Volkswagen Golf R Wagon Gets One Step Closer To Reality

Derek Kreindler
by Derek Kreindler

We may not be clear on whether the Volkswagen Golf wagon will get all-wheel drive in North America, but it looks like VW is hard at work on an R version of the Golf wagon.

Spotted by AutoGuide photographers on its second Nurburgring run, this prototype looks a bit more polished than the last mule we encountered. The MQB-based wagon borrows the 296-horsepower 2.0T engine and Haldex AWD setup from the Golf R, and thanks to the flexibility of MQB, the marginal cost of making this car for world markets is likely low enough that VW can produce a limited run. North America, with its distinct regulations, might be another story. The business case for an R Wagon is tenuous at best – but we can always hold out hope.




Derek Kreindler
Derek Kreindler

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  • Notapreppie Notapreppie on May 22, 2014

    So, this is basically just a Jetta R Wagon...?

    • See 3 previous
    • Bball40dtw Bball40dtw on May 23, 2014

      @Jimal Yea!

  • Mad_science Mad_science on May 22, 2014

    I used to own a WRX wagon, back when they were more Wagon-y. I'd consider springing for a GolfR long-roof.

  • Kjhkjlhkjhkljh kljhjkhjklhkjh A prelude is a bad idea. There is already Acura with all the weird sport trims. This will not make back it's R&D money.
  • Analoggrotto I don't see a red car here, how blazing stupid are you people?
  • Redapple2 Love the wheels
  • Redapple2 Good luck to them. They used to make great cars. 510. 240Z, Sentra SE-R. Maxima. Frontier.
  • Joe65688619 Under Ghosn they went through the same short-term bottom-line thinking that GM did in the 80s/90s, and they have not recovered say, to their heyday in the 50s and 60s in terms of market share and innovation. Poor design decisions (a CVT in their front-wheel drive "4-Door Sports Car", model overlap in a poorly performing segment (they never needed the Altima AND the Maxima...what they needed was one vehicle with different drivetrain, including hybrid, to compete with the Accord/Camry, and decontenting their vehicles: My 2012 QX56 (I know, not a Nissan, but the same holds for the Armada) had power rear windows in the cargo area that could vent, a glass hatch on the back door that could be opened separate from the whole liftgate (in such a tall vehicle, kinda essential if you have it in a garage and want to load the trunk without having to open the garage door to make room for the lift gate), a nice driver's side folding armrest, and a few other quality-of-life details absent from my 2018 QX80. In a competitive market this attention to detai is can be the differentiator that sell cars. Now they are caught in the middle of the market, competing more with Hyundai and Kia and selling discounted vehicles near the same price points, but losing money on them. They invested also invested a lot in niche platforms. The Leaf was one of the first full EVs, but never really evolved. They misjudged the market - luxury EVs are selling, small budget models not so much. Variable compression engines offering little in terms of real-world power or tech, let a lot of complexity that is leading to higher failure rates. Aside from the Z and GT-R (low volume models), not much forced induction (whether your a fan or not, look at what Honda did with the CR-V and Acura RDX - same chassis, slap a turbo on it, make it nicer inside, and now you can sell it as a semi-premium brand with higher markup). That said, I do believe they retain the technical and engineering capability to do far better. About time management realized they need to make smarter investments and understand their markets better.
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