Hot laps in the cold in a Golf R

It's like having chocolate ice-cream with a cherry on top

IT was a cold and foggy late November morning on the Oschersleben Motorsport Arena in Germany, zero Celsius and 3.667km of the twisty bits.

It reminded us of the old Batu Tiga circuit in Shah Alam, all tight and full of action, but this came with a bit of ice thrown around here and there, no snow yet though.

The victim of torture on that particular morning was the Volkswagen Golf R.

According to VW, the R is the ultimate of the ultimate, a higher range than its world renowned, legendary GTi.

This is because the R is VW's motorsport division, and R cars come from that special oven.

At a glance, the Golf R looks simple, big wheels, special blue colour, twin tail pipes, different grille and a cute little R on it.

The one we tested was a four-door version, the hot blonde in “mom jeans” version compared with the two-door version which is the proper hot blonde in a short skirt.

Before we were let loose on the circuit (with a long leash tethered to a professional driving instructor), we were taken for a customary get-to-know-the-car-session with a slalom and braking test.

“OK gentleman, let's start slow,” said instructor Marc Ebert for the first lap on the circuit.

We always believe that different people have different perception of speed and Marc, who feels most at home when on a circuit, proved this theory right. Slow to him was almost three times the speed a normal driver would be going though the same corner.

But who is going to behave in a R badged car anyway? Try as you might, resistance was futile.

So how was it? GTi owners will think it's too much power, R32 owners might think it's not going to be as sweet revving as their ride. Well it was a little in between.

Coming back to the point that the R is VW's motorsport arm, they actually know what they are doing and you can say this is the ultimate Golf. Let's look at power figures first - the Golf R makes close to 270hp, more horses then the R32 but minus the front end over-weight condition. Yes, it was slightly less sweet to rev and power away down the front straits of the circuit like the V6 but it was also slightly less porky around the bends.

And that's the second thing about the Golf R, between the lighter front end and AWD, plus a slightly firmed up and lowered suspension, the car was a hoot to blast around the circuit, even with the presence of ice on some of the corners.

Well, the car will still understeer if you charge in too fast into a tight corner as with most 4WD cars; so you have to pace yourself in, but just like 4WD vehicles, you can just point where you want to go and power out of the corner confidently.

Sound wise, the twin tail pipes are not just for looks. Its bigger than previously used exhaust system is done for more flow with a throatier sound as the side-effect.

There's nothing much to say about the amazing DSG as it's still amazing. And that's coming from someone who prefers manual shifters.

Another side-effect dropping from the 3.2L V6 to the 2L in-line four is the fuel consumption. You'll be turning blue holding your breath before you run out of dino juice on the Golf R at full throttle - you'd be lucky if you get half of that amount of laps in the R32.

Our first impression of the Golf R? It's like that chocolate ice-cream you always bought, but this time with a cherry on top.

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