting fuel economy.
Later I would use the same functionality on a mountain road. I set everything to “Race” except the suspension, which I set to “Sport”. I could also have driven up or down either side of Sport if the road required or permitted it. And by the way, that’s basically what Nürburgring mode does, along with adjusting the interior lighting to suit the track known as the Green Hell.
7. No, I haven’t drifted off
The Golf R has a dual-clutch rear differential with torque vectoring. That’s a great touch no matter what drive setting you have engaged, and thankfully it doesn’t draw too much attention to itself like the torque-vectoring all-wheel drive can sometimes. It just works with the rest of the car and zips around tight corners brilliantly.
The differential also activates Drift Mode, which allows you to do donuts by overpowering the outside rear wheel and deliberately sending you into a skid. Zac Palmer tried this on our first ride. I did not do it. Excuse me?
8. We do a crap job storing the manuals
Volkswagen manuals have never been the favorite of enthusiasts. The shifting travel and clutch engagement are rather long and the shifting feel is light and somewhat spongy. This is the best VW manual I’ve ever experienced, but someone who just jumped out of a Miata would still make the criticisms above. I like her though. They’re super easy to drive, which makes keeping a manual car easier in the first place. I really enjoyed it and will really miss it. There is no way I would buy a Golf R without an instruction manual.
9. Manual Caveat #1
There is no automatic speed adjustment in the Golf R. The car makes heel-to-toe downshifts pretty easy, but I like the automatic rev-matching, and it’s found in the Civic Type R, GR Corolla, and other surviving manual cars.
10. Manual Caveat #2
Be careful when switching between comfort and sport mode. Since throttle response varies depending on driving mode, I accidentally stalled the car after switching it to Comfort mode after a long drive in Sport mode. From a manual transmission perspective, it feels like getting into a completely different car. Suddenly you have to press the accelerator harder when you let go of the clutch, which changes the timing of your stages… clink clink You look like an idiot.
11. You can install seat heating and seat ventilation at the same time!
Why on earth would you do that? Let’s say your back hurts and you’d like to apply some heat, but it would make your butt sweat. That is the solution! Mercedes has been allowing this for years.
12. The seats aren’t checked, but they’re still sensational
Zac’s 2021 Golf R had blue checkered upholstery, which is an absolutely perfect answer to the GTI’s red checkered pattern. Unfortunately that doesn’t exist in this country, it’s just black leather. Boo urns.
Luckily, the leather-covered seats are sensational. Bombing a mountain road? Grippy. Sit on my ass for three hours to San Diego? Supportive.
13. There is enough space for a child seat
I installed two different forward-facing car seats in the Golf R, one with LATCH and the other without, and found the experience easy both times. Hmm, it’s like in some countries people use the Golf as family transport. There was also enough legroom for my son in his seat without completely taking up space in the passenger seat.
14. The ambient lighting is tied to the driving mode
The disadvantage of constantly driving in custom mode is that the display, infotainment and ambient lighting are in mustard yellow. Other colors include teal (comfort), blue (sports and racing, which is strange since sport is almost always red), red (drift, which I guess makes sense now) and green (Nürburgring). My son wanted some kind of pink mode. Sorry, buddy.
15. There are only three colors
Dude, really? That lapiz blue is great of course, but the only other options are black and white? Lame.
16. Maybe I’ll get one instead of a Civic Type R…
The final price for this car is $46,890, which is a lot, but it’s fun to drive, and those seats and 15-way adjustable suspension make it super comfortable too. It also has all-wheel drive, which makes it a viable winter adventure car with a variety of tires.
A Honda Civic Type R would basically be available for the same price. It also has adjustable dampers, and while I didn’t find the suspension as uncomfortably firm as other reviewers, it definitely doesn’t offer Golf R Level 1 damping. It’s also front-wheel drive. On the other hand, it has a better manual transmission, a larger trunk, and interior controls that don’t inspire 500-word rants.
Maybe the ultimate answer is “pay more for the Integra Type S,” but I’m still not sure which one I’d choose. The fact that I’m even considering the 2024 Golf R is rather surprising.