We’re approaching the 25th anniversary of Volkswagen Golf R models, so to ring in the special occasion, VW seems to be going all out. It’s reportedly fitting its hottest hatch with the same turbocharged 2.5-liter inline-five motor used in the brilliant Audi RS 3.
The hottest-est hatch is expected to arrive sometime in 2027, according to Autocar, and it’ll serve as a send-off to the pure gas-power Golf before it eventually goes electric. It also serves as good news for folks who were worried that Audi’s I5 would go the way of the Dodo bird as new European emissions regulations take effect. If my memory serves me correctly, the last time a Volkswagen Golf — in any form — had a five-cylinder motor was when VW fitted the Mk. 5 Rabbit with a 2.5-liter inline-five, and that ended production back in 2009.
With the I5, the Golf R will take a significant performance leap over the current Golf R 333. That car makes use of VW’s tried-and-true EA888 turbocharged 2.0-liter four-popper that puts out 333 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. In the RS 3, the five-cylinder lays down 401 hp and 369 lb-ft of torque. In all likelihood, that means the new R will be quicker to 60 than its current 4.6-second pace. For reference, the RS 3 makes the run in 3.8 seconds, according to Autocar.
Other potential changes
Anyone who has swapped an engine into a car can tell you it’s never as simple as plug-and-play. You’ve got to make a whole slew of other changes as well. The outlet says VW engineers will have to make tweaks to the Golf R’s suspension to support the added mass of the new engine.
It’ll also go on a bit of a diet thanks to forged aluminium Warmenau wheels that it’ll reportedly feature. They’ll be wrapped in semi-slip Bridgestone Potenza Race tires that have previously been used on the Golf GTI Edition 50. It makes sense considering there’s a whole extra cylinder to contend with. Here are some other changes the proposed car could see over the Golf R 333, according to Autocar:
The four-cylinder Golf R 333 already benefits from 1.5deg of negative front camber, stiffer rear subframe mounts, bespoke software calibration for the adaptive dampers and reprofiled bushings. However, the required changes may include a move to 2.0deg of negative front camber, upgraded top mounts, reinforced knuckles and additional chassis bracing to increase torsional rigidity.
The RS3 also uses a stiffer front axle layout with bespoke pivot bearings to sharpen initial turn-in. Similar hardware could find its way into the Golf R if packaging allows.
To help slow everything down, it’s expected that the special Golf R will also get bigger brakes. On top of that, it’ll get a retuned seven-speed dual-clutch transmission and the RS 3’s torque splitter.
Don’t worry, people who like to show off. Autocar expects that there will be plenty of styling changes, like a more aggressive front end with louvers cut into the hood, a roof-mounted rear spoiler and a new diffuser. The car will maintain the R’s quad exhaust tips, but now they’ll be titanium. On the inside, you’ll — theoretically — find lightweight bucket seats.
The Golf R’s 25th anniversary is set for 2025, you know, 25 years after the Mk. 4 R32 first hit the scene, so if this car does end up existing, we can expect to see it then, and I hope we do. The world needs more cars with five cylinders. You know why? Because they’re weird, and weird is good, my friends. Weird is good.
