VW Golf R 2021 review: see how quick it really is 0-60mph!
Need help buying your next car? Click www.carwow.co.uk/-help-me-carwow and my team and I will help you choose your ideal car at a fair price - from Mat Watson!
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Introducing the all-new Volkswagen Golf R!
Mat’s finally got his hands on VW’s latest hot hatch to see if the Golf R really is the ultimate car for grown up boy racers.
Given it’s a hot hatch, the first thing we need to investigate is the performance! Under the bonnet, you’ll find a 2-litre turbocharged engine (the same as in the Mk7…), although this time it’ll produce 320hp and 420Nm of torque, while also being able to hit 60mph in 4.7 seconds.
So the performance stats are ok, but do we really think it’s worth the approximate £40,000 price tag? And more importantly, will Mat be able to beat the claimed 0-60mph time? You know there’s only one way to find out… Sit back & relax with Mat’s all-new in-depth review!
Chapters
00:00 Intro
00:47 Price
01:22 Exterior Design
03:51 Interior
05:44 Back Seats
06:10 Boot
06:45 Five Annoying Features
08:31 Five Good Features
09:57 0-60mph
10:55 Driving
13:44 Verdict
Honda Civic Type R Review - bit.ly/Honda-Civic-Type-R-Revi...
Mercedes-AMG A45 S Review - bit.ly/Mercedes-AMG-A45-Review...
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Hi Mat here: I can't believe the Golf R has just 320hp. How much do you think it really has?
I think golf copied every other hatchback on the market, look at those 4 wheels, every hatch has them man
👍
324.32 hp
Mat RACE THE VW R
I don't really know
Am I the only one that think that ‘blue’ looks purple? 😕
Not only you bro same at here
Night mode filter on your phone?
The outside camera looking at the front left wheel seems to be more accurate: kzhead.info/sun/nZ2FddanaGuLmKs/bejne.html
NOPE me too btw my like to your comment was 100th...
@@hardchemist 🤣🤣 I thought your link was to a fortnite video🤣🤣
Ok 4.03 to 60 in a 320hp hatchback is pretty crazy, impressive
The original Tesla roadster was 0-60 in 3.9. Even more impressive when you consider that O.o
@@theslicefactor4590 that`s not impressive for a 100k $ car
@@wojtas2524 thats exacly why its not inpressive
@@theslicefactor4590 why are you mentioning the tesla roadster when we are talking about the Golf R?
@@dnzry2218 because he is a Tesla fanboy. I swear, those guys can talk about Tesla even in a video about Chrysler Pacifica.
"15 different stages of stiffness"......hey I have that too ...
Way underrated comment 😹😹
no you don't. you don't even have it to begin with. lol
🤣🤣🤣
That's what she said.
Quality
Those cupholders are in my in-laws '06 Passat and they are absolutely fantastic. Wish more cars had a similar design. It keeps smaller cups and cans from moving around while also being able to fit larger ones. And works flawlessly after 15 years
Matt throwing gang signs in front of a Citroen C2 could be an album cover
Looked like one😂🔥
Matt Doggy Dog
Yup, although both the Saxo and C2 were very popular amongst boy racers, even as the C2 had only 120hp
At first i thought that HAD ro be photoshopped. 😆
Fast and car curious?
I couldn't help but notice that the close up shot of the stick of truth was a DIFFERENT STICK OF TRUTH!
😂😂😂I came here for this comment
Was hoping someone else noticed that too
Glad I ain't crazy
Stick of lies!
stick of LIAR!
You know what, the new Golf R is really growing on me! I wasn’t at all keen on it’s face when it first came out, but I’m liking it more as the days go on. Plus VW really seem to have stepped up the geeky engineering stuff on this one, which is just impressive! 🔥 another great review Mat 😊
The video editing great and the chapter titles that can be seen on the red progress bar is a genuinely genius idea!
"I am still wearing Burberry today but it's a little more discreet these days..." -Flex has left the chat
Me too
@@edwardvalivonis23 Ya same was a nice jacket too :D
@@KongK007 überall sieht mann das Klixtra Logo lol. Aber echt coll zu sehen, wie viele Leute sich mit der Hardware beschäftigen 👍
@@lex4play394 Haha noch n almänischee Zuschauer, ja hab damals mitgemacht aber nd gewonnen.... 🤣 kenn mich gut mit hardware und autos aus aber gute deutsche reviewer sind rar..
Well it’s discreet now he’s removed the patch!
The colour shifting Golf R
Doesn’t it look purple?
The colour grading and environment lighting.
@@cpmanias the thumb nail looks blue and some shots of the car look blue but it looks purple most of the time.
Yeah it’s really purple wow. Only blue when he inserts a photo
@@Aaron-qm2vt I kinda like it better in purple.
HI Matt, yes - the rear diffuser does actually work! The air passing under the Golf R will use the rear diffuser to pass air over the fins, aiding in stabilizing the car during hard cornering and even at high speeds in a straight line. Though it's not a massive amount, Tesco... every little helps!
Matt, boy racers really want more audio of the pull away. Listening to the downshifts spit out the exhaust system is really what we want to hear from a launch.
Is it just me or is everyone seeing purple instead of blue.
Yes, maybe it’s a colour filter on the camera? It only looks blue when the camera is mounted on the wheel arch in the performance segment
That's violet bro
Think it's slightly pearlescent
Blurple
I bet they accidentally left on a UV filter
Who else noticed that he picked up a different stick and used a different stick to actually put in the exhaust pipe of the car.
Me
Size matters
@@MrBravo143 I think Matt didn't want to hurt the car with such a big stick.
Oh yes
ironically the stick of truth was in fact a lie
I have one of these, simply fantastic. not cheap, but worth every penny. Fine tuned & superbly engineered.
Yianni getting free advertisement. What a good friend Matt is 👌🤣
I can't believe VW has fitted their hatchback with something called arse tearing wheel, sounds absolutely barbaric
In Germany we say: „R Lenkrad“
😂😂😂
LMFAO
A message to the editor: what the hell is that color grading, the car color should be blue not purple, and the actual color appears in some footage. Check : 11:37 😶
Well it is the same color all along for me
@@yohansharp3040 check 11:36
Yeah
Does not look blue to me. Purple.
Do remember VW does make the Blue a tiny bit translucent and based off the lighting and angle you look at it, it can change colour
Hallelujah Finally my favorite man tested this thing and thank you for that. I'm sure you'll do a drift and vs videos soon. Just perfect and once breaks in should do under 4 seconds and 12 seconds quarter mile, and that's without a stage 1 tune . I would order the non performance pack and right away get fatter wider Michelin tires on the same rims and stage 1 apr with fart and bangs and that will also raise the top speed to the max and some ceramic tints all the way around. All I hope now is for Chris Harris to test drive it I think they fixed the problems my mk7 r had, its obvious Also Matt please let us know if the color is any purple at all or its just the camera tint
Been waiting for this review for a long time 😍
Now its Time for Drag Race: New Golf R Vs Audi S3 Vs A35
Golf would win easily
@@AAMSFR nope
Golf wining mate 100% this is rocket
@@pavel3575 I don’t know about the s3 but I watched one involving the golf r and a35 amg the golf r crushed it
@@chrissafa460 man golf r Is like Audi rs3 you can't compare it to S3
*gets kidnapped* *googles help me carwow*
ok
I hope this is just a bad joke
Great vehicle it sounds good after all these years. Handling and speed amazing what the car has to offer. I had vw rabbit 🐇 but concerning the reliability. The golf looks very impressive. Powerful engine and handling looks great 😃
I was waiting for this after I watched the ad while watching carwow so I was glad
You should do the the new golf R vs the old golf R... same with the gti’s😊
When it comes to looks, the 4th and 7th golf generation are unbeatable
Truuuue
Good idea
I personally think the Mk7 golf R looks much better
Agree
The rear of the MK8 is really nice. The front though...idk, it just reminds me of new Toyota Corollas. Will choose another MK7.5 or MK6 over it that for sure.
Agreed. Can't beat the mk6
I prefer the front over the back, the back lights look to high, the previous gen back was nice
🤗😄
Go take a look at a well sorted MK5. It drives so well.
so you would choose based on looks only? alright
picked up my new mk 8 golf r yesterday in place of my mk 7,looks wise the new car is much more pleasing to look at to me but each to their own. The wheels are much nicer than my old cadiz ones. The interior is much better apart from the seats. The brakes on my mk 7 were good but the brakes on the new car are much stronger. Handling is totally different to the mk 7 and in a better way, cant say about the performance because the engines not run in yet but i sense its a big step up
Damn that seat pattern reminds me of London underground... 😂
Everyone: talking about the color Me: thinking about Red Bull’s product placement
Of course it is. Mat is very much on the pockets of the manufacturers and sponsors. He avoids criticizing some pretty obvious stuff, because of who is ultimately paying his bills.
Like it wasn't enough that KZhead has bombarded us with commercials every 2 minutes now this... Corporate greed at it's finest
@@numbereightyseven also those neat Burberry jackets 😂
@@dkarbaev And his Samsung mobile phone.
@@strezification tell me, do you work for free? hahahahha, c'mon man, that's not a merchandising, if it was, he would've said "my redbull" not "my energy drink". Everything that you buy has a brand, his work is about showing products to people.. And i can tell you guys, this doesn't look like merchandising at all..
VW: 4.7s - actual time: 4.03. INSANE!
Why do you spoiler?!!!
What in hell where you watching? The claimed figure was 4,7 secs and the time he managed to do was 4,03 secs.
Vw accelarationGate! Cheaters! Cheated on 0-100 time!
Thats 0-60 but its 4.5 from 0-100 km/h so its what VW ment, 0-100 km/h because the makers are metric. Still better then 4.7
@@billx4266 I think he just had a very good start cuz it’s not .5 sec different in 3.5 km/h
The golf has always been an awesome little beast
This colour changing feature of the golf r is really cool!
"I am still wearing Burberry today but it's a little more discreet these days" your other jacket says something else...
lol, you could tell his other jacket is Burberry from outer space.
Ha
He's in bed with Burberry - literally as his girlfriend works for them.
@@earleyriser1967 oh I didn’t know that. What’s your source on that information?
I’m missing “the obligatory sound check” and some information about the fuel economy. And some hooligan-style drifting.
Thats on the drag race
Not always, sometimes it’s also on the “5 good/annoying this about this car”.
Or the key
This was not the drift model that he was test driving
This vehicle does not have the performance pack, so no drift mode.
With the DSG, Car and Driver were able to do 0-60 in 3.9s and 12.4s @ 112 mph in the 1/4 mile. They also tested a 6 speed manual R and it did 0-60 in 4.9s and 13.4s @ 106 mph in the 1/4 mile. Performance difference between the two transmissions is quite significant.
Been proven, the new 8R is running around 340ps, pretty swift with the gearing set up as well, the A45 struggles to keep up despite its power advantage, can’t wait to get mine, week 7 since order, still no build date, apparently it’s due to the extras! 😂
You got it yet lol?
A/CLA 45 smokes a golf R 😅 I own both
I know it's expensive for a golf but when you think your getting 0-60 in 4 seconds out the box it's pretty good value tbh
True but sports cars in general are just bumping up in price
@@Thawhid yep. Sadly how the economy works
@@willkaufman8208 Lol your just realizing that now
@@vroomgc no you are
@@vroomgc From what word or combination of words from his(Will Kaufman)comment did you extrapolate the timing of his realization of how the economy works?Please be kind and answer,I'm very interested,it's for scientific purposes for my Ph.D. thesis .
Anyone else wowed by Mats photo of him. 2000s were the good days
old times are always good mate, we like it even with the bad past
I’m 18 I remember the early 2 thousands even I admit it was a great vibe
0:14 Wait a second is that Eminem
The diffuser works with purple paint. Thanks for the boy-racer reveal. Glad to know they can grow into semi-respectable adults.
Those new lights make the car look sceptical of everything, whilst being angry about it!
That's German for you
😡💗💋
Hey Crisp Rat
It looks like a Golf 7 with Down syndrom
Probably the chief designer's expression when he was told that they had to reduce production costs for the Golf 8, and then designed the front accordingly
🤔 Considering there is a 15k gap between the two models I think the GTI is still very relevant.
But if you did go for the gti you'd wish you went for the R after a couple of months or even weeks
Hi Mat I’m looking forward to seeing you comparing the Golf R to the new Audi S3. To see which is more boy racer car than the other.
@@connorleonfr8396 at the price difference of 15k? Remap disagrees. As for the 4motion thing? Won’t be missed if you’ve never had it before...
@@connorleonfr8396 Cobb accessport
@@KING0SISQO but you can then remap the golf r..? Plus 4 wheel drive is a bonus, more grip better cornering and yeah fair enough on the 15k but ive known people go for the lower model and regret it
Sorry, I keep hearing "Aw-steering wheel", even after he tried to slow down ;)
Your videos are awesome!! Love em 😎😀💪 I actually remember the AutoExpress days! Man I must be getting old lol 😎
I think every current Golf R owner has been waiting for this specific review from you. Your face under acceleration said it all. It really didn’t disappoint!
Much better looking than the mk7 R. Coming with MT option in NA and that sounds perfect. Only wish it had a volume knob on the infotainment system.
Theoretically anything that widens the section of passage for the air flow can have some kind of aero effect. In reality that seems quite minimal to have realistic effects
"Does that diffuser work?" If you want to add extra drag from the wake, it certainly works.
Too true.
Am I the only one thinking they have used a filter when filming this? Everything is purple on my phone instead of blue.
Even Mat is purple in this video
Fun fact: Many men are slightly color blind to various shades of blue.
Yeap when it shows parts of the ckaseats theyr blue and then when ge goes back they run purp
No....red bull can colour was correct.....it’s just the car is purple
@@jarradmoore6939 no its not a zero calories redhull a nosugar redbull is that colour that a normal redbull as u can see its like faded
Yes Mat waiting for this🙏👍
I loved my Golf R MK7.5... and the 8 looks even better... :)
Am i colour blind or that blue looks more like purple?
I also see purple, I thougt I was going mental!
It definitely is purple.
smth wrong eith the editing, thr thumbnail is blur and the shot where he talks about the seats shows a moment where it's blue and not purple
Y'all got a problem to see purple 😂😂
@@richlim1006 plus the GoPro footage from the driving section.
"NOW"; we all wamna see to drag race it against, MAT'S amg 45s.
Should be against the a35 tho
@@yashmann indeed, the a45 has 100hp more lol, of course it's gonna win. Should be the A35
Matt doesn't have the A45s anymore
@@yashmann no because the 0 to 60 time is way better
@@dnzry2218 Volkswagen tends to lie about its hp
Well hello there mat, great video and what a fun sense of humor you have . The golf R looks really nice and with a nice price tag . Possibly there is more to like about this brand new golf R than there is to dislike. I own a mk 7 golf R and unfortunately won't be upgrading for a few reasons. 1, only 5 door 2 only in DSG format Highly priced Also minor issues such as no gas strut under bonnet. Scratchy plastics No sunglasses holder And the fact there are no physical buttons for basic needs which I believe could be dangerous when driving.
you know it comes manual too right
These are stage 1 from factory! And Matt, no diffusers only work if your car is mega low, and have a completely flat bottom plate. Normal setup is splitter-bottom plate - diffuser. But no street car is low enough / has a conpletely flat underbody for these to work on them
The color changes depending on the sunlight, so it looks more dark blue/purple on overcast days and it lightens up considerably on sunny days. The VW R blues have always been like this.
9:20 I wish I had 15 stages of stiffness.
Paul clear. Swansea. Brilliant mate sharp as a marble. Very witty good enough 2 b included in any bernard manning DVD. Ha ha. Cheers
@@paulclear8188 what
@@paulclear8188 give me my 2 and a half brain cells back u donkey
Had the exact same Citroen c2 vts in blue also! Left hand drive of course though
That looks a lot bigger than what I would imagine golf looking. Also, I would probably die staring at the cool settings. Cool sporty daily tho. The 18 inch wheels have a huge impact on the road noise. If one has 16 for example, the difference is huge. Been there done that.
Exterior: Decent Interior: Underwhelming Price: Overwhelming
@Aname A to be honest even a golf 7 interior is way better
@@yoshi555king an them physically buttons look dated now the 7.5 nailed it.
@@KING0SISQO I’ve driven both golf 7 models and in my opinion the psyical buttons works just better. For the looks is the 7,5 way greater than a mk8 (even a damn megane looks better)
Agree, it's clearly a great car but the interior looks pretty nasty for a 40 grand car...not even that much faster than a 340i which is only a few grand more
@@jordirobinson9899 💪🏽
I wish I had different stages of stiffness.
I've also done this before @7:35 with the metal pedals. Although the pedals are the same in the mk7 golf
I'd like an 'R' spec, Alltrack. That would be my ideal car. I wish VW would make one.
Pick this up in a couple years, stage 2 tune, ultimate combo of sleeper and daily driver.
With you. Crazy to think stage 3 is $10k. But all worth it.
@@spartan8390 to go stage 3 is less than that
@@killer_vette351 Don't tempt me. Lol.
@@spartan8390 😂. Turbo will be like $2k, all the supporting mods should be $3k ish ($3k for my S3), tune should be $1.5k total depending on who you go with though, Im speaking in terms of doing custom tuning through an accessport. Will be way less otherwise. So let’s say $1k-1.5k. Mpi is like $800. Im not including install prices but it should be about $7.5k-8k for stage 3😉 time for you to get one
@@killer_vette351 You make a good case.
Mat's at his best when he's off his medication😜
I think it was the red bull 🤣
Oooooohhh..
Nice subtle ReBull punting there Mat
It is actually crazy the fact that this mk8 golf r did 0-60 in just 4 seconds and the new a45s did 3.9 seconds.. that is freaking quick for a 320 hp hot hatch
Would definitely appreciate a side-by-side comparison with the old one, as well as a drag race just to see the level of improvements
Love how Matt pronounces R as "Awwwwww" no matter how hard he try
Hi Mat, I have a Golf GTI under a CBS scheme but want to look at buying a new one because I love the car so much. Question is, GTI or club sport? Can you do a review?
It seems better in every technical way. One of my favorite things about past Golfs is that they’ve been minimalistically designed and used the “less is more” approach in design. Now it looks like they’re falling victim to the excessive stylising of design, and so the front of the Mk 8 reminds me of modern Hyundais and Chevrolets and the rear reminds me of a Corolla iM. Kind of like how the modern Mini 3-doors have gone from a simple & clean design (gen 1) to now what looks like a frightened clownfish (gen 3). Sad design era for hot hatches lately.
”I’m still wearing Burberry but it is a little more discreet these days” and that was some discreet flex my friend
@@ES-qe1nh who said it was a big flex?
That colour Reminds me of "Burple" an amalgamation of blue and purple quite popular in the late 80's and early 90's
Well, now I’m waiting for someone to do at least a stage 2 on that thing
Apparently they're still trying to crack the ECU tune on these, going to be a while but I hope not cos I'd tune the fuck out of it
Gonna be a beast.
Hi Mat.. Please please do a drag race between the Golf 7R, 7 5R and 8R
The "This" at the start of the video was copyright claimed by Doug DeMuro😂😂😂
They just removed it
@@CHLM98 joke went over yer head bud.
LMAO
They edited it out ,it now starts with “Is the new golf R”
It took me a full minute to get which made it so much better😂
"5 annoying thing about the golf R." Number one should have been, it's 40 fucking grand
Wow you guys just spend 25k for a new Golf 8 GTI, and 40k for a Golf 8 R. Where I live the new Golf GTI cost 41K Euros
@Ethan Clark wtf rattly interior... bro do you need soft touch on back windows? No
@@BokaLudi for that price of car considering what it is you should get bloody leather in the back!
@@BokaLudi Interior is shabby for 40k. As Mat say: Acceptable for a Budget-Car but not for 40-50K!
When it's monthly installments.... Not many people care about the full sticker price mate. It's been that way for a long time
Did my master's thesis on diffusers and just by pure intuition, it doesn't look like it would have any significant improvement on the car's downforce or drag, it's just too small... However I can't be 100% sure unless you run some cfd, wind tunnel or flow vis experiments 🤓
THAT WAS "OOOO" STEERING WHEEL. Regards from Poland :)
Everyone: talking about the color Me: also thinking about the color
Hi Mat! Please review also the GTI CLUBSPORT!! I just can’t wait for this review!! Great car the golf R!
Please! Do one for the BMW 128ti 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 Thinkng of buying it and i need your opinion Thanks from Chile 🇨🇱
I love corwow. Great review.
Did anyone else notice Mats' reflection in the window has glasses on at 2:55 but in the shot before and after he doesn't ...
Bro, we are or not in a matrix
Yeah what about it
@@the_batmobile0.4 you tell me
It’s because the shots that are close-ups, for example, the stick test, are done at a different time than the long review. Probably because it’s hard to get a close-up shot and an overview shot at the same time, without seeing cameras in the frame..if that makes sense :)
@@mirceamuntean6439 thank you
Loved all the Mk7 Golfs but the Mks8 just feel like a step back with a futuristic look. The cost cutting between the 7 and 8 also is documented better on KZhead. Small things like lack of bonnet strut and borderless rearview mirrors just seem like a step backward.
I bought it, thanks for advice Matt
Why was there no drift mode test? I was waiting for it the whole video... Anyway, a lovely car, watching the reviews made me want it. Definitely the best hot hatch at the moment.
I was literally searching for golf r review thanks mat
We aim to please 😉
I would just suggest that Mat you should do a night ambient driving review too, cause the ambient lighting in cars is also an interesting topi
Yes, that diffuser will help.
Seriously quick. Seems great all rounder. Get the estate version and even more of an all round ground covering machine. Shame it's now 40k. Not that long ago was close to 30k.
I've been waiting for this video since for ever Matt 👍🏾
This is the video I have been waiting for my whole life. Luv ya mat
VW Golf R, Audi S3/RS3 or TTS/TT-RS are all absolute monsters. I dont think people realise how capable these cars are until you drive one, a transversely mounted turbo 4/5 banger with Haldex AWD is a serious piece of kit.
Cool review 💯💯💯💯🔥🔥🔥🔥
Theres a 4th paint option! Purple like your one 😁 In all seriousness great review.......very tempting car to buy 🤔
On my tv is blue and on my phone is purple. Lol.
12,4 @ 110 from a stock golf R is pretty impressive. I just imagine with a tune it’s going to go 11,8-11,9@ 115-116. That’s RS3 performance
The best option to have this is in second hand purchase. I love it.
Mat is a geek and kinda cool all at the same time, I don’t know how he does it. Knees bent arms stretched R R R 😂