The fastest, most powerful Volkswagen Golf R yet is set to hit showrooms in 2027, with the flagship hot hatch reportedly set to use the turbocharged five-cylinder petrol engine from the Audi RS3 and RSQ3 performance models.
While the current Golf R and its predecessors have used 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engines, according to Autocar, the next Golf R will go one better by using the 2.5-litre five-pot, codenamed EA855, delivering enthusiasts the most powerful, rapid Golf R in the nameplate’s two-decade history.
It’s tipped to be revealed to commemorate the Golf R’s 25th anniversary in 2027.
Concurrently with Autocar’s report, spy photographs have been taken of what appears to be a hotter version of the current Golf R that was spied testing at the Nürburgring.
In the current RS3, the five-cylinder makes 294kW/500Nm through a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission (DCT) with all-wheel drive, for a 0-100km/h claim of 3.8 seconds.
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The current Golf R has 245kW/420Nm – also using a seven-speed DCT and AWD – and has an official 0-100km/h claim of 4.6 seconds.
Current hot hatch rivals include the 235kW/420Nm Honda Civic Type R and the 206kW/392Nm Hyundai i30 N, both with turbocharged four-cylinder engines. There’s also the turbo three-pot 221kW/400Nm Corolla GR GTS from Toyota, which also teased an even hotter version earlier this year.
The five-cylinder R will likely be a farewell to petrol power, a swansong ahead of the EU’s controversial ban on internal combustion engines (ICE) set for 2035, but still under significant debate.
Volkswagen has previously said it would keep offering petrol-powered Golfs – including GTI and R performance models – with combustion power, even if electric versions of the iconic hatches are introduced.
The company already offers plug-in hybrid versions of the current Golf, and is set to add a conventional hybrid powertrain to the small car’s lineup.
This hot five-pot R will be the first time the ‘R-badged’ Golf will have more than four cylinders since the 2006-2010 Mark V R32’s narrow-angle V6 was sold here, making ‘only’ 184kW. This doesn’t count concepts such as the wild Golf W12-650 (12 cylinders, 650hp) of 2007.
The future of the five-cylinder engine was under a cloud amid ever tightening emissions laws, meaning the RS3 would have to find a new power unit, as would the other car using the engine – the Cupra Formentor VZ5, not sold in Australia.
Despite the challenges, Autocar reports Volkswagen has suggested there’s more to come from the five-cylinder – which may include more power, citing former Audi Sport boss Sebastian Grams telling the British outlet in 2023 “there’s still a way to go” with the engine’s capability.
This may include hardware and software tuning upgrades, with revised suspension – required due to the RS3’s heavier front axle compared to the current Golf R’s – to handle the increased power and slightly heavier mass the larger engine brings.
There will also be bigger, carbon-ceramic brakes, while the five-pot R could also use the RS3’s torque-splitting mechanical rear differential, and – like the 2026 Golf GTI Edition 50 – come with lightweight forged alloys shod with semi-slick tyres and weight saving seats.
The R should also be faster around the famed Nürburgring Nordschleife circuit in Germany, where a pre-production Edition 50 set a 7 minute 46.13 second lap time earlier this year – currently the fastest from a production Volkswagen.
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