Volkswagen uncorked the Golf R 400 Concept at the Beijing show earlier this year. Production confirmation was not far behind, nor was the our report that the version headed for dealers would feature more than the concept car's 395 horsepower. Just so you can grab a gander at this herald of Hot-Hatch Galactus, VW's bringing it to the L.A. auto show.
To refresh, the R 400, like the garden-variety Golf R, features a Haldex 5 AWD system (employed to great effect on the Audi S3) and a turbo-boosted 2.0-liter engine. The standard R makes a healthy 292 horsepower. The hundred-plus extra ponies on the R are said to push the thing to 60 mph in the sub-four-second range. VW claims 3.9 seconds, and we posted an identical number with a 2014 Stingray. Though the RWD Vette makes more power, the Golf uses all four wheels to translate its might into motion.
In the tradition of the 1989 Rallye Golf, the R 400 features a widebody treatment. Although it's more subtle than the box flares VW attached to the MkII-derived homologation special, the 1.6 inches of additional girth add a measure of aesthetic gravitas to the machine. The 19-inch wheels riff on Porsche's unfortunately iconic Turbo Twist wheels from the 1990s, updated to not look utterly tacky.
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The gearbox is a seven-speed DSG (natürlich!), the interior's laced with carbon, and two center-exit pipes protrude from the rear. In terms of looks, the Golf R 400 is aces, resplendent in silver with lemon-yellow accents. Power-wise it should slay plenty of wheeled things. As for dynamics? Well, we'll just have to wait for the production version, won't we?
from Car and Driver Blog http://ift.tt/nSHy27
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