Volkswagen Golf R is crowned TopGear Hot Hatch of the Year

The Volkswagen Golf R has scooped the Hot Hatch of the Year honour at the TopGear Awards hosted by the TV show’s presenters, Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May.

The Golf R was singled out in a hotly contested category due to its mix of dynamic ability, its powerful and charismatic engine and everyday refinement.  In deciding the winner of the category the judges found the Golf R to be ‘extraordinarily good at so many things’.

On hand to collect the Award was Dr. Hendrik Muth, Head of Marketing and Communications at Volkswagen R – the special projects wing of Volkswagen tasked with designing and developing R products.

Dr. Muth commented: ‘This is the third generation of Golf R and the fastest and most focussed yet; we designed it to appeal to keen drivers exactly like the judges at TopGear.  On behalf of Volkswagen and Volkswagen R it’s a real honour for the Golf to be recognised with such an award.’

Powered by a 2.0-litre TSI engine developing 270 PS and 350 Nm (258 lbs ft) of torque the Golf R is equipped with a sophisticated 4MOTION system.  This allows it to sprint from a standstill to 62 mph in 5.5 seconds when specified with a six-speed DSG gearbox, making it the fastest accelerating production Golf ever.

To match the extra power, the Golf R features a series of upgrades to its springs, dampers, gearbox software, braking system and styling to ensure that it both looks and feels sharper than the standard car.

The Golf R takes the TopGear crown from the Golf GTI which won the Hot Hatch category in 2009.