VW GOLF R Arriving 2010; Golf GTD Also “A Big Probability”

HERE'S SOME NEWS certain to set the pulses of enthusiasts running a little hotter.

VW Australia Managing Director, Ms Anke Koeckler, confirmed to The Motor Report that the hot replacement for the Golf R32, the Golf R, is headed here in 2010, and the grunt-filled Golf GTD is also a "big probability".

"We expect to have it (the Golf R) here in mid-2010," Ms Koeckler said. "It fits very well into the Australian market.

"It will be easy to live with as a day-to-day proposition, and will be a very practical and enjoyable package."

In the new Golf R, the 3.2 litre V6 under the bonnet of the R32 will be replaced by a superhot 2.0 litre twin-turbo development of the 2.0 litre unit currently doing service in the 2010 Golf GTI.

Unsourced speculation earlier this year had the Golf R producing up to 224kW (300hp).

Technical details released at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September however confirmed that a 'more modest' 199kW and 350Nm of torque will be nestled under the low hunkered-down lines of the Golf R.

This is a considerable boost over the V6-engined R32's 184kW.

With a fourth-generation Haldex all-wheel-drive system, Volkswagen's technical data shows the Golf R capable of running to 100km/h in 5.7 seconds with the six-speed manual and just 5.5 seconds for the DSG-equipped model.

Fuel consumption is rated at just 8.5 l/100km - a 2.2 l/100km improvement over the outgoing R32.

Back in April, Head of Engineering for the GTI, Rolf Trump, said the decision to steer away from the R32 was prompted by fuel efficiency concerns.

"An intelligent four-cylinder engine now can deliver adequate performance with much better economy. Fuel economy is definitely the priority now," Mr Trump said then.

The case for the Golf GTD also received a boost with the release last week of the Jetta 125TDI. Sharing the same willing 125kW diesel powerplant (borrowed from the Passat), Ms Koeckler confirmed that the GTD is under consideration.

"We are considering it," she said, "It has just been implemented into the German market (released in June). It is a big probability we will see it here."

As TMR reported in August, information obtained from the Australian Government’s  Road Vehicle Certification System (RVCS) shows that Volkswagen Australia applied for, and received, ADR certification for the Golf GTD three-door hatch.

According to the RVCS documentation, the Australian-market Golf GTD will generate 125kW from its 2.0-litre inline four turbo-diesel engine, matching that in the 125TDI Jetta.

Unlike the DSG-only Jetta however, a six-speed manual gearbox is expected to be standard fit, with VW’s quick-shifting six-speed DSG twin-clutch transmission an option.

What happy times we live in.