VW unveils its most expensive Golf ever – and it costs more than a new Porsche

With Volkswagen close to confirming that the current Golf will be the last with a combustion engine, fans of the iconic hatchback will be desperate for the most exclusive version in its 49-year history.

This new one unveiled this week will be the rarest of them all, only 333 will be made.

Called the Golf R 333 Limited Edition for obvious reasons, it will also be the most powerful ever with the legendary nameplate.

But it will come with a premium price tag. In fact, you can buy a new Porsche for less.

Volkswagen confirmed that it will be the most expensive Golf ever offered to customers.

It costs an overwhelming €76,410 – that works out to around £65,800.

A Porsche 718 Boxster S (£63,800) is cheaper.

For such a significant financial outlay you’d hope this is the best Golf hot hatch to drive yet.

The special edition 333 gets an upgrade in power and performance over the standard Golf R.

Although it uses the same 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine, the VW engineers have worked their magic to boost the standard R’s output from 316bhp to 328bhp.

The increase in growl means this latest iteration is a hundredth of a second faster to 62 mph from a standstill, accelerating in just 4.6 seconds.

The standard Golf R’s top speed of 250km/h has also been improved, with the limiter removed, meaning the 333 can reach speeds of up to 267km/h (on track, of course, unless you’re up for a . risk imprisonment for driving so fast). public road).

Part of the performance upgrade is a result of a new Akrapovic exhaust system, which features four substantial titanium silencers emerging from a gloss black rear diffuser.

To further indicate that this is a car designed for track use, VW has fitted the black 19-inch Estoril wheels with semi-slick tyres.

To make sure even the most amateur drivers don’t miss a top, the 333 is also equipped with something called ‘R-Performance Torque Vectoring with Vehicle Dynamics Manager’.

This automatically distributes the power to the four wheels that need it most and – in theory – should result in pin-sharp steering response and agile cornering.

It also comes equipped with two hooligan driving modes, including ‘Drift’ and ‘Special’ – which Volkswagen strictly states are ‘designed for the Nürburgring circuit’ and for use ‘off public roads’.

“In the Drift profile, the parameters for the electronic stability control and the distribution of power via the four-wheel drive system allow the Golf R to drift on private roads,” VW clarified earlier.

It adds that the mode “opens up a whole new level of driving dynamics beyond public roads and makes the behind-the-wheel experience even more enjoyable.”

While perhaps recognizing that not all maverick bums always play by the rules – and the track – and no doubt advised by their lawyers, VW notes: “To ensure the profile is selected only on private roads, the infotainment system will always prompt a confirmation before it is activated.’

The ‘Special’ ride setting is the one that sharpens all the responses, including quicker downshifts and stiffening the suspension – so not the one to use on Britain’s potholed streets.

“The Golf R 333 is the first R model with a pre-defined specification that we have pre-defined and, thanks to its comprehensive equipment, leaves no customer wish unfulfilled in terms of performance,” said Hakim Halimi, head of product marketing for the “R” performance business of Volkswagen.

For those of you who are not a fan of lime yellow cars, this is not the bike for you.

Volkswagen will sell it exclusively in this colour, accentuated with a black roof and spoiler tip, as well as ‘333’ decals running along the profile of the five-door hatchback.

Inside, it’s a more understated affair, with black nappa leather sport seats with blue stitching to match the car’s massive brake calipers lurking behind the gloss black wheels.

“With the special exterior color, the black painted roof and the design stickers with the 333 logo on the sides, this Golf R is offered in a combination that is unique so far,” explains Halimi.

“It is the first Volkswagen R model with a strict limitation to 333 units and with a sequentially numbered emblem in the interior.”

To the delight of young racers out there, the R 333 is also equipped with a top-notch Harmon Kardon premium audio system – as if a driver of a bright yellow car needed one more excuse to draw attention to them.

VW Golf fans, brace yourself for disappointment…

Sadly, it’s unlikely you’ll see one in the UK anytime soon.

That’s because it’s available exclusively to customers in Germany and will probably all be sold with left-hand drive.

Production will begin in September this year and first deliveries a month later – although customers can also pick up their car in Wolfsburg as part of a special event for owners.

Although British drivers are not offered one, it could still become quite a collector’s item.

That’s because it will probably be one of the last new Golf models produced with a petrol engine before Volkswagen makes a bid for its legendary hatchback for good.

Plans have been made for the Mk8 model to be the last with an internal combustion engine.

That’s despite the fact that the nameplate has legendary status dating back to 1974, is the brand’s most built car of all time and GTI hot hatches have a cult following through all generations.

It has also been the best selling car in Europe for the last 14 years and remains one of the most popular family hatchbacks in UK showrooms.

However, VW’s move to electric cars means today’s eighth-generation version will be the last with a petrol engine.

VW will launch 10 new electric models by 2026, including the ‘affordable’ ID.2 crossover, which is expected to cost less than €25,000 – that’s about £22,000 – when it hits the market three years from now.

The automaker plans to keep the Golf name for a future electric model, but the earliest release date is likely 2028.