Volkswagen To Stir Up Hot Hatch Market With Cut-Price Golf R

Volkswagen has delivered a killer blow to to the hot hatch market, setting a new entry price point for the all-wheel drive Golf R that sees it undercut front-wheel drive competitors like the Honda Civic Type R and Peugeot 308 GTi 270.

Volkswagen Australia’s general manager of product planning Ben Wilks announced the new base model, to be called the Golf R Grid, at a media breifing held during the Frankfurt Motor Show in Germany with a confirmed $47,490 plus on road cost price when fitted with a six-speed manual - a substantial $5500 less than the regular Golf R.

From there buyers can add a seven-speed DSG automatic transmission for a further $2500 while a Golf R Grid wagon will also be available exclusively with a DSG automatic for $51,990 plus on road costs.

“This is the real thing in terms of Golf R, so it’s the full performance of the Golf R, the same 213 kilowatts as the recently released 7.5 but a slightly different take on Golf R,” Mr Wilks said.

In order to get the price down, the Golf R Grid has had to sacrifice some standard equipment, though the losses have been relatively minor. The regular R’s Active Info Display TFT instrument cluster has been replaced by regular gauges, the infotainment system drops from 9.2 inches to 8.0 inches, and a cloth and Alcantara upholstery sits in for leather trim.

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