Our Thoughts Exactly: 2025 Volkswagen Golf R

Just to be up front here, the Volkswagen Golf R is one of our favorite vehicles. We just happen to have one in the V&R Fleet. 

If you listen to our quarterly podcasts, George will always update you the ownership experience on our 2019 Golf R. The Mk7.5 model is his second one, after he traded in his 2016 Mk7 model for it. That is why it serves as a measurement for any enthusiast-level vehicle we get in to work with. 

George’s Mk7 Golf R is how we became friends and automotive content creation compatriots. It was through a local car club, MNVW, that I first met him and his beloved sport compact/hot hatch as they became a fixture in the car scene. 

The high bar set by the last generation Golf R makes it a challenge to tackle this current generation model. Let alone, comparing it to anything else – including older generation Golf Rs and R32s. 

That is not to say that the 2025 Golf R Mk8.5 is less worthy of a vehicle. Quite the contrary. 

Let us explain…

The mid-cycle refresh of the 2025 model follows the same pattern of updates seen on the Golf GTI we recently worked with. There are plenty of minor changes to the exterior – including a new badge on the front doors, along with grille and badge illumination. Inside, there are new high-back bucket seats, upholstery, the 12.9-inch Discover Pro infotainment screen with wireless smartphone connectivity, the enhanced 10.25-inch Digital Cockpit Pro instrument cluster and updated blue trim. 

The biggest change for 2025 is more power. The EA888 2.0-liter turbocharged engine is now rated at 328 horsepower and 298 pound-feet of torque. Only a seven-speed DSG gearbox connects this higher performance Golf R engine to its 4Motion all-wheel drive system. 

What we have is another new addition for 2025 – the Black Edition. You probably guessed that it is all dark finish affair with darkened headlamp housings, grille, R badges, brake calipers, 19-inch forged alloy wheels, and authentic carbon fiber interior trim. All set to our tester’s Mythos Black Metallic. You can get this in Lapiz Blue Metallic, too. 

Also new for 2025 is the Euro Style Package, which just happens to appear on our tester. It is a way to get a Golf R to match its native European Union specification. This package adds a quad-port Akrapovic Titanium axle-back exhaust system, a cloth and ArtVelours upholstery. It reverts the seats to manual adjustments – except for the recline function – and removes ventilated front seats and sunroof from your Golf R. 

The purpose of selecting the Euro Style Package is to create a more pure and functional Golf R for the enthusiast. It also saves weight by removing key features. To accomplish this, you will have to spend another $3,795 for the sake of driving purity. 

Optional packages and black trim aside, the 2025 Golf R still has a few tricks up its sleeve. The drive mode screen has a few more choices than I can recall. Race mode ratchets up the exhaust note from the Akrapovic system thanks to a more aggressive throttle mapping. Drift mode turns off the ESC Sport system for some serious honing. However, the Golf R’s infotainment screen will tell you that this is only to be used on the track. 

The next mode to the right on the screen is called “Special.” You may notice that the button has a profile of the famed Nordschleife at the Nurburgring race course. Hence it has the nickname of that German motorsports venue – as mirrored on the background of the screen. Put the 2025 Golf R into Special mode, and your throttle mapping and accelerator response has been raised to infinite levels. OK, almost infinite levels. 

In turn, Special mode optimizes torque vectoring within the driveline for track purposes. 

George took the Lapis Blue 2025 Golf R on the track and karting course at Road America back in May. As it was in Special mode during both stints, let’s just say he enjoyed it thoroughly. 

For everyday driving, it is clearly overkill to put the 2025 Golf R into anything beyond Sport. Comfort does a fine job with rapid acceleration and braking response. You can put it into Sport for tighter steering control, if you want that. The result is flatter cornering withno discernable understeer. 

Everything responds to you. The accelerator and brake pedals, for example. You can feel the power without any reverb or hesitation from the driveline or the braking system respectively. You also have superb control of the road whether it is flicking the Golf R into a corner or just cruising down the highway. It is truly a well-balanced vehicle worth driving. 

As with the past several generations of the Golf R, it remains a practical machine. The 19.9 cubic feet of space behind the rear seats was more than enough to fit my rollator. The parcel shelf hid anything I threw back there with security and confidence. 

Of course, what’s a V&R vehicle story without reporting fuel economy? For those of you who care, we observed a fuel consumption average of 27.9 MPG. 

The big question that I had with our experience in this 2025 Golf R was how similar – or different – was to George’s Mk7.5. The obvious differences pointed to increased technology and features between the two. However, George found that there were more refinement and adjustability with the Dynamic Chassis Control compared to his Golf R. Throttle mapping and response was vastly improved, with more acceleration earlier on in throttle application. The rear differential in the Mk8.5 is much smarter with torque vectoring and drift mode which the Mk7.5 doesn't have.

The one thing we should address in this comparison between the two generations of the Golf R is what is missing in the newer one – tactility. We get that haptic touch controls is the way forward, but we do miss buttons, gear levers, and so forth that we enjoy in the Mk7.5. However, that doesn't diminish the joy we had when working with the Mk8.5 model.

Let's talk pricing. The base price for the 2025 Volkswagen Golf R is $47,100. You get a choice of two trim levels, including the Black Edition. Our tester came with a sticker price of $53,731. 

We know that’s a lot of money for a sports compact/hot hatch, but have you seen the price of its competitors? They’re up there as well. 

With everything under consideration, we often forget that the Volkswagen Golf R is a measuring stick for all sports compacts/hot hatches. Hence why we feel that the price may be justified. We must remember that vehicle prices are rising thanks to many factors – some of which we rather not dive into.

Nonetheless, this 2025 Golf R Black Edition still brings the excitement and fun in everyday driving. That summation comes from experience – our own. 

DISCLAIMER: Vehicle provided by Volkswagen of America – our opinions are of our own.

All photos by Randy Stern