Latest news with #GolfR
The Sun
02-07-2025
- Automotive
- The Sun
Kia EV6 GT is a ridiculously fast SUV that even boils your kettle – but can it beat a £158k Porsche 911 in a drag race?
YOU join us at Santa Pod drag strip for a little 'run what ya brung' showdown. That's Sully in his box-fresh Golf R. 5 5 5 Nosh with his dreamy 911 GT3 Touring. Nice cars. Very nice cars. Except I'm going to smoke them in a Kia. Then make a cup of tea with it afterwards. Don't get me wrong, the Golf R is a lovely bit of kit. Nailed-on future classic. Sully's got 333 horses to play with and sticky four-wheel drive to go round significant corners at considerable speeds. But we're doing a quarter-mile drag race here, buddy. Eat my rubber. What can I say about Nosh's Porker? Dang. Inside Kia's refreshed Sportage including comfy cabin, punchy new looks and driving mode young families will love The noise — 510 horses, manual gearbox, red lines at 9,000rpm. No rear wing. Absolute weapon. Just stay away from those concrete barriers, eh, Noshy lad. They look hungry. Right, let's hit you with some times. The Golf R's quickest run was 12.5 seconds, reaching 110mph. The 911 edged it with 12.2 seconds and 119mph. Then it was my turn in Kia's EV6 GT. When electric cars accelerate — even the cheaper ones — they leave your head buried in the back of the headrest. This one, with 641 horses and 770Nm of torques, scrambles your eggs. Needless to say, we blitzed the £158k Porker by more than a second, flashing up 11.165 seconds and 124mph on the iconic Santa Pod gantry. Wallop. 5 With more road in front of us, like an unrestricted autobahn, we could have kept on pushing to a very un-Kia-like 161mph. New virtual gearshift technology adds simulated gear changes and fake engine sounds if you want them. Otherwise just pin it to win it. My new friend Nosh, an architect from Manchester, was clearly impressed. He said: 'It's amazing isn't it, ridiculously fast. "Eventually, when we have to, I'll probably get one. 'But I'm going to enjoy a manual gearshift and loud engines for as long as I can.' Fair play. He's owned some tasty motors over the years including a Ferrari 430 Scuderia and Porsche 930 Turbo 'Widowmaker'. Right, back on topic. Not only is the newly-updated EV6 GT faster than before, it goes further, recharges more quickerly — like 18 minutes — and the cabin's been given some love too. OUT goes the glossy piano black, replaced by less smudgy brushed plastic. IN comes lots of cool neon-green detailing. The twin-screen dash carries all the latest tech. You can use the car's power supply to boil a kettle or inflate an air bed on festival weekends. Last observation. Price. EV6 GT is actually £2,690 cheaper than before at £59,985. For a better car. Kia is going to take some catching at this rate. 5
Scottish Sun
02-07-2025
- Automotive
- Scottish Sun
Kia EV6 GT is a ridiculously fast SUV that even boils your kettle – but can it beat a £158k Porsche 911 in a drag race?
The EV6 GT is actually £2,690 cheaper than it was previously KNOCKED FOR EV6 Kia EV6 GT is a ridiculously fast SUV that even boils your kettle – but can it beat a £158k Porsche 911 in a drag race? YOU join us at Santa Pod drag strip for a little 'run what ya brung' showdown. That's Sully in his box-fresh Golf R. 5 The new Kia G6 took on a Golf R and a Porsche 911 GT3 5 The newly-updated EV6 GT is faster than before 5 The EV6 GT smoked the others, doing 11.165 seconds and 124mph on the iconic Santa Pod gantry Credit: Ian Roman Nosh with his dreamy 911 GT3 Touring. Nice cars. Very nice cars. Except I'm going to smoke them in a Kia. Then make a cup of tea with it afterwards. Don't get me wrong, the Golf R is a lovely bit of kit. Nailed-on future classic. Sully's got 333 horses to play with and sticky four-wheel drive to go round significant corners at considerable speeds. But we're doing a quarter-mile drag race here, buddy. Eat my rubber. What can I say about Nosh's Porker? Dang. Inside Kia's refreshed Sportage including comfy cabin, punchy new looks and driving mode young families will love The noise — 510 horses, manual gearbox, red lines at 9,000rpm. No rear wing. Absolute weapon. Just stay away from those concrete barriers, eh, Noshy lad. They look hungry. Right, let's hit you with some times. The Golf R's quickest run was 12.5 seconds, reaching 110mph. The 911 edged it with 12.2 seconds and 119mph. Then it was my turn in Kia's EV6 GT. When electric cars accelerate — even the cheaper ones — they leave your head buried in the back of the headrest. This one, with 641 horses and 770Nm of torques, scrambles your eggs. Needless to say, we blitzed the £158k Porker by more than a second, flashing up 11.165 seconds and 124mph on the iconic Santa Pod gantry. Wallop. 5 The EV6 GT is faster than before, goes further, and recharges quicker Credit: Ian Roman With more road in front of us, like an unrestricted autobahn, we could have kept on pushing to a very un-Kia-like 161mph. New virtual gearshift technology adds simulated gear changes and fake engine sounds if you want them. Otherwise just pin it to win it. My new friend Nosh, an architect from Manchester, was clearly impressed. He said: 'It's amazing isn't it, ridiculously fast. "Eventually, when we have to, I'll probably get one. 'But I'm going to enjoy a manual gearshift and loud engines for as long as I can.' Fair play. He's owned some tasty motors over the years including a Ferrari 430 Scuderia and Porsche 930 Turbo 'Widowmaker'. Right, back on topic. Not only is the newly-updated EV6 GT faster than before, it goes further, recharges more quickerly — like 18 minutes — and the cabin's been given some love too. OUT goes the glossy piano black, replaced by less smudgy brushed plastic. IN comes lots of cool neon-green detailing. The twin-screen dash carries all the latest tech. You can use the car's power supply to boil a kettle or inflate an air bed on festival weekends. Last observation. Price. EV6 GT is actually £2,690 cheaper than before at £59,985. For a better car. Kia is going to take some catching at this rate. Key facts: KIA EV6 GT Price: £59,985 Battery: 84kWh Power: 641hp 0-62mph: 3.5 secs Top speed: 161mph Range: 279 miles Charging: 18 mins Drag time: 11.2 secs 5 The EV6 GT is £2,690 cheaper than before at £59,985 Credit: Ian Roman Unlock even more award-winning articles as The Sun launches brand new membership programme - Sun Club.
The Irish Sun
02-07-2025
- Automotive
- The Irish Sun
Kia EV6 GT is a ridiculously fast SUV that even boils your kettle – but can it beat a £158k Porsche 911 in a drag race?
YOU join us at Santa Pod drag strip for a little 'run what ya brung' showdown. That's Sully in his box-fresh 5 The new Kia G6 took on a Golf R and a Porsche 911 GT3 5 The newly-updated EV6 GT is faster than before 5 The EV6 GT smoked the others, doing 11.165 seconds and 124mph on the iconic Santa Pod gantry Credit: Ian Roman Nosh with his dreamy Nice cars. Very nice cars. Except I'm going to smoke them in a read more on motors Then make a cup of tea with it afterwards. Don't get me wrong, the Sully's got 333 horses to play with and sticky four-wheel drive to go round significant corners at considerable speeds. But we're doing a quarter-mile drag race here, buddy. Most read in Motors Eat my rubber. What can I say about Nosh's Porker? Dang. Inside Kia's refreshed Sportage including comfy cabin, punchy new looks and driving mode young families will love The noise — 510 horses, manual gearbox, red lines at 9,000rpm. No rear wing. Absolute weapon. Just stay away from those concrete barriers, eh, Noshy lad. They look hungry. Right, let's hit you with some times. The Golf R's quickest run was 12.5 seconds, reaching 110mph. The 911 edged it with 12.2 seconds and 119mph. Then it was my turn in Kia's EV6 GT. When electric cars accelerate — even the cheaper ones — they leave your head buried in the back of the headrest. This one, with 641 horses and 770Nm of torques, scrambles your eggs. Needless to say, we blitzed the £158k Porker by more than a second, flashing up 11.165 seconds and 124mph on the iconic Wallop. 5 The EV6 GT is faster than before, goes further, and recharges quicker Credit: Ian Roman With more road in front of us, like an unrestricted autobahn, we could have kept on pushing to a very un-Kia-like 161mph. New virtual gearshift technology adds simulated gear changes and fake engine sounds if you want them. Otherwise just pin it to win it. My new friend Nosh, an architect from Manchester, was clearly impressed. He said: 'It's amazing isn't it, ridiculously fast. "Eventually, when we have to, I'll probably get one. 'But I'm going to enjoy a manual gearshift and loud engines for as long as I can.' Fair play. He's owned some tasty motors over the years including a Ferrari 430 Scuderia and Porsche 930 Turbo 'Widowmaker'. Right, back on topic. Not only is the newly-updated EV6 GT faster than before, it goes further, recharges more quickerly — like 18 minutes — and the cabin's been given some love too. OUT goes the glossy piano black, replaced by less smudgy brushed plastic. IN comes lots of cool neon-green detailing. The twin-screen dash carries all the latest tech. You can use the car's power supply to boil a kettle or inflate an air bed on festival weekends. Last observation. Price. EV6 GT is actually £2,690 cheaper than before at £59,985. For a better car. Kia is going to take some catching at this rate. Key facts: KIA EV6 GT Price: £59,985 Battery: 84kWh Power: 641hp 0-62mph: 3.5 secs Top speed: 161mph Range: 279 miles Charging: 18 mins Drag time: 11.2 secs 5 The EV6 GT is £2,690 cheaper than before at £59,985 Credit: Ian Roman Unlock even more award-winning articles as The Sun launches brand new membership programme - Sun Club.
Motor 1
02-07-2025
- Automotive
- Motor 1
Volkswagen Sales Are Way Down—Except for One Model
Volkswagen of America didn't have a great second quarter. The German automaker reported results for April, May, and June on Wednesday, revealing a 29 percent decrease in sales year-over-year. Every model saw a drop in sales, save for one: The Golf R. Sales of the hot hatchback were up 12.1 percent versus the same period last year. The sudden jump in Golf R sales can be traced to a model changeover that happened late last year. The all-wheel drive hot hatch and its sibling, the Golf GTI, received a facelift that included a slightly altered design and more power. That meant a retooling at the factory, and subsequently, a delay in production. Only now is production finally back up to full speed, hence the increase in sales. Here's the full sales breakdown: Car Q2 2025 Sales Q2 2024 Sales YoY Change Atlas 18,174 19,293 -5.8% Atlas Cross Sport 7,984 9,769 -18.3% Taos 13,898 20,468 -32.1% Tiguan 11,486 21,038 -45.4% ID.4 1,992 5,690 -65.0% ID. Buzz 564 0 100.0% Jetta 14,545 20,508 -29.1% Arteon 2 419 -99.5% Golf GTI 1,877 2,647 -29.1% Golf R 873 779 12.1% Total 71,395 100,612 -29.0% "Increase" is, of course, relative. The Golf R makes up a tiny fraction of VW's volume, accounting for just 873 units in the past three months. Only the ID. Buzz , which only recently went into production, sold in fewer numbers (weirdly, VW also sold two Arteons in Q2, despite the car being long out of production, but we don't count those). The more affordable Golf GTI fared a bit better in the second quarter, with dealers moving 1,877 units—a drop of 770 cars versus the same period in 2024. The decrease isn't terribly surprising, seeing as how Volkswagen dropped the manual gearbox option for the 2025 model year. In its suspiciously short press release, VW didn't cite a reason for the sharp decline in sales beyond calling the current market a "challenging environment." If we had to guess, tariffs placed on foreign vehicle imports likely had a material impact on supply and pricing. The company paused shipments to the US in April, but also promised to keep prices tariff-free until the end of June. It's still unclear how much more expensive VW's lineup will get, though any increase certainly won't help sales. More on Volkswagen Wow: Volkswagen's EVs Are Outselling Tesla in Europe Why Volkswagen Golf GTI and R Sales Are Way Down Get the best news, reviews, columns, and more delivered straight to your inbox, daily. back Sign up For more information, read our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use . Share this Story Facebook X LinkedIn Flipboard Reddit WhatsApp E-Mail Got a tip for us? Email: tips@ Join the conversation ( )
Car and Driver
27-06-2025
- Automotive
- Car and Driver
2026 Volkswagen Golf R Review, Pricing, and Specs
Overview A practical sports car, the Golf R is what you get when you add more power and all-wheel drive to the already entertaining GTI hatchback. There's 328 horsepower on tap—87 more than in its sibling—and reactions are further sharpened through various chassis tweaks. This car's low-volume status means VW now only imports it with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission (go back a couple years if you want a manual), and it comes in one very loaded but pricey trim. All but the speed-freakiest would likely be satisfied with a cheap-by-comparison GTI instead, but there's no denying the R's performance cred. What's New for 2026? The Black Edition trim offered in 2025 goes away, leaving just the standard model for this year. A new exterior hue called Graphite Gray Metallic joins the roster. Pricing and Which One to Buy The price of the 2026 Volkswagen Golf R is expected to start around $49,000. Golf R $49,000 (est) 0 $10k $20k $30k $40k $50k $60k $70k $80k For 2026, the Golf R is sold in just one fully loaded trim level, making the decision rather easy. The only major choice is whether to go for the enticing Euro Style package that VW says saves around 80 pounds: it gets rid of the sunroof, swaps in manually adjustable front seats, and includes a meaner-sounding Akrapovic exhaust system that's lighter than the standard setup. Engine, Transmission, and Performance As of 2025, the Golf R's turbocharged 2.0-liter engine is rated at 328 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque; a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission is the sole gearbox offered. The standard 4Motion all-wheel-drive system features a rear differential that can actively distribute torque between the left and right rear wheels for improved handling. When we drove the 2025 Golf R, we found it to be just as responsive and eager as before, and the boosted turbo-four feels equally great on either twisty roads or the racetrack. 0–60-MPH Times Volkswagen claims the latest Golf R is capable of hitting 60 mph in 4.6 seconds. Based on our previous testing, however, we feel that number may be a tad conservative. For instance, a 2022 Golf R with the seven-speed automatic transmission hit 60 mph in just 4.1 seconds in our hands. We also tested a 2023 Volkswagen Golf R as part of a 0-to-150-to-0 speed test where it sprinted to 150 mph and returned to a stop in just 40.2 seconds—well before its rivals, the Honda Civic Type R and Hyundai Elantra N, which were also part of the same test. View Exterior Photos Volkswagen Fuel Economy and Real-World MPG The EPA hasn't released any fuel-economy information for the 2026 Golf R yet, but the 2025 model earned ratings of 22 mpg city, 31 mpg highway, and 25 mpg combined. In our 75-mph highway fuel-economy testing, part of our extensive testing regimen, the automatic Golf R averaged an impressive 34 mpg. For more information about the Golf R's fuel economy, visit the EPA's website. Interior, Comfort, and Cargo The standard Golf R interior comes with nicely bolstered high-back sport seats rendered in black leather. Opting for the Euro Style package replaces the front thrones with lighter pieces wearing fake suede with cloth inserts that go without ventilation and offer power adjustment only for recline. There are R logos and blue accents in several spots, including the stitched-leather steering wheel. Unlike the GTI, the Golf R retains frustrating touch-sensitive steering-wheel controls, which include an R button to expedite access to the drive-mode menu. The Golf's interior materials and design have been updated over the years, but the basic five-passenger-and-cargo format has remained set in stone for decades because it works. View Interior Photos Volkswagen Infotainment and Connectivity A 12.9-inch infotainment screen dominates the middle of the dashboard. A revised menu structure teams with updated software to streamline operation, including more user-defined widgets in the home screen, and a static, full-time lower control bar keeps certain commands in view 24/7. HVAC controls are reimagined into more intuitive illuminated sliders like in other new VW products. Instrumentation is displayed in a 10.2-inch digital driver's screen; a configurable head-up display keeps critical data visible. The system includes a GPS lap timer that learns the circuit before activation and allows the user to set three waypoints to allow for comparing times over certain sections, as well as compare the fastest and slowest laps and display them concurrently. The G-meter offers three modes to zoom in on reactions and hone your performance. Safety and Driver-Assistance Features The Golf R offers an array of driver-assistance technology, including blind-spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control, and lane-keeping assist. For more information about the Golf R's crash-test results, visit the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) websites. Key safety features include: Standard forward-collision warning and automated emergency braking Standard lane-departure warning and lane-keeping assist Standard adaptive cruise control with a lane-centering feature Warranty and Maintenance Coverage It's unlikely that Volkswagen will alter its warranty schedule for 2026. We expect it to carry on with the existing coverage that provides an average powertrain warranty but some of the best limited warranty and complimentary scheduled maintenance programs currently available in the segment. Limited warranty covers four years or 50,000 miles Powertrain warranty covers four years or 50,000 miles Complimentary maintenance is covered for two years or 20,000 miles Specifications Specifications 2025 Volkswagen Golf R Vehicle Type: front-engine, all-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door hatchback PRICE Base: Golf R, $48,325; Black Edition, $49,640 ENGINE turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 16-valve inline-4, iron block and aluminum head, direct fuel injection Displacement: 121 in3, 1984 cm3 Power: 328 hp @ 6500 rpm Torque: 295 lb-ft @ 2000 rpm TRANSMISSION 7-speed dual-clutch automatic DIMENSIONS Wheelbase: 103.5 in Length: 169.1 in Width: 70.4 in Height: 57.8 in Passenger Volume, F/R: 51/41 ft3 Cargo Volume, Behind F/R: 35/20 ft3 Curb Weight (C/D est): 3400 lb PERFORMANCE (C/D EST) 60 mph: 4.0 sec 100 mph: 10.2 sec 1/4-Mile: 12.5 sec Top Speed: 155 mph EPA FUEL ECONOMY Combined/City/Highway: 25/22/31 mpg More Features and Specs
