Volkswagen fans are accustomed to VW dealers offering a Golf hatchback, along with two high-performance versions. A redesigned Golf is coming for the 2022 model year, and with it, a change in strategy. Americans can no longer get anything but high-performance Golfs. The company used this week’s Chicago Auto Show to show off the two Golf editions it will sell in the U.S. for the 2022 model year, the Golf GTI and Golf R.
Both models should reach VW dealerships in the fourth quarter of 2021.
Both wear a more sharply raked hood, new, narrower LED headlights, and a light bar in the grille framing the VW logo. New pinwheel wheel designs look like nothing else currently on the road.
GTI
The Golf GTI used to be a high-performance edition of a less-expensive car. But for 2022, it’s the cheapest Golf that Americans can get. It starts at $29,545, plus a $995 destination charge.
The heart of the GTI is a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline 4-cylinder engine putting out 241 horsepower. That’s a lot of power for the price and weight, and it gets the little front-wheel-drive Golf from 0 to 60 mph in 5.4 seconds. A 6-speed manual transmission is standard. A 7-speed dual-clutch automatic is available for just $800 more. The handling promises to be fun thanks to an electronic limited-slip differential.
Inside, the GTI has gone digital, with almost no buttons or dials to be found. A digital driver’s instrument display and 8.25-inch central touchscreen control most functions. But the plaid seats Golf veterans expect are still there.
A higher-level GTI Autobahn trim adds adaptive suspension dampers, larger 19-inch wheels, and leather upholstery.
Golf R
It’s the Golf R, though, that has a reputation to uphold. It won’t come cheap – starting at $43,645 – but the R moves into its 20th anniversary with some impressive specifications.
For starters, it’s all-wheel-drive. Rear-axle torque vectoring can send 100% of the power to either rear wheel. That’s a huge change at this price point. It should let the Golf R corner more aggressively than any compact car outside the luxury classes, and most compact cars in them. Power is up to 315 horses, with a new, throaty exhaust note.
Many performance cars offer adjustable suspensions, but VW has taken that idea to an extreme. If the 15 (15!) presets aren’t enough for you, you can page your way into a customization menu that lets you adjust the damping to your own preferences with a slider.
Inside, the R features Nappa leather upholstery in black with cool ice blue accent panels and piping. Ambient lighting mirrors the color. The color is carried over to the outside with blue brake calipers and puddle lights.
