Having shown us the regular, plug-in hybrid, and GTI versions of the newly updated Golf, Volkswagen was clearly holding one version back by just a few days. That would be the most powerful, the most high-performance Golf of them all - the new Golf R.
Classic Golfs rolled out
Suitably, given the Golf R's standard-fit four-wheel drive, Volkswagen is giving us a glimpse of the new Golf R - still camouflaged - at the Zell Am See Ice Race event in Austria. Indeed, the latest Golf R was not the only Golf model that Volkswagen brought along to the slippy-slidey event. Actually, the German car maker brought a whole load of classic Golf models too, and World Rallycross Champion Johan Kristoffersson showcased them - including the Golf MkI GTI, which celebrated its premiere in 1975, and the Golf MkIV R32 from 2002, the forerunner of all performance variants bearing the R brand logo, as well as a rally version of the Golf MkI GTI and two rally versions of the Golf MkII - by, as Volkswagen puts it, "driving at the limits."
Given that the Golf Mk8.5 range has carried over its engines and underpinnings from the previous Mk8 model, we're not expecting any dramatic differences compared to the previous Golf R, but there may be some extra power. After all, the GTI has been boosted by 20hp to 265hp, so it would only be appropriate for the Golf R to get some extra ponies over and above the outgoing 320hp version, right?
To distract us from asking such awkward questions, Volkswagen brought along motorsports legend Hans Joachim Stuck to the event. "The Ice Race is a real spectacle. Other drivers would be putting on snow chains in these conditions, but for us racing drivers, this is when the fun really starts," he said. Stuck is a two-time Le Mans winner, former Formula One and sports car driver and German touring car champion. "At the Ice Race, you meet true motorsport fans and also many people who otherwise have little contact with motorsport - but go home with a lot of enthusiasm for it."
Golf R Estate
At least Hans couldn't distract us from the fact that, once again, Volkswagen will be making the ultimate Golf Estate in the shape of a Golf R wagon, but that particular model is unlikely to come to Ireland as we don't get any estate Golfs anymore. Boo.
Speaking after hooning all the classic Golf models on the ice, Johan Kristoffersson said: "I love driving a powerful all-wheel drive car on ice and snow - especially if it's an R model." The Swede won five of his six World Rallycross Championship titles with Volkswagen. He reveals: "It was great fun to sit in the brand-new Golf for the first time. I can only say that even though the Golf R has not yet been revealed, there is a true sports car under the camouflage that fans of the R brand can already look forward to."
Proper premiere in the summer
The Ice Race traces its history back to skijouring, a daring leisure activity pursued by Nordic and Alpine farmers who let horses pull them over the ice on skis - we don't recommend trying that at home. Skijouring became a sport, but also became faster: motorbikes and cars replaced the horses. In 1937, a course for this was prepared for the first time in Zell am See; the event then took place again from 1952 and became a regular motorsport spectacle until 1974. In its current form, the Ice Race is already enjoying a second revival: it was held again in 2019 for the first time since 1974. In 2024, the fourth edition of the contemporary Ice Race saw not only traditional skijouring, but also the sight of spectacular racing cars and production vehicles on ice and snow.
According to Reinhold Ivenz, Head of Volkswagen R, "Volkswagen R is Volkswagen's premium performance brand and has stood for sportiness and dynamic performance for more than 20 years. Here at the Ice Race, the past meets the future. We can hardly wait for the Golf R, still disguised here, to celebrate its premiere this summer."