Volkswagen’s Mk9 Golf is set to be the first version of the long-running model without petrol or diesel power, instead becoming an EV from 2029, based on the car giant’s upcoming Scalable Systems Platform (SSP).
While there have been reports of the current Mk8.5 generation model remaining on sale concurrently with the EV Golf to give some markets the choice of internal combustion engine (ICE) power, the bulk of the model lineup is expected to go electric.
So how will Volkswagen send off its longest-running model currently on sale? With help from luxury sibling Audi.
According to Autocar, a special edition of the Volkswagen Golf R will adopt the turbocharged five-cylinder engine from the Audi RS3, something VW’s iconic model has never done.
While the Golf has had its fair share of turbocharged four-cylinder and even Volkswagen’s niche ‘VR6’ narrow-angle V6, it’s never featured a five-cylinder engine.
That’s despite the Golf being twins under the skin with not only the RS3 but also the Cupra Formentor VZ5, one of the few models outside of Audi’s lineup to adopt the ‘2.5 TFSI’.
Volkswagen has been spied testing an even hotter Golf R at the Nürburgring, suggesting development of the five-pot powered model is well advanced.
Theoretically, putting the five-cylinder engine in the Golf should be a straightforward task. It runs on the same MQB platform as the RS3 and Formentor, while third-party firms have also fitted the five-pot engine to not only Golfs but even Skoda’s Superb, among other models.
It’s expected the five-cylinder Golf R will be even more powerful than the limited-edition Golf R 20 Years, which remains the most potent version of the hot hatch made so far.
With 245kW and 420Nm on tap, the Golf R 333 is still well behind the 294kW and 480Nm outputs of the RS3, while a limited-run RS3 Performance Edition pushed the envelope even further with a 299kW and 500Nm tune.
Autocar reports the special five-cylinder Golf R could score more goodies from the RS3, such as revised suspension and chassis tweaks, plus larger brakes, potentially ditching its steel rotors for carbon ceramic units.
A reveal is slated to take place in 2026, though it may not go on sale until 2027, aligning it with the 25th anniversary of the Golf R which debuted as the Golf R32 in 2002.
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