VW unleashes Wolfsburg-badged Golf R

VOLKSWAGEN Australia will launch its ultra-hot Golf R wagon as a Wolfsburg special edition only, with just a couple of hundred examples on offer, which are expected to sell out quickly.

While the German car-maker was expected to introduce a regular version of its all-wheel drive R-rated wagon, it has confirmed that it will “solely” be available in the limited edition spec. for now.

VW will also offer the Wolfsburg Special Edition as a hatchback, which carries a $1750 premium over the standard Golf R hatch with a price of $56,990 plus on-road costs, while the wagon is a further $2000 dearer, priced at $58,990.

Volkswagen Group Australia public relations manager Kurt McGuiness told GoAuto that “a few hundred” examples of the Wolfsburg Edition hatch and wagon will be offered Down Under, but said there was no decision on whether to import regular versions of the Golf R wagon once the allocation of the limited variants have been sold.

Wolfsburg is the home town of Volkswagen's global headquarters in Germany, and the wolf and castle emblem on the special edition is a “tribute to the ancestral roots of the Volkswagen brand”.

Given the price premium, VW has included extra spec over and above the Golf R, including Black Pretoria 19-inch alloy wheels, black mirror caps, black roof rails on the wagon, the Wolfsburg crest badge and a choice of three exterior colours, including Oryx White Pearl which is exclusive to the variant.

Inside the pocket rocket gains Carbon Nappa leather-appointed upholstery with heated front seats, while active safety gear including adaptive cruise control, a blind-spot monitor with rear traffic alert, a proactive occupant protection system, and the Front Assist system with City Emergency (autonomous) Brake are standard.

A panoramic electric glass roof is the only option and costs $1850.

This is on top of the gear that is already standard in the Golf R hatch, including dual-zone climate control, reversing camera, front and rear parking sensors, bi-Xenon self-levelling headlights, a 6.5-inch colour touchscreen with a App-Connect USB interface for connection to Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and MirrorLink, a leather and aluminium gear knob, sports seats and a three-spoke leather-covered flat-bottomed steering wheel.

No changes have been made under the bonnet, with the Golf R powered by the turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol unit matched with the 4Motion all-wheel drive system pumping out 206kW/380Nm.

In hatch guise the European-spec Golf R can hit 100km/h from standstill in 5.0 seconds, and while the wagon can hit the same benchmark in 5.1s, the Australian-spec version loses 15kW as we are a 'hot weather market', so performance may be effected.

The Wolfsburg Edition Golf R hatch and wagon are available to order now, with deliveries starting in about September.

Volkswagen Golf R Wolfsburg Edition pricing*

Hatch	$56,990
Wagon	$58,990

*Excludes on-road costs