The touring car racing-inspired TCR is the most powerful version of the Golf GTI ever. Volkswagen unveiled it online last week and shortly afterwards hosted the official media drive in Portugal.
This means that we’re about to see a whole bunch of video reviews in the coming days. For now, though, we’ll watch a different kind of test that focuses just on the real-world acceleration of VW’s latest hot hatch.
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Filmed on a closed road, the video shows the 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) run, both with and without the Launch Control function. According to the automaker, it does the spring in 5.6 seconds, or 0.6 seconds quicker than the Golf GTI Performance.
With 290 PS (286 hp / 213 kW) produced by the turbocharged 2.0-liter four, it’s easy to understand why the Golf GTI TCR easily bests the 245 PS (242 HP) Performance. Even though its output brings it dangerously close to the 300 PS (295 HP) Golf R, though, the latter’s all-wheel drive system gives it an advantage over the FWD-only TCR, allowing it to do the same run in just 4.7 seconds and justifies its €2,225 ($2,530) premium in Germany, where the TCR starts at €38,950 ($44,288).
OK, enough with numbers – let’s see how the GTI TCR fares in real-world conditions and how much of a difference the electronics make in such a test.