Volkswagen's swiftest Golf yet is the flagship hot-hatch that now makes more sense.

The Good: Improved value; strong, effortless performance; high grip levels; respectable fuel economy; top-quality interior.

The Bad: Not as quick as an STI or as an Evo; requires premium fuel; adaptive damper system should be standard.

2 Minute road test

Price and equipment
The old R32 struggled to justify its hefty premium over the GTI but the new R closes the value gap from a $17,000 chasm to a sub-$10,000 crevice. A $48,490 opening sticker for a three-door manual is $7000 cheaper than before and the five-door now starts at $49,990.

VW has taken out the leather, heated seats for cloth-microfibre pews to help bring the R-badged Golf below the $50,000 mark for the first time but ultimately there are more gains than losses.

Front and rear parking sensors are now included in the price.

Other goodies include 18-inch alloy wheels, dual-zone climate control, cruise, bi-xenon headlights, visual parking aid with sensors and six-CD audio with colour touch screen.

It's also the only Golf on which metallic paint doesn't cost extra. The German maker, however, continues to be mean-fisted with Bluetooth, while adaptive shock absorbers also could have been made standard to further distance it from the GTI.

If you want to increase the R's obsession with black, you can even buy (bigger) alloy wheels painted in the colour of the night.

Under the bonnet
There's only one reason to shed a tear for the old 3.2-litre V6 and that's its lusty soundtrack.

Otherwise, the R's 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder (shared with the Audi S3) is both more powerful (188kW v 184kW) and significantly more fuel efficient - a 21 per cent improvement reduces consumption to 8.4 litres per 100 kilometres.

There's still a suitably meaty exhaust note and the R feels quicker than a GTI both off the line and through the gears.

The accelerative performance is helped by the flagship Golf's power being put to the ground through all four wheels rather than just the fronts.

VW says four out of five R buyers will opt for the $2500 seven-speed dual-clutch auto, which achieves the fastest claimed 0-100km/h time (5.7 seconds) and entertains with a case of exhaust flatulence with each quick-fire upshift.

Not that the six-speed manual is the poor man's gearbox. Its shift action is light and positive and it is smoother to use in stop-start traffic than the habitually hesitant DSG auto.

By the way, if you notice the European Golf R has 195kW and is slightly faster, it's not a printing error.

As with the S3, the four-cylinder has been detuned for Australia because of engine cooling concerns in what VW classes as a hot climate.

How it drives
If the Golf R looks like a mature hot-hatch inside and out, the driving experience doesn't contradict.

It's as easy and enjoyable to drive slowly to Woolies as it is to drive quickly along a winding country road.

Even if the firmer springs and dampers mean you'll feel bumps a bit more through your seat compared with the GTI, the suspension is still relatively comfortable in hot-hatch terms.

And, as with the GTI, spending $1500 on the optional "adaptive chassis control" is worthwhile to introduce a more settled urban ride - by selecting Comfort mode - or a slightly tauter drive (Dynamic).

Either way, mid-corner bumps won't upset the R's trajectory and the new, faster-acting Haldex all-wheel-drive system - which no longer needs to detect front-wheel slippage before engaging the rear axle - delivers leech-like traction on greasy winding roads.

Less weight over the nose also makes the R feel a better-balanced car than its bigger-engined predecessor, though the R isn't necessarily more thrilling to drive than the GTI.

Comfort and practicality
The black theme continues with the R's predominantly dark-trimmed cabin.

There are few surprises but that's not too disappointing when the Golf already boasts the benchmark interior for small cars.

"R" logos adorn the headrests of the cloth-microfibre sports seats, steering wheel and aluminium-effect dash strips. Where the GTI is famous for its red stitching, the R opts for grey thread.

The R, though, is the least practical Golf you can buy. The four-wheel-drive system robs the boot of 75 litres of space.

Safety features mirror those of all Golfs: five-star independent crash rating, stability control and seven airbags (front, side, curtain and driver's knee).

Overall verdict
Four out of five stars

If you prefer your premium-priced hot-hatch to be a single-focused machine that delivers a raw and raucous experience, we'd suggest shopping in the aisles marked "STI" or "Evo".

If, however, you want a hatchback that has a near-perfect marriage of refinement and rapidity, pop the Golf R in your trolley.

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