Details on the Volkswagen Golf R Cabriolet have been released, revealing that the German brand’s first-ever open-top R model and fastest-ever production convertible Golf will also be the marque’s first Golf R variant not be underpinned by a four-wheel-drive system.
Powered by a 195kW turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine (down 4kW on the European specification Golf R), the front-wheel-drive Volkswagen Golf R Cabriolet comes standard with a six-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox, LED daytime running lights, bi-xenon headlights with black housings, tinted LED tail-lights, gloss black mirror caps, black R-stamped brake callipers, and a gloss black rear diffuser flanked by chrome-tipped exhausts rather than the current Golf R hardtop’s centrally located twin system.
The new soft-top Golf R will reach 100km/h from standstill in 6.4 seconds (just shy of a second slower than the hardtop’s DSG-enabled 5.5 second sprint time) and can hit an electronically limited top speed of 250km/h.
A unique front bumper highlighted by a gloss black grille and ‘R’ logo, join 25mm lower (than a standard Golf Cabriolet) ‘R’ suspension, and 18- or 19-inch ‘Talladega’ alloy wheels finished in either ‘Sterling Silver’ or ‘High-gloss Black’ in providing the necessary exterior look while four individual leather ‘R’ sports seats, a leather-wrapped multifunction steering wheel, handbrake grip and gear lever, and brushed aluminium pedals complete the theme inside.
A DAB radio with multi-device interface (MDI) and Bluetooth connectivity are all standard specification on the new Golf R Cabriolet, as is the car’s fully electric roof that can be lowered in 9.5 seconds and raised in 11.0 seconds, at speeds up to 30km/h.
From the first-generation Volkswagen Golf R32 (pictured below) in 2002 to the current Golf R, the German hot-hatch has always been synonymous with all-wheel drive, making the new Cabriolet a significant mechanical and philosophical departure for the go-fast R nameplate.
As with the 155kW Golf GTI Cabriolet, the Golf R drop-top is not assured of an Australian arrival, with Volkswagen Australia previously saying the car is not part of its program planning.
The current five-door Volkswagen Golf R hatch starts at $49,990.
