Volkswagen Golf

If you want to ruffle Audi’s feathers, simply refer to the accomplished S3 Sportback as a hatchback. “No, no, no,” Audi will object, “It’s kind of a little high-performance wagon”. And to an extent, I agree.

The Audi in question is a small car with a respectably sized boot, accessed through a fifth door, while offering ample room for adults in the second row. So it would qualify, in at least one definition, as a little wagon. Except I’ve just driven Volkswagen’s new Golf R wagon and the S3 has never looked more like a hatchback in hindsight.

Compared with the Golf R hatch, this second-generation wagon is a significantly extended evolution with a longer wheelbase, bigger boot and more room for passengers in the second row. Does this blend of proven performance and peak practicality work in practice or only in principle?

For a start, there’s plenty of muscle thanks to a 20Nm torque boost over the hatch that takes output to 420Nm, while power remains at a generous 235kW from the prolific EA888 turbo 2.0-litre four-cylinder.

In Comfort mode, the seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission can seem a little lazy and unwilling to drop a gear or rev into the peak power range, so calling on maximum motivation in a hurry can be frustrating.

Flick over to one of the numerous other drive modes, however, and the entire nature of the R wagon changes.

In Sport and Race, throttle response is exceptionally good and any suspicions of turbo lag are instantly dismissed. It’ll do the zero-to-100km/h dash only a tenth slower than the hatchback but 4.9 seconds is still very handy for getting to the shops in a hurry.

That’s paired with urgent and aggressive gearchanges from the oil-immersed dual-clutch for a wonderfully effortless method of covering distance.

There’s plenty of muscle thanks to a 20Nm torque boost over the hatch that takes output to 420Nm, while power remains at a generous 235kW

In the sportier modes, the exhaust backfires on overrun with the same unapologetic volume as a Hyundai i30 N but the general note gets no louder or more aggressive than in the mildest of modes so a little more theatre would have been good to accompany the other noticeable changes in the Golf’s character.

If VW offers the Akrapovic titanium exhaust offered for the T-Roc R, then we will be laughing.

In all modes, the steering loads up with a satisfying weight as lock is wound on and its nose turns in with the obedience that all versions of the Mk 8 Golf are known for. Give in to the steering’s confidence and encouragement and there is mountainous grip to be found in the wagon’s chassis.

Its 50mm longer wheelbase has imparted a greater sense of stability in faster corners and one particular favourite freeway slip road was dispatched with eye-opening pace.

That said, the turning circle is only widened by 100mm and any unwillingness to rotate compared with the hatchback would probably only be evident on the track.

What is obvious, however, is the greater mass that comes with the wagon body. With the extra dollop of torque, acceleration is virtually unaffected but the positioning of that additional 82kg certainly is noticeable when pushing the R wagon into corners.

The clever torque vectoring and sharp ESC intervene surprisingly often to resettle the unwieldy tail, which acts as a pendulum during aggressive changes of direction, exacerbated by the extended overall length (+354mm). It’s also not hard to find the limits of the relatively short suspension articulation.

Resistance to roll is conversely very good, as is overall handling, but the four bags of cement hanging over the rear axle cannot be entirely hidden – especially if you happen to get stuck in before the Hankook Ventus S1 Evo 3 rubber has had a chance to shake off a bit of Melbourne’s horrid chill.

With the extra dollop of torque, acceleration is virtually unaffected but the positioning of that additional 82kg certainly is noticeable when pushing the R wagon into corners.

To its credit, the stability program is very well tuned for the wagon and its effect is subtle, pinching a rear wheel rather than severing power when the limits of grip are nearing.

With no track time booked, Drift mode was regrettably not possible to test but I suspect the extra length and mass out back would make the slides possible in the hatchback even more hilariously sustainable. Nurburgring mode, however, is the absolute pick.

Its slightly softer and more compliant suspension setting – designed to pacify some of the Green Hell’s nasty bits – is particularly well-suited to Australia’s dodgy and sometimes unpredictable roads. It pairs with the more switched-on engine and steering settings for a mode that feels beautifully tailored for going fast Down Under.

Almost all other attributes are unchanged compared with the hatch. Brake feel is satisfyingly firm and more akin to multi-piston calipers than the Golf's beefy single-pot sliding units. Tyre noise is a bit intrusive but ride quality is forgivably firm, with adequate suppleness, and the longer body feels rigid.

Front seats are bucketed and sufficiently supportive to justify the R branding without becoming punishing on longer rides, the driving position is less hot hatch and more large coupe, while the aggressive R styling translates to a wagon body brilliantly. Its presence and stance on the road is irresistibly cool.

I won’t waste too much page space relisting the standard equipment, which is identical to the hatchback, but I will spend a few words to pick out some of the highlights as well as the not-so-good.

Brake feel is satisfyingly firm and more akin to multi-piston calipers than the Golf's beefy single-pot sliding units.

The interior is very well executed in typical Volkswagen fashion with a sharp central screen complemented by the digital instrument cluster, cool blue highlights, ergonomically excellent steering wheel and a general sense of refinement and quality as you might expect from the VW badge.

Inclusion of wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, a head-up display, heated and ventilated front seats, multicolour ambient lighting, adaptive LED headlights and cool R puddle lighting at night all add to the premium feel of the flagship Golf, but more on that later.

On the flipside, I’m certainly not the first to bemoan some of the functional failures such as fiddly infotainment operation, lack of volume control knob and solid-state temperature controllers that don’t illuminate at night.

While I’m at it, I failed to see the logic in fitting steering wheel function switches that don’t click, but then adding in synthetic sensation with generated haptic feedback. Seems like unnecessary complexity for no real advantage.

All-round parking radar is included as standard but cries wolf while there is still a foot of car park to use up (perhaps it thinks it’s still fitted to the hatchback), while reverse emergency braking activated on two occasions for absolutely no reason at all, prompting an unscheduled change of underwear.

So why would you pay the extra $3000 and cop a small but noticeable performance compromise for the new Golf R wagon over the hatchback that we like very much?

While the hatch has a relatively small boot, the wagon adds a whopping 237 litres of volume for a maximum capacity of 611L.

Not only that, the stretched length has liberated an extra 38mm of legroom for passengers in the second row. That mightn’t sound like much but in combination with a slightly raised roof, all five seats in the R are now reasonable propositions for longer trips.

There are also climate controls for the rear passengers, a couple of USB sockets, pleasantly reclined and supportive seats and two places for ISOFIX child seats.

When the full seating capacity isn’t required, the 60:40 folding rear seats open up a further 1031 litres of stowage – 412L bigger than the hatchback offers in full load mode. It’s not a completely flat load area, but the sheer size opens up mid-sized SUV levels of practicality.

Curiously, there’s no space-saver spare wheel even though the subwoofer hidden beneath the boot floor appears to have been designed to accommodate one, and the dreaded inflator kit is your only option if one of the 19-inch tyres get a puncture.

If you, as many Australians still do, refuse to give in to the tsunami of SUVs to get into something more practical, and still want a level of driving engagement associated with the halo R brand, an extra $3000 over the hatch seems like a bit of a bargain. Or is it?

The Golf R wagon is doubtless many cars in one and offers something more family-oriented without having to stray too far from the very peak of Volkswagen’s performance envelope, but it might be guilty of trying to do too much.

Certainly, it nails the performance vs practicality ratio with almost all of the hatchback’s potency, plus a segment-leading boot and genuinely comfortable seating for four adults (or five for shorter trips).

The Golf R wagon is doubtless many cars in one and offers something more family-oriented without having to stray too far from the very peak of Volkswagen’s performance envelope

But it feels like it has been spread a little thin when a bid to boost the luxury credentials VW has thrown into the mix as well. With a price increase over the first Golf R wagon, the 2022 version is a nearly $70,000 proposition and just $1710 cheaper than the Audi S3 hatchback, sorry, Sportback, which shares much of the Golf R hardware.

To my mind, an R wagon that offers the same punch as the Audi but leaves the luxury stuff to the four rings and costs about $60,000 would make far more sense. Instead, VW is encroaching on its sister brand’s territory and allowing fledgling Cupra to cut the affordable performance grass instead.

Undeniably, the new Golf R Wagon is a well-rounded car that will appeal to the relatively small but loyal high-performance, high-quality wagon crowd.

Despite its price, you could argue that, in the all-wheel-drive performance wagon market, it has the stage to itself – especially as Subaru won’t be offering a WRX STI of any form, let alone in Sportswagon format.

The truth is though, no matter how good the R wagon is, VW will probably sell one for every ten T-Roc Rs that arrive later this year despite the former offering almost twice the luggage capacity, more torque, the same all-wheel-drive transmission and superior dynamics.

Market positioning, crowded segments and esoteric product propositions aside, there is one simple Golf R wagon fact that we can say with confidence – you won’t get a faster wagon for the same cash.

Unless Audi reconsiders and decides its S3 isn't one after all.

The truth is though, no matter how good the R wagon is, VW will probably sell one for every ten T-Roc Rs that arrive later this year despite the former offering almost twice the luggage capacity, more torque, the same all-wheel-drive transmission and superior dynamics.