Published:
6 November 2024The team behind the chassis tuning of both the new Golf GTI and Golf R is headed by Florian Umbach, who previously held the same position at Bugatti, where he was responsible for the Veyron and Chiron. He says the goal with the new model was to provide it with added feel and feedback and a generally more engaging and more dynamic driving experience.
Even so, according to VW, the suspension has largely been left alone, although unlike their continental counterparts, UK buyers have to pay extra (£720) for the DCC adaptive dampers. Normally this set-up offers the best of both worlds at the touch of a button – executive-saloon suppleness when you want to mosey and track-honed tautness when you're in a hurry. Yet even with DCC dialled in to its comfiest mode, the low-speed ride fails to shine on Britain’s typically torn and tattered Tarmac, where the Golf feels strangely stiff-legged and relays the contours of the road rather too accurately.
Pick up the pace, however, and the suspension gets into its stride, offering confidence-inspiring control and a deftness of damping no matter how wicked the surface. The tautest R mode is best left for the track, but in all the other settings, the Golf is a paragon of even-keeled poise as it slices keenly from entry to apex to exit.
As ever, the R feels a little one-dimensional at everyday speeds - like any Golf, just with enough straight-line performance to pull a Porsche 718 Cayman’s pants down. Yet push on and you’ll discover the steering is decently weighted and naturally paced and offers just enough feedback to keep you connected. There’s also bags of turn-in grip and satisfying neutrality mid-corner. The all-wheel drive system has been recalibrated to offer greater throttle adjustability too, the R actively tightening its line as you power out of a corner. And of course, when the weather turns grim, few cars breed as much confidence.
