2017 Volkswagen Golf R Review

Name: 2017 Volkswagen Golf R Review
Brand: Volkswagen

Price: $26,998

2017 Volkswagen Golf R w/Dynamic Chassis Control and Navigation 4dr Hatchback Exterior Shown

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Volkswagen Golf R model years

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Edmunds' Expert Review

by Mark Takahashi^{Correspondent
Mark Takahashi has worked in the automotive industry since 2001. He has written thousands of car-related articles and tested and reviewed hundreds of vehicles over the course of his career. Mark has also contributed to Motor Trend, Auto Aficionado, Chevy High Performance and several motorcycle magazines in various roles. Mark is also a juror on the North American Car, Truck and Utility Vehicle of the Year Awards and can be seen regularly on the Edmunds YouTube channel and sometimes representing the company in media interviews.}

Pros

Impressive performance from the all-wheel-drive system
Great handling without sacrificing ride quality
Interior is well built with excellent materials
Accommodating and flexible cargo space

Cons

Performance gains may not justify the hefty price tag

What’s new

For 2017, The Golf R's previously optional Golf R Driver Assistance package with added safety features is now included as standard equipment.

Vehicle overview

The Volkswagen Golf R is a wildly entertaining hatchback with an abundance of power, the control of all-wheel drive and sporty handling that'll get your pulse racing. Even more significant, however, is that it also gets high marks for comfort and convenience.

Continue reading Edmunds Expert Rating below

For sale near Torrance, CA

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2017 Volkswagen Golf R
w/DCC and Navigation 4dr Hatchback
$27,997
- 54,309 miles
- 4cyl manual
- Paradise Cadillac (70 mi away)
- AWD/4WD
- Back-up camera
- Bluetooth
- Navigation
- Leather Seats
Close
Located in Temecula, CA
CARFAX One-Owner. Clean CARFAX. Certified. Blue 2017 Volkswagen Golf R 4Motion AWD 6-Speed Manual 2.0L TSI We are Used Car Specialists! Paradise provi...
AutoCheck Vehicle History Summary Unavailable.
Features and Specs:
25 Combined MPG (22 City/31 Highway)
Listing Information:
VIN: WVWWF7AU3HW121763
Stock: T25979A
Certified Pre-Owned: No
Listed since: 04-21-2025
2017 Volkswagen Golf R
w/DCC and Navigation 4dr Hatchback
$26,877
- 64,086 miles
- No accidents, 2 owners, personal use only
- 4cyl manual
- Blackstone Toyota (223 mi away)
- AWD/4WD
- Back-up camera
- Bluetooth
- Navigation
- Leather Seats
Close
Located in Fresno, CA
2017 Volkswagen Golf R DCC & Navigation 4Motion AWD 6-Speed Manual 2.0L TSIRecent Arrival! 22/31 City/Highway MPGReviews: * Impressive performance f...
AutoCheck Vehicle History Summary
Accident Free Vehicle: Yes
Personal Use Only: Yes
History Provider: AutoCheck
Title Details: Clean Title
Salvage Vehicle: No
Frame Damage: No
Theft History: No
Lemon Status: No
Free History Report: No
Features and Specs:
25 Combined MPG (22 City/31 Highway)
Listing Information:
VIN: WVWWF7AU7HW098696
Stock: U07094
Certified Pre-Owned: No
Listed since: 03-30-2025

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Edmunds' Expert Rating

4.5 / 5

Trim tested

2016 Volkswagen Golf R (2.0L 4-cyl. turbo; AWD; 6-speed dual-clutch automatic)

Scorecard

Overall	4.5 / 5
Driving	5.0
Comfort	4.5
Interior	5.0
Utility	4.0

Driving

5.0

The Golf R's 292-horsepower 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder produces strong power that few competitors can match, and its braking and handling are impressive as well. Importantly, the R's upgrades represent clear improvements over the Volkswagen GTI. As a performance machine, it doesn't disappoint.

Acceleration

5.0

There's plenty of torque right off the line, but power really explodes around 4,000 rpm. It reaches 60 mph in an effortless 4.6 seconds with the DSG automatic and launch control. Our best GTI time is 6.2 seconds; the Subaru STI takes 5 seconds. AWD assures there's no torque steer, either.

Braking

5.0

Stopping from 60 mph required only 102 feet thanks in part to the summer tires, but that's still fantastic for any car. The reassuring, progressive pedal response is accompanied by good feedback. It's easy to get just the right amount of braking you want.

Steering

4.0

In Normal mode, the steering can feel numb and overly light considering the car's sporting intent. Race mode is better and feels more responsive, but in the end, the Golf R's steering is good but not great.

Handling

4.5

The combination of all-wheel drive, summer tires and a smart stability control system makes the Golf R very easy to drive aggressively. When going around turns, there's lots of grip, and it's predictable and manageable.

Drivability

5.0

The DSG dual-clutch automatic transmission fires off smooth shifts without the slow-speed stuttering and hesitation of other such transmissions. It's an easy car to drive quickly or slowly. The traditional manual is also easy to use, even in bumper-to-bumper traffic.

Comfort

4.5

Despite its performance potential, the Golf R is surprisingly comfortable, especially compared to other sport compacts. Your daily commute or your date doesn't have to suffer because of your weekend fun, but it's obviously less comfy than like-priced luxury cars.

Seat comfort

5.0

The seats are superb, offering just enough side bolstering to keep the average person in place through turns without feeling confining the rest of the time. They're also very supportive over long distances.

Ride comfort

4.0

The ride is firm compared to similarly priced luxury cars, but it's a La-Z-Boy compared to some rival hot hatches. Ruts and bumps are well-damped and rarely harsh. The mostly standard DCC adaptive dampers further improve the ride.

Noise & vibration

4.5

Tire and wind noise is minimal, especially compared to other high-powered sport compacts. The engine note has a fantastic snarl, and it sounds even better when the car is put in Race mode. You can also select the louder engine note individually.

Interior

5.0

Yes, this is a very expensive compact hatchback, but it's arguably the best in terms of practicality. The added R touches don't take anything away from that, making the Golf R a car you'd be happy to use every day.

Ease of use

4.0

Driver-centric controls are close, clearly labeled and easy to use. The touchscreen is better than those of rivals, thanks to sharp graphics, large icons and quick responses. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are also included.

Getting in/getting out

5.0

Wide and tall doors with a moderately high seat make this an easy car to get into and out of, especially for its size. Given that cars of similar performance are often coupes, this four-door hatch gains an even greater advantage.

Driving position

5.0

With 10 power adjustments for the driver and a tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel, drivers of nearly any body type will be able to find their ideal position.

Roominess

5.0

The cabin feels spacious, and the backseat offers plenty of leg- and headroom for even tall passengers. This is as good as it gets for cars in this class.

Visibility

5.0

Visibility is superior all around, and a high seating position gives the driver an unobstructed outward view. A rearview camera is standard but not entirely necessary, and the same holds true for the advanced safety features.

Quality

4.0

Unlike other high-dollar sport compacts, the regular Golf already has a near-luxury cabin with superior materials and switchgear. The Golf R sweetens the deal with standard leather and attractive blue stitching. In this case, the quality matches the price.

Utility

4.0

In general, hatchbacks gain an edge for their versatility and generous cargo capacity for the size. The Golf R is no different and gets a slight advantage for everyday usability as a result.

Small-item storage

4.0

We like the anti-tip cupholders and forward media bin, but the center armrest bin annoyingly doesn't open for extra storage space.

Cargo space

4.0

The cargo area has a maximum of 22.8 cubic feet with the rear seats up, or 52.7 with them down, which is comparable to some compact SUVs.

Compare 2017 Volkswagen Golf R trim levels

Helpful trims summary and side-by-side comparison chart

2017 Volkswagen Golf R models

The 2017 Volkswagen Golf R is a higher-performance version of the Golf and GTI. It is only available as a five-passenger, four-door hatchback with a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine (292 horsepower, 280 pound-feet of torque). Power is sent to all four wheels through either a standard six-speed manual transmission or an optional six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission (DSG).

A base model Golf R is available in very limited quantities with standard feature highlights that include 18-inch wheels with performance tires, adaptive xenon headlights, heated mirrors, a rear spoiler, keyless entry and ignition, dual-zone automatic climate control, leather upholstery, a 12-way power driver seat, heated front seats, VW Car-Net emergency telematics and infotainment, Bluetooth, a 6.5-inch touchscreen, a rearview camera, an eight-speaker CD player with satellite radio and USB/auxiliary input.

The Golf R with DCC and Navigation is more common and adds an adaptive suspension system (called DCC) and a navigation system along with 19-inch wheels, front and rear parking sensors, forward collision warning and mitigation, blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, a lane departure warning system, automatic high beams, adaptive cruise control and a Fender premium audio system.

Cost to Drive^{Cost to drive estimates for the 2017 Volkswagen Golf R 4dr Hatchback AWD (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6M) and comparison vehicles are based on 15,000 miles per year (with a mix of 55% city and 45% highway driving) and energy estimates of $5.22 per gallon for premium unleaded in California.}

Monthly estimates based on costs in California

$250/mo

$228/mo

Avg. Compact Car

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Reliability Ratings by RepairPal

2.5/5Average

#46 out of 46 among Compact Cars

RepairPal Reliability Ratings are based on the actual cost, frequency, and severity of unscheduled repairs and maintenance on make/model data for select 2008-2022 vehicles. The reliability of a specific vehicle may vary depending on its maintenance and driving history, model year, trim, and features.

Cost

^{The average total annual cost for unscheduled repairs and maintenance across all model years of the Volkswagen Golf R from 2008-2022.}

$884/yr

vs. $416/yr
for Average Compact Car

Frequency

^{The average number of times this model is brought into the shop for unscheduled repairs and maintenance in a single year. RepairPal calculates this metric by tracking millions of unique vehicles over multiple years to determine an average number of visits per year (omitting small routine visits, e.g., oil changes).}

1.54x/yr

vs. 1.01x/yr
for Average Compact Car

Severity

^{The probability that a repair will be a major issue, meaning the repair costs 3x the average annual repair cost for all models. This threshold will be higher for vehicles that have higher labor rates and parts costs (such as a premium brand).}

18%

vs. 10.4%
for Average Compact Car

powered by RepairPal ^{Based on RepairPal reliability data as of 8/23/2023. Ratings are provided by RepairPal and Edmunds is not responsible for their accuracy.}

Volkswagen Golf R Reviews

Owner Reviews

4.8

39 reviews

5(87%)

4(8%)

3(2%)

2(0%)

1(3%)

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Most Helpful Owner Reviews

BEST BANG FOR THE BUCK!!

LA, 01/20/2016

2016 Volkswagen Golf R w/Dynamic Chassis Control and Navigation 4dr Hatchback AWD (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6AM)

Considering the options available for this car, this is definitely the best bang for the buck out there. Especially when considering the other vehicles out there that offer dynamic suspension, automatic w/ paddle shifters, and a 0-60 in under 5 secs (they just don't exist in the Golf R's price range). The Golf R is a total blast to drive. It hangs in the curves like it's on rails. … Mine has the DCC suspension. The best part is that the 'comfort' setting dials everything back enough that my mother would have no problems driving it. Most of the time I leave the suspension dialed in to the 'race' setting, which is fine for most of my driving. MPG isn't quite as good as advertised. And will get slightly worse if you add the APR stage 1 kit (even though APR claims otherwise) - my combined MPG is around 22. However gas milage is still darn respectable considering the performance. Adding the stage 1 APR kit drops the 0-60 time to under 4 secs. And keeping the foot off the gas pedal becomes an exercise in will power. One of the things I have come to like a lot about the Golf R is that it is a wolf in sheep's clothing. It doesn't beg for attention from law enforcement like other performance cars do. Yet, it has plenty of thrill providing capabilities whenever the mood strikes. And it's practical enough for grocery shopping and driving my kids. Overall, there is very little that I would have changed about this car. My 1st complaint is the lack of a sun roof on the R model. On the flip side, a sunroof decreases chassis stiffness and moves the center of gravity higher, both of which adversely affect handling. Supposedly the Euro spec model comes with a sunroof. I could have sacrificed a little in the handling dept. for a sunroof. A 2nd complaint is that there is no middle ground for the engine mapping. The DCC provides 2 engine mappings - 'normal' and 'race' which are at opposite ends of the spectrum. VW needs a setting between those two. The 'race' setting would be great if you don't mind frequent visits to the gas station. And the 'normal' setting just isn't quite peppy enough. A 3rd change would be to add an over drive gear for highway driving. At the 80+ mph speeds on many interstates, the Golf R hums along around 3k rpm, well into its power band. An overdrive gear would definitely help with gas milage. Alright, so no car is going to perfectly appeal to everyone. For me, the Golf R is about as good as it gets, especially when compared to the other junk that car makers are putting on the market. BTW - I had been a Honda owner for over 15 years and am glad to be rid of them.

Scary quick.

rpeyw1@gmail.com, 02/10/2017

2017 Volkswagen Golf R w/DCC and Navigation 4dr Hatchback AWD (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6AM)

This vehicle has interested me for almost 2 years. When the 2017 came out with DCC, I started a little more research and decided to pull the plug. The ride home from the dealership on I-95 left a smile on my face until the next day, when I got an even bigger smile after understanding more about the systems. The car is scary quick, and goes exactly where you point it. The seats are very …

2017 rrrrrrrrr is a true pirates car

Alan, 10/18/2016

2017 Volkswagen Golf R w/DCC and Navigation 4dr Hatchback AWD (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6AM)

I love my new golf R! I was skeptical at first even with all the reviews, however after I test drove the car I was hooked. The car moves like a rocket, but holds the road tight. The 19 inch tires are wonderful,and I bought a set of 17 inch snows that will come in handy here in the northeast. The fender sound system is better than most, and the ability to switch driving modes from comfort …

Incredibly fast and market-dominating hot hatch

Hawkeye, 04/07/2016

2016 Volkswagen Golf R 4dr Hatchback AWD (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6M)

Firstly, before I get into the nitty gritty, if you are going to compare this in any way to a GTI, don't. They are both in totally different classes and the golf R is on such a higher performance tier than the GTI, you'd be doing yourself a dis-service. This car is competing with STI's, EVO's, M235i's, CLA45 AMG's, Focus RS, etc. Anyways....I bought the car shortly after it came out, … deep pearl black, 6spd manual, no dcc/navigation. Was one of the lucky few that was able to walk into a dealership, find the perfect one, was not being held, bought it same day. Car is incredible!!! Factory performance on these is nothing short of stunning. Judging from the overall looks of the car, it's quite surprising what this thing is really capable of. If I were to compare to others in it's class, it is more refined (excluding the BMW and Mercedes I mentioned above of course). In my honest opinion, there is not a better performance car that you can buy for the money, currently. Power/Engine performance: 292hp/280tq reported by VW. This is very impressive as it sits, coming from a 2.0L. However, after having the car tested on a dyno after the break in period (100% stock) the numbers were far closer to 318hp/310tq (which makes sense when these run against EVO's and STI's and out pace them). Since then, I purchased the stage 1 package from APR (just a tune) and it becomes a completely different predator. With the tune, you'll be looking at 354hp and 379tq (dsg 0-60 mph capable of sub 4 second times). In this setup, much fewer cars can compete in terms of speed, acceleration, agility. Handling: I think the handling is excellent. The model I have does not include the dynamic chassis control, and it still handles on rails (I can only imagine how well the DCC model handles). Traction: Excellent. Uses the exact same quattro system as the Audi S3 (actually the whole car is almost an exact copy of the S3, minus some interior options). I've had this in snow, gravel, ice, mud (not by choice), rain, you name it. Nothing will keep this thing off the road, I would pit it up against the best AWD's out there in terms of traction/grip. Interior: Very impressed with the interior of this car. Everything is either carbon fiber (it's a vinyl like carbon, still looks nice), quality italian black leather (yes it's real leather, not like the crap on Jetta's), and piano black trim. Looks very classy and sexy, feels like a much nicer car than a VW. Gear shift has a quality feel to it, along with all of the interior buttons and knobs. Makes me feel as if everything was well thought out and materials were not skimped on in any circumstance. Exterior: Love it. I personally am a big hatch fan, so this is a little biased. I dig the small, hunkered down, lowered look of the R. Quad exhaust tips are a sporty/sexy addition. I also appreciate how tasteful the body kit is. It's not near as "boy racer" as many of it's competitors, and outruns all of them! Overall, I absolutely love the car. I highly recommend this to someone that is interested in an STI, EVO, M235i, S3, etc. I strongly feel that VW has done an amazing job with this car, very excited to see how the next few R's progress.

We have a limited number of reviews for the 2017 Volkswagen Golf R, so we've included reviews for other years of the Golf R since its last redesign.

See all 39 reviews of the Volkswagen Golf R

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2017 Golf R Highlights

Trim:

Base

Base MSRP Excludes Destination Fee	$35,655
Engine Type	Gas
Combined MPG	25 MPG
Cost to Drive	$250/month
Seating	5 seats
Cargo Capacity All Seats In Place	22.8 cu.ft.
Drivetrain	all wheel drive
Warranty	3 years / 36,000 miles

See all features & specs

Safety

Our experts like the Golf R models:

VW Car-Net: In an emergency or breakdown, help is only a button push away.
Front Assist: This system will warn you if you're in danger of rear-ending the car in front and apply the brakes if you don't.
Automatic Post-Collision Braking System: In a crash, the brakes automatically engage to prevent additional impacts.

NHTSA Overall Rating

The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration offers independent analysis.

Frontal Barrier Crash Rating
Overall4 / 5
Driver5 / 5
Passenger4 / 5
Side Crash Rating
Overall5 / 5
Side Barrier Rating
Overall5 / 5
Driver5 / 5
Passenger5 / 5
Combined Side Barrier & Pole Ratings
Front Seat5 / 5
Back Seat5 / 5
Rollover
Rollover4 / 5
Dynamic Test ResultNo Tip
Risk Of Rollover13.4%

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