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After teasing us with a “concept” at the New York Auto Show, Volkswagen is debuting a production of the Golf R wagon – but we may not get it in North America.
Mechanically, the Wagon is identical to the Golf R, retaining its 296 horsepower 2.0T 4-cylinder, Haldex AWD and DSG gearbox. While it is certainly a go for world markets, VW has said nothing about a North American on sale date. Perhaps they are gauging public reaction yet again before making a decision?
78 Comments on “Los Angeles 2014: Volkswagen Golf R Wagon Debuts...”
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This will sell as well as the A4 Allroad and the V60 wagon. Though I will say it at least looks to be a proper wagon shape, and will be able to carry things. Interior looks very nice as well, though VW interiors never feel as nice as they show in publicity photos.
I really like the wheels. And that it’s AWD.
I make sandwiches thicker than those tires. Are we bottoming-out yet on this asinine trend?
I hope not, I love thick sandwiches, Yum!
A nice grilled cheese on texas toast, with provolone and banana pepper rings, eh?
A little cajun seasoning optional for some kick.
Stop, now I got to go make a grilled cheese
Y’all are belittling my genuine anguish.
But now I really want a Rueben.
It’s my super invented grilled cheese!
I live to belittle your genuine anguish
I live to eat Ruebens.
I’m a lousy German, I hate Sauerkraut
It’s a tossup whether tires or windows will shrink to zero first.
Based on brother’s Golf R – the tires… it EATS them up! But that might have something to do with his the APR tune, 18″ Oz rims and track day habits ;)
Doubt this will make it state side. Folks here don’t buy wagons and certainly don’t buy limited edition, high powered VeeDubs. This car checks so many of the right boxes: turbo, AWD, wagon, manual gears, that all its missing is the diesel and brown paint option… thus we can’t have it. However with that being said: why show it in LA?
My brother’s Golf R eat tires, but that might be due to the APR tune, 18″Oz rims and frequent track days ;)
That’s funny. My APR tune ate my ECU.
Tweels are the ultimate endgame for sidewall shrinkage.
Good point. I think those tires and rims will be destroyed if I go over some potholes that I go over every day. They need to brink the thickness at least to the level of a 2014 Big Mac.
I really, really want one of these. If they bring it, I will buy it.
Wat are u driving now… did u buy it new….
2013 MX-5 Club and a 1996 Cherokee Sport. I like having two dedicated tools, rather than a more compromised multi-tool, but I only have one garage space and parking the Cherokee is sometimes very stressful. The Cherokee is a relatively uncomfortable vehicle, although the 4WD system is fantastic and the 4.0 liter HO engine is decent. On the other hand, it’s nice to have a beater because I have an irrational response to things like door dings and how people park. I don’t mind parking the Cherokee anywhere, including the airport.
I’ve been thinking about reducing to one car – but I’d like to retain as much performance and poor weather capability as possible while improving the daily drive with a more modern vehicle. I’ve considered just about everything out there, but the front runners currently are the new WRX STi or a used Allroad. This VW looks like it will fit the bill very nicely.
I have positive equity in the MX-5 with 0.9% APR on the remaining loan. I bought the Cherokee outright a little over two years ago. It’s probably worth about what I paid for it, although it’s a little rougher cosmetically now compared to when I bought it.
2013 MX-5 Club purchased new, I’m several thousand dollars ahead on the loan and it’s financed at 0.9% APR. 1996 Cherokee Sport purchased for $3k about two years ago. I’m considering a multi-tool to replace two dedicated tools in part because I’ve only got one garaged parking space and in part because the Cherokee is a pretty poor drive in terms of handling and amenities.
The new WRX STi or a used Allroad are the current front-runners, but this VW looks just right to me.
I really want to engage in this discussion, but all of my responses are being blocked. :(
Must be that dang ol’ Dunning–Kruger effect again
You’re still upset about that?!?
About what?
wuzzat?
I’d buy one too, new, but admittedly I’m in that tiny % of folks for whom a Golf R hatch is in serious contention for my next car in a few months. That is assuming it even gets here in time. When the hell is the R hatch hitting dealers anyway?
The Jetta Sportwagen looks like it would be the perfect blend of hatch ride height and handling with SUV junk haulage.
Golf still has to be one of the weirdest names for a car. Every time I hear it, my brain adds “-Cart” The same would happen if they released a car called the “Go” or “Shopping”
I’d buy one too. We currently have three cars, including a Mk5 GTI, and are looking to sell the GTI and one of our other cars. It’s replacement has to be at least as useful as the GTI (which we had intended to sell but stayed because it was so useful). We’ve been looking at a loaded X1 (MSRP ~$42k for one with the “Ultimate package”), and this would be faster and more useful than an X1. A well-equipped 328i wagon is almost $15,000 more. In a perfect world I’d be able to get one with a manual but I can deal with DSG.
Here goes nothing – I’m thinking about replacing a Miata and XJ Cherokee with one vehicle combining rewarding driving, utility, and all weather capability.
Front runners are the new WRX STi or a used Allroad. My guess is that this VW will be price competitive with those choices and a better fit for me.
Used Allroad as in A6 Allroad? The one with the very complex air adjustable suspension?
Avoid.
However, you may be trolling a little bit as the STI is not in the same class as the A6 Allroad.
I’m not trolling. I’m not beholden to any given class, I’m just trying to find a compromise between the Miata and Cherokee – if such a thing exists.
I’ve also researched/considered: Challenger, new Mustang, 2-series, Wrangler, ATS, IS-350, FX, X1, Evo, A3/S3, Durango, F-150/Silverado/Ram 1500, and probably a couple of others that are slipping my mind. Thusfar, nothing has appeared better than my current situation.
Couldn’t get my response through. I’m not trolling – I’ve considered several options from all classes. I’m not specifically interested in including/excluding anything – I’m looking for a multi-tool that can replace my two dedicated tools. If I find it, I’ll make a move.
My responses aren’t getting through.
I’m not trolling. I’m open to any solution that resolves replacing two specialty tools with one multi-tool.
“My responses aren’t getting through.”
The problem has definitely gotten worse and it’s not just an s-i-d thing anymore.
Okies. The vehicle which you seek is a late model used XC70 in two-tone!
@ petez
I should take the hint…instead of typing 2-3 responses to get 1 post, I should probably just take a break – or consider abandoning my posts!
I dunno about Volvo – maybe a used 3 series xDrive?
@ pete,
I should probably take the hint and stop posting!
Well I mean if you’re content with regular wagon shape:
5-Series wagon xDrive (here until 2010)
A6
CTS-W
E-Class (maybe too $$)
A 328i wagon should be available as a cpo for mid upper 20’s.
What am I missing here? A C-segment VW Hatch is a golf, sedan or wagon is a Jetta, right? Is this the replacement for the GLI? Will it have multilink suspension and rear discs instead of being Corolla-ized like the Jetta?
Anything with a hatch is a Golf, whether it’s a wagon or not. The model with the trunk is a Jetta. This has been the nomenclature in the rest of the world for some time now, and the USA is just catching up. Plus, all Golfs are now MQB-based, while the Jetta continues on an updated PQ-35 platform (also the basis for the A5 Golf/Rabbit/Jetta, A6 Golf, and current Beetle).
Adding to the confusion is that the previous-gen Golf Wagon was sold in the US as the Jetta SportWagen.
If this ever gets sold here, I bet it will be sold as a Jetta. Jettas sell better here, no point in calling it a Golf.
Good point there. I see a lot of Jettas on the roads in Texas, but hardly any Golf. And most of the Golfs are the GTI editions. Americans don’t like the hatches a lot it seems. Another shocking observation, there are even less Jetta wagons than Golfs but interestingly there are more CTS wagon than either car.. I personally doubt the Golf R Wagon will sell well…
What’s a Golf? A few years ago they sold in the US new hatches as a “Rabbit”.
It’s been a Golf at least since the mid-80s I think. They were certainly Golfs in my high school days in the 90’s.
All Jettas now come with multilink suspension, and 4 wheel discs….The S still has the hoary 8V 2.0 engine though.
Ah… Didn’t know that. The last I’d heard they’d used a GM-style bean-counter machete to the car, trying to shake the premium aura for mass market sales. I found it surprising – they’d always seemed to position themselves as an upmarket alternative to the typical mass-market compact. There’s no reason to deal with VW reliability if you don’t get anything nicer than a Corolla!
For the North American market I would recommend raising the suspension an inch or two, slap on some nice Yokohama Geolanders all weathers, tune that motor for low end pulling power, driving ease and market it as CUV / SUV.
I believe that’s called the AllTrak
The commentariat peed its collective pants just a little right now.
Glad to see what the new JSW will look like… ahem GSW. As of last week, it seems like my wife’s prospects will require us to move 60 miles from my workplace (.5 miles now – i walk to work), so a new ride might be in order. Vag’s 1.8T and TDI, as well as Mazda’s 2.0 skyactiv, are strong contenders.
Great, another VW we won’t get.
That’s kind of a hermaphroditic statement; can go either way.
There’s nothing wrong with being bisexual ;-)
Though they do tend to get covered in the same chapter, hermaphrodite is very different from being bisexual :)
Gee, thanks, nick
Think I’ll stick with Kardashi-ass and motorboating.
I have a hard enough time keeping up with one sex, who has time for two
Doubles your chances for a date.
Could double your wardrobe as well
I love the idea of an Golf R sportwagon, but in all honesty, I wouldn’t buy one and I’m not sure how well it would sell due to the high cost. I get the feeling that the regular Golf R doesn’t set the world on fire with sales. A Golf GTI sportwagon, though, would be very high on my shopping list. Back when I bought my MKV GTI, you could get the 2.0T in the Jetta Sportwagen, but it didn’t have the seats, steering wheel, suspension, IP, etc that made the GTI so endearing in the first place. I could have swapped everything for a small fortune or just deal with less cargo space.
Agree, it would be priced like the R has been traditionally, which is to say much too high for the average consumer.
Never crossed my mind before, but the idea of a GTI wagon seems a natural. Would it really be that hard to convert the hatch to wagon form also? Some people likely don’t care for the hot hatch look, yet would welcome the GTI’s performance.
Equipped comparably to a Golf R, a GTI costs around $32,000. You get an extra 82 hp, an extra 38 lb/ft, AWD, bigger brakes, a few extra interior goodies…for about $4,000 more.
So, how much SHOULD that cost? There are no comparable cars.
If you get for example a Fusion Titanium in FWD, it’s two grand more for the AWD model…but that just gets you AWD – no more capable chassis or brakes, and no more powerful an engine.
I don’t get how people can just say a Golf R costs too much more than a GTI – I mean, are the Focus ST, Civic Si, MS3, etc. AWD models that much better a deal? Oh, that’s right…
You’re right, for what you get over a standard GTI, the price bump is fair. The problem is that the resulting price (in absolute dollars) puts you in a price bracket where there’s a lot more competition. In other words, in the high-30’s there’s a lot more for a consumer looking for a performance oriented car to choose from, even if the choices are not exactly comparable (2/3 series, A3/4s, CLA/C class, Mustang GTs, Buicks/Acura/Volvo and like brands, etc.).
Kind of begs the question, though. Like saying that for the $20k price extra a loaded Mustang GT Premium costs over a base V6, you could have a 3 Series sedan with a turbo four. So what?
Mazda is in a comparable situation – nobody makes a comparable car. So should they charge less for a Miata? Because for even less money, you could get a Fiesta ST. Hey – they’re both 4-cylinder performance cars, right?
I didn’t say that the R was overpriced. I said that in absolute dollars, that is a lot of money for a non luxury compact. The sad reality is that most people looking for performance from a small package are also looking for it to be cheap. Automakers have to cater to what “most buyers” want for better or for worse.
FWIW, a friend just picked up a Golf R and I owned an MKV GTI for 4 years. I liked the performance bits of the R for the most part — though the AWD wasn’t that big of a selling point — but I preferred the plaid cloth seats and styling of the base ’15 GTI that I test drove over the summer. Cheap and cheerful.
Too bad those extra horses will be diluted by the heavier brakes and the heavier drive train system. And the brake effectiveness will be diluted by the extra weight of the AWD system and the brakes themselves. This looks like a fast powerful car, but no longer as lightweight as the GTI or Focus ST.
In my humble opinion the new R is the wrong concept. VW should go back to the model with the VR6 engine. Yes, it was nose heavy and all, but whenever you heard that supercar exhaust, you’d be reminded where your money went.
Well, AWD will add some weight – just the way it is.
A Focus ST weighs 3223…a Mk7 GTI is around 3100, depending upon options, and an R is around 3300. So maybe the wagon version is 3380 or 3400.
These in sedan form are running 0-60 in 4.6 or 4.9 seconds,depending upon tranny choice, so not apparently acting too loaded down.
I would get one of these wagon Rs when my 2011 GTI gets stale…which isn’t happening anytime soon.
How about a recontented Jetta R for us hatch/wagon haters? This thing does nothing for me.
(Although who am I kidding — I’m unlikely to buy a VW anyway.)
We got the Audi All road and no one listened. They showed us the Passat allroad and I waited to no avail. (Sorry that Audi is just too Chere deary) Now this. Too small for my tastes and I’ll bet close to the Audi in cost. Pass. The Passat would have hit the sweet spot for me. Too bad.
While I’m at it I’ll have a braunschweiger w onion on Dimpfilmeier rye please. Hold the mayo.
Damn, that sounds good… I’ll take your mayo
“braunschweiger w onion on Dimpfilmeier rye”
*swoon* Let’s make methane production a happy thing.
Hey, it’s all about a renewable energy source
Stop teasing us. I saw this at the NY show. Yes, I recently bought a new TDI, so I was a potential real sale, not an internet fanboi.
VW shows the Scirocco to newspapers…lots of articles in the NY Times and others.
VW shows the GTD to newspapers…again lots of articles in the NYT and others.
Meanwhile, our Mk7 TDI comes with a beam axle, losing the IRS in the Mk.6, because “the US only-urea tank is in the way”. RIIIGHT….
We have all these great cars shown to us, but we get supersized and decontented versions. You lose the enthusiasts but don’t sell to CamCord man (or woman).
Sheesh.
I’ve stopped caring whether or not VW brings their halo cars over here. Mainly because the first thing our Wolfsburg buddies do, when spec’ing a car like this for the U.S. market, is figure out just how aggressively (viciously, truth be told) they can de-content the thing and still sell it for $35K+ to the rubes. And of course it’ll still be a fundamentally unreliable automobile because of the German maxim that their special products should receive oodles of dealer-supplied TLC.
It’s occurred to me, watching this play out over the years, that VW doesn’t like Americans much. Maybe we should figure that out and stop buying their pretty little shitboxes.