Could the Volkswagen Golf R be the Hot Hatch King?

A compact body, a short wheelbase and a lot of power. The hot-hatch follows a simple recipe, but unlike flavours that are constantly evolving and changing, the hot-hatch has stayed true to its heritage. If you think of some of the best hot-hatches available today, one of the first names that should pop into your head is the Golf, particularly the Volkswagen Golf R. It’s based on a practical hatchback, but performs like a sports car. The general checklist of whether a car can be classified as a hot hatch can be broken down into three segments – design, performance and street cred. Let’s explore what makes the Golf R one of the greatest hot-hatches of our time.

The Golf R is the most aggressively styled model of the range. The Golf GTI may come close, but the menacing face of the Golf R is instantly recognisable. The facelifted model builds on the popular design of the Mk7 R, adding a modern touch to the headlights and bumper. The carbon fibre side mirrors and side badges are two other not-so-subtle hints that you’re looking at the most hardcore Golf. The performance orientated styling cues at the rear include a sportier spoiler, a pair of exhausts on either side of the rear diffuser and the highly coveted ‘R’ badge, again, just to remind you what you’re dealing with. Add the signature 19-inch alloys and the ‘R’ branded calipers into the mix and the Golf R passes the hot-hatch design test with flying colours.

Let’s talk about performance. The Golf R already passes this test by being dubbed ‘the most powerful Golf ever made’. It earned this title through the 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine that resides under the bonnet, producing 228kW of power and 400Nm of torque. The Volkswagen Golf R is pretty quick in a straight line but things get a bit more interesting once you add some corners into the mix. The Golf R features adaptive chassis control along with a driving profile selection system that allows the driver to activate Race mode which beefs up the suspension, increases throttle response and adds weight to the steering wheel making you feel more engaged with the road. Looks like the Golf R ticks the hot-hatch performance box.

Finally, a hot-hatch needs to have street cred. Thanks to the new optional Akrapovic exhausts on the Golf R, it can shout its ‘vrr-pha’ tag line even louder and clearer than before. Not many other cars can boast that they have their own tag line, but the Golf R does, and it seems that South Africans all over the country absolutely love it. It also makes use of an all-wheel drive system and a snappy 7-speed paddle shift DSG gearbox that allows it to accelerate from 0-100km/h in just 4.6-seconds before reaching its top speed of 250km/h. This means that there’s a very good chance that you’ll be able to beat a lot of other cars between robots or even on a race track, and nothing earns you street cred more than winning a race.