Volkswagen Golf R 2012 Test Drive & Car Review with Ross Rapoport by RoadflyTV

Earlier this year Ross Rapoport had the opportunity to spend a week in Volkswagen's latest turbocharged screamer the 2012 VW Golf R. The 4Motion all wheel drive system allows the power of the turbo 4-cylinder to get to the pavement.
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Host: Ross Rapoport
Vehicle: 2012 VW Golf R
Body: 4-door hatchback
Color: Tornado Red with Titan Black leather
Engine: 2.0 Liter turbocharged, inline 4-cylinder, direct injection
Engine output: 256 horsepower, 243 lbs-ft torque
Transmission: 6-speed manual
Drivetrain: 4-motion all wheel drive
Wheels: 18"
City: 19 MPG, Highway: 27 MPG
Warranty: Vehicle: 3 yr/36,000 miles, powertrain: 5 yr/60,000 miles
Price as tested: $36,860

[@welzofstel]

I agree with Moby Dick. I went from a 2006 MkV GTI to a 2010 MkVI GTI and now a 2013 Golf R. I had DSG on the first GTI and opted for the 6 speed on the MkVI. I truly enjoyed the driving experience much more with the 6 speed manual. I could never get that "fun" drivers feeling with the DSG. I could also not justify spending the extra money for the R until I actually drove one. There's definitely a difference and the 6 speed manual is my choice to truly appreciate the R. I absolutely love it.

[@CharmaineDanielle]

I like that the biggest downfall, in his opinion, is that it doesn't come in DSG - to me that's what makes it even better. This car doesn't cater to the 'non-stick drivers', rather, it caters to the true car enthusiasts and we all know that they don't drive DSG! It was too bad that the Fahrenheit only came in DSG because it made me not want the car.

[@GrotrianSeiler]

Another great review, Ross. You do a great job. No nonsense, no bull. Thanks.

[@knsema2]

Hahaha, I simply love when Americans try to convince Eutopeans that automatic transmissions are more fun than manual. When die this happen? Last time i checked btw, it wasnt annoying using a manual in traffic..

[@dickcheese663]

OMG dudes... i just went to pick up my niece at school (3rd grade) Its in a predominantly Hispanic area....NO LIE it took me 3 hrs to pick her up. The line was sofa king long dude its insane! Im estimating about 1000 vehicles. What kind of vehicles? Not VW Golf R's. From what i saw, < 1% 4cyl imports....99% 1992-2012 V8 Chevy and Ford SUV's and pick-up trucks. Can you imagine that many V8's just sitting there idling for hours. Also, they did NOT look like they were properly maintained

[@kelleredison]

Hey Ross it is really nice to see that you have your 'style' back..! And dude, please stop being concerned about being 'manly enough', my gosh man, I wish I looked so good on camera! Keep up the great reviews Ross!

[@jegg9349]

I can't believe that you did what you said. You bought a golf R auto trans in white. You did it. 👍 Mk7.

[@bhavishyachandra]

The golf is the benchmark among hot hatches and it'll probably remain to be the best

[@MsGolfR]

You are right, my Friend. R has the K04. The R also has a reinforced engine.

[@Kevbox2008]

Anyone who sits behind Ross in ANY vehicle will enjoy a terrific amount of legroom!! ;^)

[@MsGolfR]

Charlie, thank you, Dah'lin, this Southern Belle hasn't been called a kid in 20 years! I'm sure you didn't mean to call me "dude" or "man". Just because a transmission is quicker does not make it the better option. MkV R32's were offered with only the DSG and VW coudn't sell them all; there were brand new 2008's still available in 2010. The MkIV R32's had only a manual transmission and sold out quickly. Virtually all 5,000 *manual* Golf R's are sold in the US - the gearheads have spoken!!

[@andyyarnell7579]

I was poking fun at Ross too, he is good at his job, and honestly I am jealous, I wish I had his job.

[@j.devereaux]

That DSG burp makes all the difference.

[@select20]

Totally agree with your final assessment about it not having the DSG tranny. I was poised to order one until I heard that.

[@blacuraRL]

Awesome review! Very fun, yet objective. Keep it up, Ross!

[@MrTestNTune]

Yea a DSG in a Golf R would be AMAZING! Everyone always says it's not a stick shift , so they turn their nose up at a DSG but that's because they never drove a DSG lol It's such a fast transmission! I've beat cars I shouldn't beat because of those super quick shifts :-)

[@TypeR1013]

As Emme said, I don't use cue cards. I write the script the night before or the day of the shoot, then do a quick memorization while the camera guy sets up the shot or takes still photos.

[@galangca]

its an ok review. purpose of this car is for daily drive and track use once in a while. i think they got the daily part down but track use is limited due to the inability to fully turn off electronic assist. which was not mentioned on this review

[@canto_v12]

Ross is back!!! Nice choice of car to review.

[@TypeR1013]

I don't think I'd buy a GTI, but I'd think long and hard about one of these, especially if I lived further up North. The AWD system is a set-it-and-forget-it kinda thing. There isn't the range of adjustments that you'd get with an STI or EVO. This car is meant to be owned lovingly, kept mostly stock, and autoX/tracked once in a while. In normal driving, you don't notice the stability control or the AWD very much. It's a very smooth, easy car to drive quickly.

[@1515skip]

Owned my R for a month. Previous car: 2004 Mini Cooper S. I have a 4 door, with leather/moonroof/nav. Without a doubt, the 0% for 60 mos. was a big incentive. I, too, would have preferred the DSG, but not because of some "softness" in my approach to my cars. I live in a city. Sometimes, shifting is a chore for a short run or when stuck in traffic. Also, would like a 7th gear, 6 is still too tall for long hway cruising. Otherwise it's perfect: fast, quick, high limits, comfy, super stable

[@Slackerjr92]

The mk5 r32 came in DSG and they didn't sell very well here that is why they offer the manual.

[@roadfly]

Ross doesn't read from cue cards. He's got all those words in his head. That's why he's awesome. -Emme@RoadflyTV

[@ViveSemelBeneVivere]

The reason Ross doesn't mention for the R 2.0 being heavier than the GTi is because the R 2.0 has 4Motion AWD, which is definitely a plus in a car like this.

[@khunopie]

Hey Chuck, Pirelli driving shoes for Ross is an excellent investment with strong returns

[@KernelBeans]

Ross you need shorter pants

[@KwaiChangKane]

Kernal Beans Hahaha That's all I could look at during the last few minutes of this video. What the hell was going on there?

[@Mac-kx1lc]

Yeah what the Fuck hahahahaahaha

[@NistorMarius]

8 years later still to long pants 🤦🤦

[@turbo311]

Think you misspoke. The 2.0L engine is not larger than the GTI's, just more powerful and some internals are beefed up.

[@ViveSemelBeneVivere]

Urban driving with DSG is much more convenient than stirring the manual oil stick all the time.

[@andyyarnell7579]

Seriously? Wow, Ross is awesome! Thanks for the clarification Emme! VW offroaders unite!

[@Nicool333]

Great review as usual. This is the important stuff I needed to hear. Gti vs the price premium for this? Meh...

[@TypeR1013]

That would be great. From what I've heard, that's just what the next GTI and Golf R will do.

[@thegreatga]

love this channel. becoming one of my favs

[@stefanerwin4523]

This was an excellent review discussing information relevant to my questions.

[@frose4Life]

Absolutely correct on DSG. It's absence is why I passed on the R in favor of the GTI. Manual is fun but DSG is faster and easier to live with in heavy urban traffic.

[@GeekTimePart]

Love your work Ross.. Keep those reviews coming

[@jrcsh]

It's great that it's got to the point that we can say either/or. I'm really impartial at this point.

[@malteadotas4]

Ross is the best. Good job man.

[@skiwhmts]

Ross, Nice review...informative and critical without being nasty. Keep up the good work.

[@hultii]

in europe u can get the golf r with the dsg gear box and some very cool looking recaro leather seats

[@MrIKILLV8]

The R is slow stock... make sure you do yourself a favor and get that car tuned as soon as possible! Revo, GIAC, or APR, etc, etc... whatever you decide but get that thing tuned! You'll thank yourself later! I'm APR Stage 2+ and it's definitely a fun platform to say the least! :)

[@MartyMartin87]

I love the 'karo' seats

[@Jmanmadness23]

Very commanding review, quite practical and fun. Keep it up!

[@Kav3h]

About the A/C on the car, I got a MK4 VW and I get the same problem, super loud when the air is at the highest level, but even when I was in 118 degrees the A/C rarely passed the second setting. The Golf R and Audi TT-RS both are only in the same 6 speed stick, if they switched them to that auto they would be giant killers. And nice to see that the new R is in more colors than just blur and grey.

[@simplyadiktive]

love the sound the engine makes!

[@WhopperJr91]

i agree with you ross i would love to see the golf r with the dsg transmission in it.

[@MsGolfR]

It was in reply to my comment and came to my inbox, so I guess I felt a tad bit picked on. Since I have made comments that some have misconstrued as maligning the DSG in other places (it's a brilliant design, I simply prefer to stir the gears in my street and race cars) I felt the high beams pointed in my general direction. I don't need my degrees to read, Dah'lin, you weren't picking on those who complain about DSGs, you said "...they can drive a manual." The Golf R is a great car - THE END.

[@MrKennyfook1]

its about time VW get a new designer team!

[@Boombastick17]

Awesome review by Ross, as usual :)

[@kalargyi]

Perfect car for lil Ross

[@King_Kenny66]

Love this car, and great review Ross!

[@ajwhite765]

your shirt has buttons. use more of them

[@yeejay6396]

Haha lol

[@ViveSemelBeneVivere]

The only thing I can fault about the R 2.0 is that, as Ross mentions, it doesn't get really going until the turbo boosts up around 3000 rpm. Therefore, VW could have put in another smaller turbo for rapid boosing from the 1000 to 3000 rev band. So for me the ideal R would be a R 2.0 Bi-turbo. Perhaps that might happen one day.

[@daoudaqtash9243]

This guy has a good point. Volkswagen should offer Golf R in DSG transmission.

[@sketchpro12]

with DSG this would've been the ultimate car for us... we have an 04 R32 and a 08 GTI DSG... this is both cars in one....IF it had DSG... come on VW!!!!!

[@dinimaus5793]

JAEGERTECH it's completely different to an r32 by the fact an r has 2 less cylinders and isn't a vr6 and the r is turbo charged and the r32 is n/a massive differences

[@MoreGrievances]

These cars are true sleepers. My 07 GTI has zero options and weighs just 3,025 lbs and won MANY more races than I lost.

[@matt6816]

1) ESC can be taken off through VAG-COM and is very simple to do 2) The reason its expensive is not totally due to power but to the quality of the interior and ride quality. If you want to only track the car sure go for the ones you mentioned. If you want it a DD the Golf R makes the cars you listed seem pathetic.

[@velt1870]

Great video and keep it coming

[@insidertrading1]

Long awaited maybe but the price is a non-starter, especially with more reliable RWD choices now like the FRS and Subie. You can upgrade those cars and still come in under the GolfR price.

[@roadfly]

Thank you! -Charlie@RoadflyTV

[@johnnychao73]

Nice review. Thanks. Beautiful roads.

[@hallofghdg]

Automatic needs more horsepower to bring the same power on the street as the manual version. Think of shifting-managment and more weight

[@TypeR1013]

Yeah since it was obviously wet out, I didn't bother to try. Didn't realize it until later. D'oh! I have a manual at home (2009 Si 6MT+LSD), but haven't been able to get my wife interested enough in it.

[@applesappleapple]

OMG that sounds EXACTLY like what you would say in a video! Amazing because lots of KZbin/Television presenters are all happy-go-lucky on camera but have a completely different personality elsewhere:D

[@GrotrianSeiler]

Really really good review. Thanks.

[@R3yHDz]

Golf R is for the person who wants to drive a cheap Audi TTS w/ extra space and a 6 speed. With an APR tune the Golf R can easily reach 300+ hp. Also living in AK where it snows and have icy rain the 4Motion/Quattro is worth it over the GTI. The Evo and STI are faster but faster is not always better. I'd sacrifice speed for the Golf R interior and amenities. Having max torque at 2400 RPMs also makes the Golf R a better daily driver compared to the the Evo/STI 4000 RPMs. That's my opinion.

[@kupukupu415]

Agree that DSG is quicker than a manual, but to suggest that the car would be more than half a second quicker to 60 than your already overstated time of 5.5 seconds is ridiculous.

[@thegoodguysteve]

i think when vw releases the new golf r next year with 300+ horspower and it should be around the same price if not cheaper bc of the new mqb platform, it should be faster than the sti and evo

[@PedroFTeixeira]

Other than that... top quality review, as always! :)

[@hejmuesli]

Great review!

[@TheSuburban15]

I like shifting manually when I'm driving for fun, but I'm just too lazy to do it ALL the time. So there's a bunch of cars that I'm ruling out for not having at least a clutchless manual. This is one I'm ruling out.

[@Srpopo2000]

Manual, thanks VW!

[@peternathaniel373]

Great informative review

[@MsGolfR]

Rising Blue. APR stage 1, ESC delete. SOOOOO fun at the AutoX!! Puts a serious hurt on my Porsche friends ;-) They're really starting to hate my Dubs.

[@Domethiusloch]

if he is referring to turbos as apposed to displacement than maybie but the r32 was not turbo ed so I assume he is referring to displacement

[@MsGolfR]

Ross, the DSG only in the MkV R32 was the ONLY reason I kept my GTI VR6. With a proper manual only in the Golf R, I waved goodbye to my VR6 and am now thoroughly enjoying my 2012 Golf R 2dr. The STi and Evo are not options as I won't live with a common as dirt, boy-racer, Anime poster child car that's sorely lacking in comfort and quality. Since 100% of the R's torque can go to the rear wheels, it's better on the track, and the ESC is easily defeatable. Real women stir the gears!!

[@TypeR1013]

I ran out of characters. The MS3 isn't even in this car's league. It's too boy-racerish and too unrefined. Its charms wear off after a while and you get tired of it...whereas the Golf R is the opposite. It doesn't knock your socks off at first, but after a while you realize how great it is. For what it's worth, I tested the Golf R and the new 911 Carrera S back-to-back, and had just as much fun in the Golf, if not a little more so. It's that good.

[@RichModz77]

This golf r is obviously a great car, but I too would have liked to have the option to have the dsg which would be better for my commuting. If vw brings it next year I would buy one....lets hope.

[@kelowna555]

Great review.

[@Birdman11221]

Great video!

[@jinglebuddy]

@jinglebuddy sorry, I pressed a wrong key. What I meant to say was that the R doesn't feel quite as light-footed as a GTI, and the steering also doesn't feel as good, so to me it just wasn't as enjoyable. It looks like a great idea on paper, but it just left me cold.

[@steel337]

This guy is so cool

[@khunopie]

BEST REVIEW EVAH

[@sketchpro12]

I say that because the R is available in 2 or 4 door, so a 4 door R with DSG would've been perfect to replace both our cars with this one. My wife can drive stick, but with 2 kids and living in super hilly San Francisco it's not as practical as DSG. As for now I'll keep my R32 until the Scirocco R makes it stateside :P or the X-1 for that matter

[@rymdmyggan]

What is the difference between the 1012 model and the previous golf R? Can you swish of the stability control on this one?

[@TypeR1013]

Yeah the WRX and STI are definitely harder-edged than this car. They also understeer more. I'd probably get the STI as well, but the Golf is a better daily for most people IMO.

[@Magicrat999]

Can anybody comment on the comfort level index for a long highway drive?

[@marshknute]

Why does VW insist on screwing up the ultimate Golf? The GTI VR6 understeered like a pig with FWD. The first R32 was only available with 3 doors. The second generation R32 constantly disappointed journalists and enthusiasts b/c it was only available with a DSG gearbox. The Golf R continues to offer only one gearbox (the correct one this time), and now the gloriously quirky VR6 engine has been replaced by a tweaked version of the GTI's engine.

[@TypeR1013]

Thanks Em!

[@SuccubusLover69]

doesn't surprise me that he has a lot of room in that car.. what car would be small for him other than a go cart?

[@andyyarnell7579]

Well Ross, any sedan you drive will give the person behind you LOTS of leg room! Are you reading from cue cards? How do you read from cue cards while driving? I am a huge VW fan, so I really like the Golf R package, all wheel drive and 256 HP, loving it...

[@KuyaArbee]

ROSS and EMME are the BEST!!!!!!!!

[@Drewbie85]

@roadflytv @pizzapingvin Golf R does come with a dsg but only in europe, besides other features.

[@pininfarina575]

i think there's a lot of rear leg room because the presenter is pretty short and the front seat is pulled forward quite a bit...

[@bum813]

But they are also upping the golf-r bhp in 2014 I think it is

[@MsGolfR]

I drive my manual transmission car every day. My "toys" also have manual transmissions. I've NEVER had a an automatic until 8 months ago, and it's a truck for my race cars. It's really hard to use your phone, text, drink, eat, use navigation, etc, basically BE DISTRACTED with a manual. So be nice to those of us driving manuals, we're actually paying attention!

[@jinglebuddy]

It's yesterday's news tomorrow, I guess, but I actually wen to trade my Mk5 GTI for Golf R and ended up leaving with my GTI instead. It's slightly confusing, the R. I liked it hell of a lot, it actually feels quite a bit quicker, and really well planted, surely more car than my GTI. But it doesn't feel as light-footed as a

[@bludetrade]

Good review

[@jr800w]

Too late.........the new S3 has the E888 engine tuned by Audi and apparently consumes and average of 6.9l/100km........goes from 0-100 in about 5.1 secs dsg. No turbo lag, lighter and AWD.....a great benchmark for the new golf R MK7

[@sajdsjdsjkgds]

i hate these kids on here who are dudes who act like they're the man just cause they can drive a manual...

[@kyleb350]

Almost $37k? eesh. I had considered this along with the Focus ST, but seeing pretty much the only difference is AWD, and costs $8-9k more, I don't think it's worth it.