VW Golf R 20th Anniversary Special Edition Revealed For North America But Don’t Expect More Power

Volkswagen announced the new 20th Anniversary Edition of the beloved Golf R for North America. The model will be limited to “about 1,800 units” and will feature special design touches.

What it won’t feature, however, is the Golf R 20 Years Edition’s pumped-up powertrain. Unlike the anniversary edition model being offered to European customers, which makes 329 hp (245 kW/333 PS), North America’s 20th Anniversary models will get the same EA888 evo4 engine as the standard model, making 315 hp (235 kW / 319 PS).

Like the standard model, it will also be offered with both the seven-speed DSG transmission and the six-speed manual transmission, which ought to please enthusiasts. Also heartening is the deleted sunroof, which comes standard on the regular Golf R.

Closer to the ground, it comes with 19-inch Estoril wheels that are finished in gloss black. They come wrapped in summer performance tires to help take full advantage of the torque vectoring all-wheel-drive and adaptive damping systems.

All examples will be sold in one of three colors: Deep Black Pearl, Pure White, or, of course, Lapiz Blue Metallic. Subtle trim modifications will help mark this out as a special edition. Models sold in black and white, for example, will get blue mirror caps, while the blue units will get black mirror caps.

The R logos on the front and rear bumpers, as well as the front fenders, are finished in blue and a 20th Anniversary badge is placed on the B-pillars. When you open the door, meanwhile, the puddle light projects “20 R” onto the ground.

Inside, the Golf R 20th Anniversary Edition is the first production Volkswagen to ever be offered with genuine carbon fiber trim elements in the U.S. Those are located on the door panel and the dash. The flat-bottomed steering wheel gets an R logo (also finished in blue) on the clasp, and it is joined by a blue R logo on the key fob.

“Twenty years is a significant milestone for the R performance brand of models, and we’re excited to share in a global celebration of two decades of R32 and Golf R heritage,” said Hein Schafer, senior vice president of product marketing and strategy. “Being the first official worldwide special model for the Golf R, it was important to include our North American Volkswagen performance hatch enthusiasts in this birthday party for the Golf R brand.”

Going on sale this fall, the 2023 VW Golf R 20th Anniversary Edition will start at $44,940 for the manual model, and at $45,740 for the seven-speed DSG.