Volkswagen Golf R Mk 8.5 2025 review: Australian first drive

“Damn shame,” I mutter to myself, blasting out of a tight, sodden corner at the chunky wheel of the new Mk 8.5 Volkswagen Golf R.

My blues are due to this likely being the final combustion version of Volkswagen’s most halo’d of hatchbacks, it bookending a range that kicked off in 2002 with the VR6-equipped Golf Mk4 R32.

The next generation Golf R? Like the GTI hatchback, that’s going to be electric only.

I remember road testing the R32 when it was new over two decades ago, and the thought of no Golf R with a fizzing, petrol-sucking engine is hard to swallow. Equally, where the hell have those 23 years gone?

The march of progress is relentless, as witnessed with this mildly aesthetically facelifted Golf R with the inevitable jump in power, performance and tech.

Price of entry is now $70,990, which is a modest $500 over the old model. It buys the fresher face already seen on garden variety Golf 8.5s; a much-needed 12.9-inch infotainment screen to replace the dated 10-incher; a surround view camera, and it’ll even park itself if you’re especially lazy or talentless.

Performance hunters will be more appreciative of the solid 10kW and 20Nm jumps for the EA888 2.0L four-cylinder, the turbo petrol now punching out a solid 245kW and 420Nm, helping drop its 0-100km/h time from 4.8 seconds to 4.6 seconds.

“The athlete in a tailor-made suit,” is how VW sees its all-wheel-drive Golf R, and is backed by a solid amount of included kit, not least prestige-y stuff like adaptive damping, heated and ventilated Nappa leather seats and Harman Kardon audio.

It may be damn pricey for a Golf – around twice that of the entry-level 1.4L Life – but the value proposition isn’t bad once key areas are all considered, and when pitching it against the competition.

It trumps the similar-priced Toyota GR Corolla GTS and front-drive Honda Civic Type R for power, torque and acceleration, but these Japanese offerings may appeal more to the purist with their manual transmissions. The Golf R, of course, is seven-speed DSG auto only.

Compare the Golf R to all-paw German prestige hatchbacks, namely the BMW M135 xDrive and Mercedes-AMG A35, and the Volksy again wins on power, torque and 0-100km/h, while costing up to $18,000 less.

But numbers mean only so much. Recent Golf Rs have been criticised for being almost too good; in that the driver need only point and shoot.

It’s unquestionably quick, but handling and grip make it near unstickable, the electronics effectively mop up loss of traction, and there’s some rawness and driver involvement missing when compared to earlier Golf Rs.

On first drive across NSW’s Central Tablelands, this Mk8.5 R remains video game-like easy to drive fast and accurately, that’s despite pothole puddles, smashed up road surfaces and streams running across the test roads.

If I benchmark the funnest of hot hatches – Toyota GR Yaris, Civic Type R, Hyundai i30N and Ford Fiesta/Focus ST – the Golf R is a notch down for outright driving joy. Instead, it’s the grown up in the room. And good grief I’d take the Volkswagen over any of the above for everyday life, or a journey over 100km.

Our grismal conditions test helped the Golf R shine. Despite the greasy, choppy surface, the way it puts power down and pulls with brute force is mind-bending.

There’s a torque locomotive going through each 235/35R19 Bridgestone Potenza S005, and after about 4000rpm the fireworks are in overdrive, and you finally get a bit of serious exhaust bark.

Development driver Benny Leuchter – a Nürburgring 24 Hour class winner with Volkswagen – has played a key hand in this latest Golf R, pushing for “a bit more feel for racing characteristics,” he said.

There’s a “turbocharger preload” which holds the turbo’s speed when off-throttle, arming it for quicker response when asked to spool up again. The throttle valve also stays partially open in overrun mode, so when you’re back on the loud pedal, turbo lag is near eradicated, shoving torque to wherever the brains decide.

This brings us to the R-Performance torque vectoring rear differential, which has been heavily revised over the old Mk8’s version. Half of the available torque goes to the front axle, but the remaining 50 per cent can be moved completely variably between the rear wheels.

That means, if needed, all rear axle torque can go to a single outside wheel.

The car and whatever drive mode you’re in (there are six to choose from, including a Drift mode) have final say on torque-split decisions, but it means oversteer is readily available, but overwhelmingly you’ve a hatch that’s even more like it’s on rails, unless you’re madly pushing at a race track.

The boosted engine, mega-quick gear upshifts and all-wheel-drive system are endlessly impressive, but perhaps the most ridiculous aspect is how effective the R’s adaptive damping is.

It features 15 different settings, ranging from utmost Comfort to spine-smashing Race, with everything in between.

In most compliant mode, ride quality feels as easy-going and comfy as a rock stock basic Golf – it mops up the road hits and sets out its stall as an everyday car far more convincingly than the likes of an Hyundai i30N or Honda Civic Type R.

Shift through modes and the likes of Sport and Sport+ add more attack to engine response, gear shifts and steering, while gradually firming up the suspension.

Best of all worlds is a “Special” Nürburgring mode. As Germany’s Green Hell – where the R spent many hours in development – demands utmost performance but with soft suspension due to the track’s uneven surface, this setting also proves ideal for Australia’s less-than-perfect rural roads.

It helps make the R feel incredibly safe, comfortable and outright simple to drive fast on crummy country twisties. There’s also a more welcome baritone coming from the exhaust.
An aspect Nürburgring-ace Leuchter and engineers at “R” are incredible proud about is the dual clutch auto’s shift pattern.

Like a Porsche’s PDK, it takes aspects such as braking force, steering lock and drive mode into consideration, and determines what gear’s best for the upcoming corner.

It downshifts appropriately, and proved excellent on our test, almost telepathically knowing the cog you want and when. It wasn’t perfect all the time, so I still preferred moving into DIY mode where complete control’s offered through steering wheel paddles.

Leuchter also explained the gearbox wouldn’t auto upshift in a corner, “because it unsettles the car on a hot lap,” then emphasising even the Porsche version doesn’t offer this.

Lovely stuff for the track enthusiast, as is the R’s GPS lap timer; accelerometer to log acceleration across different speeds; launch control, and that Drift mode… if allowed.

Sadly I wasn’t able to test the latter on the car’s launch event, but previous professional hooliganism with the Mk8 has confirmed that this is indeed a good time.

Over half a dozen track laps the mega Golf proved it could shame pricier exotica, such is its speed and poise, although we weren’t out long enough to discover how the brakes would hold up. Over those laps, there was no noticeable fade and plenty of bite. If you hit the track lot, it pays to do brake upgrades anyway.

The Golf R’s neatest trick is, perhaps more than any other car, being able to do hot track laps then drive home in utmost comfort. It masterfully handles this challenge, the importance of the trick suspension at the fore.

The cabin’s a quite sumptuous place to be. Nappa leather seats not only cool and heat, but the driver’s is power and memory too. Plastics are soft touch up front, there’s carpet for door bins and the new infotainment is a marked improvement with decent 360-degree cameras.

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are wireless (there are also four USB-C ports), there’s a smart clip to hold a phone on a wireless charge pad, while there’s 30 ambient lights, tri-zone climate control and a head-up display.

If I’m grumbling, the piano black centre console is a magnet for fingerprints, climate is through a screen (although with smart shortcut buttons), and unlike other Golf 8.5s, haptic steering wheel buttons remain.

You do kind of get used to them, but I kept accidently nudging the steering wheel heater button when enthusiastically driving.

It’s a dark but classy and roomy cabin, which you can brighten up a smidge with the optional $1900 panoramic sunroof.

The back seats are a good size for a couple of adults, the leather-appointed chairs proving comfy, leg and head room fine, although the plastic door trim’s now a bit more budget.

The boot’s also fine for the small car class: 341L on offer, but only a repair kit under the floor. Fold the rear seats and there’s 1197L, but the extra space a wagon offers is once again not offered to Australians. The 8.5 Golf R wagon’s on sale overseas, but it isn’t for us.

There are 300 Golf R Black Editions being offered locally, with black styling and more available at $72,490. The $1500 extra spend seems worth it alone for 19-inch black Warmenau alloy wheels, which are 2kg lighter each than a normal Golf R’s 19-inch Estoril items. Decent unsprung weight saving there.

There’s black for the radiator grille, VW logos, matrix LED headlights, calipers, mirrors, exhaust tips and badges. It’s at its darkest and meanest on a black body, but the Black Edition accessories are also offered on other colours.

There’s an optional $6500 Warmenau Package, bringing the aforementioned lighter wheels, genuine carbon fibre décor inside, and an Akrapovic titanium exhaust, dropping weight by 7kg and offering a fruitier note.

Volkswagen’s IQ.Drive driver assistance systems are included as expected – a full suite bar speed sign recognition – and kudos to the developers, there’s minimal disruption to the drive experience with over-nannying. The lane keep/centring proved a dash too keen to play a role, but it could easily be turned off.

Running costs? A positive is this new Golf R can run on 95 RON, rather than only the pricier 98 RON of before. Fuel use at 8.3L/100km is tolerable, but be aware if you’re out having proper fun as we did, we had 15L/100km showing.

Warranty’s five-years/unlimited kilometres, and positively, service visits are only every 12 months/15,000km, unlike some rival performance cars. Dealer trips aren’t cheap, however, with a service package costing $3640 for five years.

Few hot hatches do so many things so very well as this Mk 8.5 Golf R. It’s too expensive and complex for those who won’t fully exploit its performance and handling talents – a Golf GTI would suffice there – but for serious drivers it’s a deeply talented all-rounder.

It looks classy/fast without being overtly sporty or showy; has ample cabin luxe and features, and is a dead set daily driver with its endlessly impressive adaptive damping.

Then it’ll quickly move into back road hero or track weapon at the touch of a button. It doesn’t give the tingles of a raw, uncompromising mad hot hatch like a Civic Type R, but this VW impresses in a different way. For mature, expert competence with ballistic turbo performance, it’s unsurpassed in class.

If it’s the Golf R’s combustion swansong, it’s a great one. But as I said at the top, if it’s electric only by next decade, it’s a damn shame.