The 2024 Volkswagen Golf R is a perfect example of what a hot hatchback should be: fun to drive, comfortable, and engaging. And the new VW Golf R combines these aspects incredibly well. Though it might not be the wildest option on the market, the 2024 VW Golf R earns its respect, especially since it’s the only hot hatch offering a balanced blend of excitement, composed handling, and practicality. The 2024 Volkswagen Golf R highlights include the standard 10-inch touchscreen infotainment system, 315-hp turbo 2.0-liter four-cylinder, and the 10-inch digital gauge cluster. For 2024, the VW Golf R competes with the Hyundai Elantra N and the Honda Civic Type R, among others. However, it has its flaws, including a cumbersome infotainment system and an interior that feels somewhat plain for its price point.
Pros And Cons
Here are the highs and lows of the 2024 Volkswagen Golf R
Pros
- Engaging performance
- Powerful acceleration
- Spacious interior
- Lots of standard features
Cons
- Cumbersome infotainment system
- Cheap feeling interior
What’s New for the 2024 Volkswagen Golf R?
For the 2024 model year, the Volkswagen Golf R has minor changes. The VW hot hatch continues to compete with the Hyundai Elantra N, Honda Civic Type R, Toyota GR Corolla, and Subaru WRX in 2024.
The 2024 Volkswagen Golf R has the same exterior design similar to the 2023 model, with a few updates. The interior of the VW Golf R offers the same comfortable seats, with a passenger capacity of five. Standard features include Wireless device charging, a nine-speaker stereo, Bluetooth, a 10-inch touchscreen, and Navigation. The Golf R also comes with Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard.
Interior Design and Comfort
The interior of the 2024 Golf R features a clean, sporty design. Like its competitors, the Golf R has a passenger capacity of up to five people.
The cabin uses a lot of hard plastics, which make the car look cheap — a surprising oversight for a car with a starting price of over $45,000.
Despite this, the 2025 VW Golf R offers well-cushioned seats that offer excellent bolstering, especially during spirited driving. The front seats provide ample headroom and legroom. The rear seats are comfortable enough for adults on shorter trips.
The 2024 Golf R also offers a decent amount of cargo space, with 19.9 cubic feet available behind the rear seats. This expands to 34.5 cubic feet with the seats folded down.
VW Golf R 2024 Infotainment
The 2024 Golf R’s infotainment system is one of its most significant drawbacks. The hatchback features a 10-inch infotainment touchscreen, which looks sleek. However, the touch-sensitive slider that controls most functions is poorly positioned and not intuitive. What’s also noteworthy is the absence of physical buttons and a confusing menu layout. It’s difficult to adjust the settings while driving.
The Standard Infotainment Features in the 2024 Volkswagen Golf R include the 10-inch touchscreen, wireless charging pad, and 9-speaker radio system. The infotainment system comes with navigation, satellite radio, as well as Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
Aside from the 10-inch touchscreen, the 2024 VW Golf R features a standard 10-inch digital gauge cluster (Volkswagen Digital Cockpit Pro), push-button start, panoramic sunroof, keyless entry, ambient lighting, and tri-zone automatic climate control.
2024 VW Golf R Engine
When it comes to performance, the 2024 Volkswagen Golf R truly shines. It’s powered by a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine producing 315 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque.
Manual Or Automatic Transmission
The 2024 VW Golf R offers a standard six-speed manual transmission. While the manual is engaging, the clutch take-up point is difficult to locate, and the shifter has somewhat long throws.
Costing $800, the available seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission on the 2024 Golf R boosts torque to 295 pound-feet. Thanks to the automatic transmission, the Golf R can sprint from 0 to 60 mph in under 4 seconds.
Performance and Handling
The 2024 Volkswagen Golf R features an all-wheel-drive system (4Motion) that provides excellent grip in both wet and dry conditions. The adaptive suspension does a commendable job of minimizing body roll in corners and absorbing road imperfections. With customizable driver settings, the Golf R allows you to tailor the driving experience to your preferences.
2024 VW Golf R Trims and Pricing
With a starting MSRP of $45,665, the 2024 Volkswagen Golf R is offered in a single, well-equipped trim level.
Standard features in the 2024 VW Golf R include leather upholstery, heated and ventilated front seats, heated rear seats, a heated steering wheel, a 10-inch touchscreen, a digital gauge cluster, navigation, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and much more.
The only available options in the 2024 Golf R are the seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission and a choice of three paint colors: Lapiz Blue Metallic, Deep Black Pearl, and Pure White.
Safety Features
The 2024 VW Golf R comes standard with safety and driver-assistance features. These include the:
- Adaptive cruise control
- Traffic-sign recognition
- Front and rear parking sensors
- Forward automatic emergency braking
- Blind-spot monitoring
- Rear cross-traffic alert
- Rearview camera
- Lane-departure warning and lane-keep assist
- Forward collision warning
- Pedestrian and cyclist detection
- Hands-free parking assist
- Head-up display
- Rain-sensing windshield wipers
- LED headlights with automatic high beams
Crash Tests
The 2024 Volkswagen Golf R scores well in crash tests and includes two complete sets of LATCH connectors for the rear outboard seats. This makes the Golf R a family-friendly hatchback.
Reliability
The 2024 Volkswagen Golf R has a predicted reliability score of 73 out of 100, which is considered average. While it’s not the highest in its class, it’s still a decent rating.
Verdict Volkswagen Golf R 2024
The 2024 Volkswagen Golf R offers a compelling mix of performance, practicality, and features. If the GR Corolla and the Subaru WRX (not the BRZ) don’t make the cute for you, the VW Gold R will make a solid choice for those in the market for a hot hatchback. Yes, the clutch on the manual transmission model’s take-up point is difficult to locate, and the shifter has somewhat long throws. However, the manual transmission offers an engaging driving experience that you can’t get from the automatic model. While its infotainment system and interior quality may not match its price tag, the Golf R has great driving dynamics and lots of standard features.Â