Volkswagen Passenger Cars Malaysia has launched the facelifted 7th generation Golf (Mk 7.5), in 2018. It was offered in four variants – the Golf TSI Sportline, Golf TSI R-Line, Golf GTI and Golf R. It was priced at RM 159,990, RM 169,990, RM 239,900 and RM 295,990, respectively.

The Golf comes in either the 1.4-litre TSI turbocharged petrol engine or the 2.0-litre TSI turbocharged petrol engine. The output for the 1.4-litre engine is registered at 148 hp and 250 Nm of torque, while the 2.0-litres has two different outputs, which is the 228 hp and 350 Nm of torque for the GTI and 288 hp and 380 Nm of torque for the R.

Following the data, we will mainly focus on the legendary 7th generation Golf R, which has stopped production in August 2019.

The Golf R body dimensions are 4,258 mm in length, 1,799 mm in width, 1,492 mm in height, a wheelbase of 2,620 mm, and a fuel tank capacity about 50 litres.

At first glance, the Golf R boasts a striking and confident appearance like every other Golf generation. It has the advanced adaptive full LED headlamp with dynamic indicator as well as a sporty and fierce looking bumper coupled with the dynamic radiator grille.

The rear view has clean lines and European styling that comes with twin-double exhaust pipes tips and full LED taillamps with dynamic indicator functions.

Golf R’s headlamps are advanced adaptive full LED units with dynamic indicator and daytime running lights function to differentiate with their other variants.

The taillamps are full LED units with a dynamic indicator.

Its side mirrors are electrically adjusted and folded with a turn indicator.

The Golf R comes with four-disc brakes that have a R logo at the dark grey calipers.

The Golf R is wearing the 19-inch Pretoria Black alloys wrapped with 235/35 profile tyres.

Just like most of the Volkswagen models, the dashboard design is elegant, minimalist and slightly modern, with its buttons and switches easy to reach.

The Golf R is fitted with the 12.3-inch active info display virtual instrument cluster that displays all the important information of the performance hatch.

The Golf R seats are finished in Vienna R leather with the R logo in front. The driver gets the power adjusted with memory function, while the front passenger gets the manual adjusted unit. Rear seats come with a 60:40 split folding function for extra storage.

Front occupants have no problem with headroom, shoulder room and legroom. As for the rear occupant, it has generous headroom and shoulder room. However, if there is a tall occupant in front who extended the seat to its maximum, then the directly rear occupant may face a shortage of legroom.

It has a decent size glove compartment that can hide your girlfriend or wife’s small purse or mini Ipad. The armrest compartment can fit in other essentials like hand sanitizers, wet tissues, masks and many more.

The steering is wrapped with leather, it has a R logo at the bottom of the steering. It has functions like paddle shifters, and buttons to adjust the infotainment system and instrument cluster.

There are a total of 4 cup holders and 4 bottle holders. 2 cup holders are located near the front armrest, while 2 more are located at the rear passenger’s centre armrest. Bottle holders are each located at the door panels.

A total of 2 12-volt power sockets and 2 USB ports to charge your devices. 1 of the 12-volt power socket is located near the front armrest, while the other is placed in the boot.

The overall build quality is solid with premium quality material used. All the trims from the black piano, honeycomb black and carbon touch, the details were fantastic.

Active safety features include anti-lock braking system, traction control, auto hold, electric parking brake, electronic stability control, progressive steering, electronic brake distribution, electronic differential lock, and proactive passenger protection system.

Comes with 7 airbags, three-point seat belts with pretensioners, and ISOFIX points.

Golf R’s infotainment system consists of the 9.2-inch touchscreen system with gesture control function, App-connect mirroring system and a 10GB jukebox system.

The Golf R comes with cruise control to support the driver during long distance drives.

It comes with an 8-speaker sound system that plays loud tunes.

The Golf R is powered by the 2.0-litre TSI turbocharged engine.

Mated to the 7-speed wet clutch DSG.

Power is transferred to the all-wheels thanks to the 4Motion technology.

The Golf R can dash to 100 km/h from zero in 5.1 seconds with its top speed electronically limited to 250 km/h.

Manufacturer published the official data of 7.0 litres per 100 km.

Features such as the driver profile selection, Air Care dual-zone climatronic system, automatic headlights, automatic wipers, and keyless-entry with push to start button to give convenience to the driver.

The Golf R is comfortable, the suspension setting is on the firmer side. Even though it is a firm suspension, it doesn’t give the train-like feeling of an adjustable shocks setting.

In most conditions, the Golf R is pretty quiet in the cabin, with most of its wind noise, tyre noise muted. At high speed, the exhaust sound is music to car enthusiasts.