Spy Shots: 2021 Volkswagen Golf 8 R

Mzansi's favourite has been spotted undergoing testing again, this time giving us an even closer look. This is the 2021 Volkswagen Golf 8 R.

Picture credit: S. Baldauf/SB-Medien

We're another step closer to reality for the next-generation Volkswagen Golf 8 R. What you see here is a prototype undergoing testing near the Arctic Circle recently. With only light camouflage, we know this is the Volkswagen Golf 8 R thanks to its high-performance brakes, blue calipers and quad exhausts at the rear. We do think the final design is not 100% complete – this unit looks far too mainstream for a flagship performance derivative.

Let's discuss that new powertrain. Thanks to a leak, we know the new Volkswagen Golf 8 R will be powered by an updated 2.0-litre turbocharged 4-cylinder motor producing in excess of 245 kW. Again power will go to a 4Motion (all-wheel-drive setup) via a dual-clutch transmission and it should go faster than 4.5 seconds to 100 kph. Given this sort of performance, it's going to be fun watching the new Golf 8 R take on the new BMW M135i xDrive and the Mercedes-AMG A35 4Matic as well as its Audi S3 cousin.

Expect to see the all-new Volkswagen Golf 8 R revealed in 2020, with a South African arrival date in 2021. The Volkswagen Golf 8 GTI is confirmed for SA landfall towards the end of 2020.

You can make out the 4 exhausts, a trademark piece of design of the Volkswagen Golf R.