2015 Volkswagen Golf R Euro-Spec

2015 Volkswagen Golf R Euro-Spec 2015 Volkswagen Golf R Euro-Spec
First Drive Review

“If you see a black plastic bag on a stick, slow down and stay alert. They mark the spots where car-reindeer accidents have taken place in the past few days—like a tombstone.” That was one of the last pieces of advice offered by Martin Escher, lead trainer of the Volkswagen Driving Experience, before we began our short journey through the village of Arvidsjaur, Sweden. Moments later, we hopped into one of several European-spec 2015 Golf Rs and headed in the 5-degree Fahrenheit chill toward a frozen lake where we would exercise the cars. We’re still not sure whether the “tombstones” Escher referred to mark the final resting place of humans, reindeer, or both.

We’d love to tell you that the short trip exposed us to enough dry pavement to get a bead on the new Golf R’s road manners, but the roads were covered in a thick layer of hard-packed snow, and even more significant, we were rolling on studded tires. A far cry from the crude studded “snow tires” Gramps used to run, these Lappi winter tires sported tiny, evenly spaced threaded studs that stood no more than a couple of millimeters proud of the tire surface. (Production Golf Rs will wear studless 225/40-18 rubber.) Meaty enough to provide for restrained acceleration and cautious braking on the ice, the studded Lappis’ traction advantage nearly disappeared when speeds climbed and control inputs grew more immediate.

As we detailed when the 2015 Golf R appeared at Frankfurt earlier this year, the Golf R comes equipped with VW’s 4MOTION all-wheel-drive system, which features a Haldex 5 coupling at its core. Not only does this coupling control torque distribution between the front and rear axles, but it’s also capable of disconnecting the rear wheels entirely under low-load or coasting conditions to improve efficiency. Up to 100 percent of available torque can be directed to the rear if necessary, and VW claims the coupling’s reaction times are shortened in this latest version by the use of new electronics and sensors that gather data in anticipation of any traction loss. To reel in unwanted lateral movement, VW’s EDS uses the braking system to put a light squeeze on any single wheel that loses grip. Finally, VW’s brake-based XDS+ system is present at both front and rear axles, mimicking the effect of a limited-slip diff by applying brake pressure to the inside wheel under light load conditions to help the car rotate into a turn.

Gettin’ Your Swerve On

Unlike the previous-generation Golf R, where, much to the dismay of many track-day pilots, the traction control would reengage whenever the brake was applied, selecting “ESC Off” (via the control button to the left of the shifter) in the newest Golf R really means off. After a few recon loops around one of the giant circles set up for drifting, we began to steer with the accelerator in earnest, hanging the car sideways for as long as we could maintain it via throttle modulation. The steering is direct and delightfully hefty, and at 2.1 turns lock-to-lock, quite a bit quicker than the 2.75 turns in the stock Golf. A left-foot brake stab and a quick flick of the wheel are all it took to turn a side window into a windshield—an absolute kick in the pants.

The 4MOTION does a good job of divvying up the torque and instantaneously sending it forward or aft as needed, the traction control keeping its promise to stay out of things even in the face of massive wheelspin and clumsy control inputs. The sensation is different from that in a rear-drive car and, because of the pull of the front axle, generally requires less manic countersteering to maintain sideways forward progress. Lightly tapping the ESC button engages the ESC Sport mode, which reactivates the traction-control measures but still lets you get your swerve on before electronic intervention. The full-on mode (reactivated by pressing the ESC button for three seconds) keeps a pretty tight lid on any unnecessary wheelspin or haughty directional behavior by shutting things down just moments after the first sign of fun. What’s really impressive is the seamless way the systems work together, optimally transferring torque almost imperceptibly.