Turns out a frozen lake and studded tires is all you need to have fun in the new Golf R—now more powerful than any other sporty production Volkswagen hot hatch ever.

This year, the hot hatch segment is being given a much-deserved shot in the arm with the release of the 2025 Volkswagen Golf R and Golf R Black Edition. Both models are extremely powerful ...

The Volkswagen Golf R entered the automotive scene back in 2002 and quickly became a staple of the segment. More than 20 years later, the Golf R remains a top competitor in the hot hatch field.

The Golf is now in its eighth generation, with the 2025 model acting as a facelifted version internally known as the Mk8.5.

A CEO who uses their company’s product is an endorsement in and of itself, so seeing Volkswagen’s head honcho get behind the wheel of a 2025 Golf R is plenty inspiring. What’s even more ...

The front-wheel-drive Golf GTI is still the everyman’s sports hatchback, offering affordable thrills since the ’70s, but VW’s R division has been churning out more extreme all-wheel-drive ...