Volkswagen Celebrates Golf R Milestone with 20th Anniversary Edition

• New Golf R anniversary edition sheds weight, adds unique details.
• Available manual transmission limited to North American buyers.
• Only about 1,800 will be available.

Genuine carbon-fiber trim will accent the cabin, along with special R badging on the exterior, the flat-bottom steering wheel and, yes, even the key fob. You'll have a choice of three colors: Lapiz Blue Metallic, Deep Black Pearl and Pure White.

Manual or auto? No downside to either

The 20^th Anniversary Edition will ride atop the same chassis that underpins the regular Golf R and benefits from the same torque-vectoring all-wheel-drive system and adaptive suspension. The 315-horsepower turbo four-cylinder will pair with either a seven-speed dual-clutch auto or a six-speed manual transmission. The manual is exclusive to North American buyers. After all, manual transmissions account for about 40% of Golf R sales in North America.

The dual-clutch gearbox isn't a concession, though. In our testing, we found it bangs off far more refined gear shifts than the automatic transmissions in some rivals, and it helps propel the Golf R from 0 to 60 mph in just 4.3 seconds. The dual-clutch also has history in the Golf R. Although the design dates back nearly a century and had been used in race cars in the 1980s, the dual-clutch found its first use in a production car with the Golf R32's debut, where it was paired with a 3.2-liter six-cylinder that made 240 horsepower.

Wars have cooled but still run warm

Increasingly stringent emissions and fuel economy regulations — alongside increased consumer preference for crossovers — have dampened today's hot hatch field, which at its peak contained hi-po challengers like the Ford Focus RS, Subaru WRX STI, Civic Type R, Veloster N and Mini John Cooper Works GP. Today's landscape features only a few rivals to the Golf R, and include a rebooted 315-hp Civic Type R and the forthcoming 300-hp Toyota GR Corolla.

The Golf R 20^th Anniversary Edition goes on sale this fall starting at $44,940 for the manual and the $45,740 for the dual-clutch before destination fees.

Edmunds says

VW gives its spiciest hatchback a fitting birthday tribute, and we like it.