The 2022 Volkswagen Golf is expected to be launched in United States in the latter part of 2021, and the pricing for the hot hatch will be announced closer to its launch
Since the trend of crossovers and SUVs continues to grow across the globe, Volkswagen is also currently focusing on producing more and more high-riding vehicles. However, it looks like the German carmaker isn’t planning to leave its core audience of car enthusiasts behind, anytime soon. Volkswagen has taken the wraps off the 2022 Golf R, and the hot hatch is touted to go on sale in the US in late 2021.
Talking about the performance-oriented hatch, the Golf R has its own cult following, and it looks like the 2022 model will certainly live up to its expectations. That being said, the updated Golf R is sportier and more powerful than its predecessor.
Powering the new-gen Golf R will be a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine that belts out 319 PS of maximum power, along with 420 Nm of peak torque. That’s 27 PS and 41 Nm more than the outgoing model. North American fans rejoice, since the 2022 Golf R will be offered with a 6-speed manual gearbox, along with an optional 7-speed DSG auto.
However, the European-spec model will be offered with the automatic gearbox only. The 2022 Golf R gets a performance-oriented all-wheel drive system with torque vectoring. Volkswagen claims that it helps to stop understeer and reduce the car’s cornering radius, while also making it “noticeably more” agile.
Thanks to this powertrain, the 2022 Volkswagen Golf R will be able to sprint from 0 to 100 kmph in just 4.7 seconds, and the top speed will be limited to 250 kmph. Apart from that, the hot hatch also gets a sportier suspension with stiffer springs and anti-roll bars over the regular Golf Mk8. A lightweight aluminium subframe has also been added, while the negative camber on the front axle has been increased in order to improve stability.
All these changes have resulted in the Golf R sitting about 20 mm lower than the standard hatch. The car also gets a modified adaptive damping system, electronic differential locks and a variable-ratio steering system. In addition, the car offers six different driving modes, namely Comfort, Sport, Race, Individual, Special and Drift.