Here's great news for young(ish) new parents, who want a practical car but don't want to sacrifice every last shred of driving excitement in their lives - Volkswagen has turned its storming super-hatch, the Golf R, into an estate. You probably don't need us to tell you that this is the first Golf R to become a wagon.
Exterior
Up to the B-pillars, the R Estate is the same as the R Hatch - so there's an R-specific front bumper with socking great air intakes, an R-logoed grille and bi-Xenon headlamps with U-shaped LED daytime running lights. Aft of the B-pillars, it's a Mk7 Golf Estate with the following additions: an R-design rear bumper, a high gloss black diffuser, quad tailpipes, cherry-red taillights and LED number plate illumination. Volkswagen is also calling the spoiler-esque protrusion that runs around the top and sides of the rear windscreen 'aero flaps'. Further signifiers are R-style side sills, R logos on the front bumper and matt chrome door mirror caps, plus 18-inch Cadiz alloys (19-inch Pretoria rims are optional) with black R brake callipers behind.
Interior
Very similar to the hatchback inside, so that means Alcantara-trimmed seats with R logos, more R badging on the steering wheel, a high level of standard equipment and blue highlights, such as the ambient lighting and cluster dials. It doesn't lose any load space over a standard Golf Estate, so it has 605 litres of capacity with the rear seats up and 1,620 with them folded down.
Mechanicals
The R Estate has the same running gear as the hatchback: a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder TSI turbocharged petrol engine making 300hp between 5,500- to 6,200rpm and maximum torque of 380Nm between 1,800- and 5,500rpm. Power is put to all four wheels via a six-speed DSG dual-clutch automatic transmission; there's no manual option as on the hatchback. Figures are not set in stone as yet, but Volkswagen is claiming 0-100km/h in 5.1 seconds (that's 0.2 seconds slower than the DSG-equipped hatch, but 0.2 seconds quicker than the manual five-door R) and the same electronically limited top speed of 250km/h. Fuel consumption is 7.0 litres/100km with CO2 emissions of 163g/km.
The Estate gets 20mm lower sports suspension, Volkswagen's progressive steering system and an ESC Sport mode, which allows the traction control to be deactivated for use on a race track. Options are likely to include DCC adaptive chassis control with a driving profile selector.
Anything else?
The Golf R Estate is unveiled at the Los Angeles Auto Show this week and will be on display until November 30. No confirmation as yet about Irish sales but the car won't arrive here any earlier than the second half of 2015 either way.