Volkswagen Golf R Estate review

Driving position

We’ve already commended the standard Golf, both in hatchback and estate forms, for offering an excellent driving position with ample adjustment for taller drivers.

Although you get the same driving position in the Golf R Estate, some drivers might want to sit a little lower given its sporty nature, so bear that in mind.

After all, this is a do-it-all car – it’s a family-friendly, high-quality compact estate with pacey acceleration, and we think VW has balanced all of this really well.

Strangely, as part of the Mk8.5 facelift in 2024, VW scrapped the touch-sensitive steering wheel buttons that plagued the Mk8 model, which was launched in 2020 (or 2021 for the estate).

That is, it removed those fiddly buttons in all versions of the Golf except for the R. While lower trim levels have more user-friendly physical steering wheel buttons, the R and R Estate still have touch-sensitive controls.

There’s nothing wrong with them, per se, but we’d prefer physical buttons because touch controls don’t offer as much feedback and they’re hard to figure out while driving.

Tech and features

Compared with Golfs of old, the Mk8.5 model has a more tech-centric interior, which means it feels more refined and minimalist.

Mounted on the front of the dashboard in tablet fashion is a 12.9-inch toushcreen infotainment display, which seems to have tablet-like processors too, because in most cases it’s slick and lag-free like an iPad.

It’s also easy to find your way around the system, and handily, key controls like climate settings all stay at the bottom of the screen regardless of which menu you’re in.

As part of its ChatGPT integration across its newer models, VW has also built in the smart AI assistant into the Golf R Estate, which means the voice recognition system is a lot better at handling natural language commands – you won’t have to sound so robotic when trying to change car settings with your voice anymore.

Apart from being a performance edition, the Golf R Estate is also somewhat of a trim level – it sits at the top of the Golf Estate family, above lesser-powered versions like the popular Golf Match and the sporty-looking Golf R-Line.

This means it gets all the best equipment that some of those models get, like three-zone climate control, heated seats and keyless entry.

Engines and power

Just like its predecessors, the Golf R uses a 2.0-litre petrol engine. For the nerds out there, it’s the EA888 LK3 evo4.

Power is up to 333hp, up from 320hp, bu`t torque remains unchanged at 420Nm. Subtle changes under the bonnet help shave 0.1 seconds off its 0-62mph time compared with the Mk8 variant, sold between 2021-2024.

The Golf R Estate Mk8.5 now does the sprint in 4.8 seconds, which is 0.2 seconds behind the Golf R hatchback.

That makes it one of the fastest estates around – the Ford Focus ST Estate gets to 62mph in 6.0 seconds with the automatic gearbox.

It’s only really challenged by the mechanically identical CUPRA Leon Estate and the significantly more expensive Mercedes-AMG CLA 35 Shooting brake, which gets to 62mph in a similar 4.9 seconds.

There is the CLA 45 which reached 62mph in 4.1 seconds, but it costs £70,000 new and isn’t especially popular because of that, so chances are you won’t have to worry about such competition when driving around in your Golf R Estate.

Handling and ride comfort

Before we even get to handling, we love what VW has done to the startup process. Hold the engine start button for 1.5 seconds before starting the engine with the brake pedal and the engine will start at 2,500rpm with a little rumble. This is great for car enthusiasts but not so great for your neighbours at 5am…

VW has also tweaked the drive modes, so you can pick from the usual Comfort, Sport, Race and

Individual modes, but also a new Eco mode which should help you squeeze a few extra miles out of a tank.

When driving in Comfort, gear changes now happen 100rpm later to make space for the quieter Eco mode. That means that, even though the suspension is set to Comfort, the engine sounds a little meaner.

As for when you’re going, the Dynamic Chassis Control (DCC) adaptive dampers let you choose from 15 different levels of softness or firmness, and the 4Motion four-wheel drive system makes good use of all that power.

However, the longer estate body does make the car feel slightly less agile than the regular Golf R hatchback, and it lacks the playful edge of its CUPRA Leon Estate cousin.

Boot space

This is why you’re considering a VW Golf R Estate over a hatchback, and at 611 litres, the boot offers a considerable upgrade over the hatchback’s 381 litres.

With the seats folded flat, it opens up a 1,642-litre space, and despite the Golf R Estate’s compact dimensions in relation to other estates, it still has a boxy interior shape and a wide boot opening, so you can make full use of the space.

If you do pull up to a Mercedes-AMG CLA 45 at the lights, don’t be disheartened that it can accelerate more quickly, because it has a much smaller 505-litre boot, so your Golf R Estate Mk8.5 certainly outperforms it.

Rear seats

Although the front sports seats do eat into rear legroom slightly, the Golf R Estate has a longer wheelbase than the standar Golf R, so it shouldn’t become a problem.

Seating two adults in the back is easy, but the combination of slightly limited headroom and slightly limited legroom means fitting a third in the middle isn’t as ideal.

Storage solutions

Cabin storage is functional, but the Golf R Estate doesn’t have anything that rivals don’t.

You get deep door pockets, useful centre console storage and a pretty average-sized glovebox.

By going automatic and using a small gear selector, VW was also able to squeeze in a small tray on the centre console for storing things like coins, if that’s still a thing?

Safety

Euro NCAP awarded the Golf a full five-star safety rating, and this extends to all versions of the Golf, including hatchback and estate body styles, as well as performance editions like the R as well as the less powerful GTI variants.

Fuel economy

Official figures suggest the Golf R Estate should be able to return an average of 35mpg, which is the same as the hatchback.

It’s like the GTI against the GTI Clubsport, so if you’re used to the higher running costs of hot hatches, then the Golf R Estate shouldn’t come as a shock.

Reliability

Volkswagen has been building the Golf for more than half a century. This is an updated version of the eighth generation, so it benefits from endless improvements.

The R is hardly a new model, either. It was introduced on the sixth-generation Golf in 2012, so it’s in its third generation, but it was inspired by the 3.2-litre VR6 that was available on the fourth- and fifth-generation R32 cars.

Besides, Volkswagen is known for building high-quality, dependable family cars, so performance aside, the Golf Estate is about as solid as it gets.

Insurance groups

The Volkswagen Golf R Estate is in insurance group 33 – within a group or two of all the other performance editions of this popular model.

Regular versions with petrol, diesel, mild hybrid and plug-in hybrid engines tend to be in the late teens and early 20s, so there’s a bit of a margin between insuring a Golf Estate and a Golf R Estate.