As if the Volkswagen Golf R weren't powerful enough, V-Dub shoved more performance under the hood of its hottest hatch for 2025. On top of that, the Golf R gets upgrades in the looks and amenities departments to make it more enticing for the new year.
Let's start with the most important stuff: Power. VW already released the Golf R's numbers for Europe, but now we know exactly how much oomph the hot hatch makes in the US. The 2025 Volkswagen Golf R has 328 horsepower from its turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine—13 more than last year. All-wheel drive still comes standard, and it's paired to a seven-speed dual-clutch DSG gearbox. Unfortunately, the more powerful Golf R Clubsport probably won't come to the US.
New headlights and a revised front bumper give the Golf R a more aggressive look, while an illuminated light bar with an illuminated VW logo both come standard on the front end. Opt for the new Golf R Black Edition (which initially debuted in Europe but will be available in the US), and it adds blacked-out elements like the wheels, brake calipers, and carbon fiber accents.
VW also offers a new Euro Style package for the Golf R that includes fabric seats, a sunroof delete, an Akrapovic titanium exhaust, and new 19-inch forged alloy wheels that are 20 percent lighter than the Golf R’s previous shoes.
Inside, the Golf R has a new 12.9-inch touchscreen running VW’s latest interface. It’s the same faster and easier-to-use UI employed by the ID.Buzz. That also extends to GTI for 2025. Unfortunately, only the GTI gets a new steering wheel with hard buttons instead of haptic feedback switchgears. You’ll still have to settle for haptic feedback controls in the Golf R.
The GTI still makes 241 hp from its turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, paired exclusively to a seven-speed dual-clutch DSG. RIP to the manual transmission on both models.
Both the GTI and Golf R get VW’s IQ.Drive active safety features, which include things like adaptive cruise control, traffic sign recognition, lane-keep assist, and lots more. The Golf R even adds Park Assist Plus at no extra cost.
Volkswagen hasn’t released pricing on the 2025 GTI or Golf R models just yet, but we should know more about the two models when they go on sale in just a few months.
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