Volkswagen R Introduces the 20th Anniversary Golf R

Horsepower rises to 328 from the standard 315.
The first official Golf R was the MK4 R32 launched in 2022.
The 20th Anniversary Golf R also gets a few other tweaks.

Volkswagen fans are lucky as the automaker continues to offer some of the best-driving sport compact cars available for purchase today. While the GTI is celebrating 46 years of driving excellence, the slightly younger yet more potent Golf R is turning 20 in 2022.

2022 Volkswagen Golf R 20 Years Edition | Photo: Volkswagen

To commemorate 20 years of power and AWD goodness, Volkswagen has tuned the MK8 Golf R to deliver a little bit more of everything. Via optimized engine tuning, the R’s turbocharged 2.0-litre produces 328 horsepower, up from 315. The engine and optional DSG transmission have also been updated for improved responsiveness and performance. The extra oomph lowers the 0-100km/h time to 4.6 seconds from 4.7 seconds.

2022 Volkswagen Golf R Review: Sophisticated and Fast-R

Among other changes, the 2022 Volkswagen Golf R 20 Years Edition gets what VW calls Emotion Start which revs the engine to 2,500 rpm upon start-up. Visually, the car earns “20” badges, available blue surface finish 19-inch Estoril alloy wheels and genuine carbon fibre trim indoors.

It’s likely the Golf R 20 Years Edition will not come to Canada or the US, just like the MK2 Rallye Golf which was never officially sold on our continent.