The Volkswagen Golf R CKD gets its pricing, but isn’t the MK8.5 Golf R being revealed soon?
Volkswagen Passenger Cars Malaysia (VCPM) yesterday announced the pricing for the locally-assembled Golf R. The CKD Volkswagen Golf R MK8 will be priced at RM332,990 and that includes the Volkswagen Assurance Package (VAP). VAP comes with 5 years of free maintenance, 5 years of roadside assistance and a 5 year warranty with unlimited mileage. While this severely undercuts the pricing of its key rivals – the Toyota GR Corolla and Honda Civic Type R, there’s one glaring issue.
The issue is that the Golf R is due a facelift and this new model is set to be shown worldwide in mid-2024 which is just a month away. This might be a problem as most enthusiasts are keenly aware that the update is coming soon and these enthusiasts will also be the target customer for the Golf R. Perhaps this is a factor that has influenced the good pricing.
Volkswagen Golf R CKD Specification
The Malaysia-assembled Golf R comes with the R Performance Package. This package includes a titanium Akrapovič exhaust, 19″ Estoril alloy wheels and a new rear spoiler. The Golf R is distinguished visually by a motorsport inspired R front bumper and R radiator grille. There are three colour choices – Lapiz Blue, Deep Black and Pure White.
Inside, you’ll find R decorative trim in Carbon Grey, premium Nappa sport leather seats with R styling, an R performance steering wheel, a blue backlit R button and shift paddles. The Golf R also comes with a Heads-up Display, a 10″ Discover Pro infotainment system, a 10-speaker 480W Harman Kardon sound system, a wireless smartphone charger, and automatic high beam assist.
IQ.DRIVE tech is standard and this includes advanced driver assistance systems such as Travel Assist with Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), Side Assist, Front Assist, Lane Assist and Emergency Assist. Besides that, one can access “Drift” and “Special” modes through the “R” button on the steering wheel. “Drift” sends most of the torque to the rear wheels while “Special” adjusts the suspension for optimum damping for when driving in demanding conditions. It was specifically designed for the conditions of the Nürburgring-Nordschleife.
The Golf R is powered by a 2.0L TSI 4-cylinder turbocharged engine mated to a 7-speed dual-clutch (wet type) transmission. Power is sent to all four wheels via the 4MOTION system with performance torque vectoring. The Golf R goes from 0-100km/h in just 4.8 seconds.
