It may be a hot hatchback, but the VW Golf R never loses its cool.

The 2025 Volkswagen Golf R is the hotter of VW’s two hot hatchbacks, boasting more power than its Golf GTI platform mate, plus a standard all-wheel-drive system (AWD), known as 4Motion, and a commensurately higher base price that puts it in the same competitive set as the Honda Civic Type R and Toyota GR Corolla. The current-generation Golf R was launched as a 2022 model but gains a handful of small updates for 2025, including a new touchscreen infotainment system and two new styling packages.

Verdict: It’s hard to fault the Golf R’s performance capabilities and everyday usability, but the same can be said of its GTI sibling.