VW says R for Golf Cabrio

VOLKSWAGEN has exposed its first R-rated drop top, announcing it will build a Golf R Cabriolet from this year.

The German company says the car – based on the current Golf Cabrio that will continue alongside the new seventh-generation hatchback for now – will be the fastest open-top car it has ever built, capable of the 0-100km/h sprint in 6.4 seconds and a top speed of 250km/h.

However, with 195kW of power from the 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol engine, the fastest soft-top Golf will fall short of the blistering performance of the new Golf R hatch, which is expected to get the Audi-derived 221kW 2.0-litre engine after it is launched at next month's Geneva motor show.

The Golf R Cabrio has 7kW more than the current Golf R, but due to extra weight, is 0.7 seconds slower to 100km/h than the hatch.

Riding on sports suspension, the Cabrio R sits 255mm lower than the standard Golf soft-top, and gets either 18-inch or 19-inch alloy wheels in silver or gloss black, depending on choice.

Instead of the usual rear bench seat of the Golf hatch, the Cabrio R gets two rear sports seats, making it a four seater. All seats are cloaked in leather and embossed with 'R' logos.

The steering wheel, handbrake grip and gear lever all are wrapped in leather with contrasting grey stitching.

Like other Cabrios, the R model gets an electrically operated soft top than can be lowered in 9.5 seconds and raised in 11 seconds, at up to 30km/h.

Volkswagen Australia says it is unlikely to import the R version of the cabrio, sticking instead to the current single model, the $36,990 1.4-litre 118TSI.

The new-generation Golf hatch is due to arrive in Australia in the seond quarter of this year, with the GTI coming later in the year, and the Golf R in the first half of 2014.