Since the Mk4 Golf R32 launched 20 years ago, Volkswagen’s string of devastatingly quick, four-wheel drive hot hatchbacks have set the tone for extracting sports car-baiting performance from humble beginnings. And now, to commemorate the first Golf to wear the R badge two decades ago, Volkswagen has built the Golf R 20 Years. Taking the Mk8 Golf R as a base, the 20 Years aims to inject more character into the package, potentially unlocking an extra sparkle to fight the world’s best hot hatchbacks. And there are many contenders on that list, with a new Honda Civic Type R about to join the fray too.
The chassis of the 20 Years is also familiar, with the same suspension hardware and calibration as the base R. The standard-fit four-wheel drive system remains, featuring a torque vectoring rear differential, which can apportion up to 100 per cent of torque sent to the rear axle to either rear wheel. It’s a key player in the R’s dynamic tool box, and as with R-Performance Pack models, a Drift mode is available to make full use of it.
The major changes relate to the powertrain. For the 20 Years edition, VW has squeezed 328bhp from the car’s 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder motor, making it the most powerful production Golf ever built. Peak torque is unchanged at 420Nm, but the power uplift trims the 0-62mph sprint to 4.6 seconds, and it’ll run on to a top speed of 168mph. Yousuf Ashraf finds out what it's like from behind the wheel.