FOR
Discreet looks, accessible performance, four-wheel drive, lots on used market, excellent build quality
AGAINST
Not nearly as exciting to drive as its Civic rival, plus the boot is very small compared with the Honda’s
If you prefer a high-performance car that’s discreet, the Golf R is an ideal choice. At first glance there’s little to mark this out over more basic editions, aside from the four exhaust pipes. However, our test car had the £2,300 Performance Pack, which brought bigger brakes, wider wheels and tyres, a boot spoiler and the removal of the speed limiter, so 166mph was possible. But there was no extra power, which meant 306bhp was sent to all four wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox.
Significantly faster than the Honda from a standing start,…
