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2026 Volkswagen Golf R: Our Long-Term Ride Is Here With 40,000 miles ahead, we’re ready to see if the six-speed manual transmission is truly gone for good. By Andrew Krok Published: April 2, 2026 The Volkswagen Golf R is a familiar face around here—though its transmission might not be. After another top nod on our 10Best list, alongside its GTI sibling, a 2026 Golf R has joined our garage for 40,000 miles of adventures. However, we’re already facing a few teething problems. The price is the first hurdle. The Golf R starts at a steep $50,730, and we rarely leave a car stock. For 2026, the only new option is Graphite Gray Metallic paint, which we picked to match the gloomy spring sky in Ann Arbor. We also selected the $3,795 Euro Style package. It doesn’t come with French cigarettes or track suits, but it swaps the drab black power leather seats for ones with blue plaid cloth inserts, reducing power intervention to just recline. The door panels get new inserts, too. This package also deletes the sunroof and front-seat ventilation but adds an Akrapovič titanium axle-back exhaust. It’s hard to find a cheaper way to get a $54,980 VW hot hatch, but here we are. For Sale Near You See all results for new 2026 Volkswagen Golf R for sale near 63606 The 2026 Golf R received only minor tweaks from 2025, but 2025’s changes stuck around. Last year added 13 horsepower, bringing the total to 328 hp, while torque remains at 295 lb-ft. The exterior got a small refresh—more LED light bars, yay—and the infotainment screen got bigger and better. But 2025 also killed the Golf R’s six-speed manual, leaving only the seven-speed dual-clutch automatic (DSG). We’ll miss the manual, but at least we still have a Golf R. For Sale Near You See all results for new 2026 Volkswagen Golf R for sale near 63606 Initial impressions of the DSG haven’t been positive. Even in the quietest drive mode, the DSG jerks forward when we lift off the brakes, feeling like a 16-year-old fumbling with a clutch. Sport mode makes it even more aggressive. We’ll see if we can dial it back. We’re also looking for a spare tire. The Golf R only comes with an inflation kit, and given our luck with tires and Michigan’s terrible roads, we’d rather have a spare. The space under the trunk isn’t big enough for even a donut spare, so we might have to buy a fifth wheel and tire to throw in the back on road trips—not ideal with passengers and cargo. For Sale Near You See all results for new 2026 Volkswagen Golf R for sale near 63606 The DSG performed well at the test track. On 19-inch Bridgestone Potenza S005 summer tires, our Golf R hit 60 mph in 4.0 seconds with launch control, but 5–60 mph took 5.1 seconds. The quarter-mile was a solid 12.5 seconds at 111 mph. Even in Michigan’s March weather, the Bridgestones held 0.99 g on the skidpad. Braking was decent, too: 70 mph stopped in 152 feet and 100 mph in 299 feet. It’s hard to find excitement in Michigan in March, so the Golf R has us stoked for warmer weather and all-wheel-drive antics. But you know what else is hard to find? An OEM replacement windshield. Ours is already cracked—a story for our next update. Maybe. Months in Fleet: 2 months Current Mileage: 2,252 miles Average Fuel Economy: 23 mpg Fuel Tank Size: 14.5 gal Observed Fuel Range: 330 miles Service: $0 Normal Wear: $0 Repair: $0 Damage and Destruction: $0 Specs panel icon Specifications 2026 Volkswagen Golf R Vehicle Type: front-engine, all-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door hatchback PRICE Base/As Tested: $50,730/$54,980 Options: Euro Style package (Akrapovič titanium exhaust system, manually adjustable driver’s seat with power recline and manual lumbar support, diamond-pattern cloth upholstery with ArtVelours seat bolsters, padded door panels with ArtVelours inserts, deleted ventilated front seats and panoramic sunroof), $3,795; Graphite Gray Metallic paint, $455 ENGINE turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 16-valve inline-4, iron block and aluminum head, direct fuel injection Displacement: 121 in³, 1,984 cm³ Power: 328 hp @ 6,500 rpm Torque: 295 lb-ft @ 2,000 rpm TRANSMISSION 7-speed dual-clutch automatic CHASSIS Suspension, F/R: struts/multilink Brakes, F/R: 14.1-in vented disc/12.2-in vented disc Tires: Bridgestone Potenza S005 235/35R-19 (91Y) + DIMENSIONS Wheelbase: 103.5 in Length: 169.1 in Width: 70.4 in Height: 57.8 in Passenger Volume, F/R: 51/41 ft³ Cargo Volume, Behind F/R: 35/20 ft³ Curb Weight: 3,365 lb C/D TEST RESULTS: NEW 60 mph: 4.0 sec 100 mph: 10.1 sec 1/4-Mile: 12.5 sec @ 111 mph 130 mph: 18.7 sec 150 mph: 30.1 sec Results above omit 1-ft rollout of 0.3 sec. Rolling Start, 5–60 mph: 5.1 sec Top Gear, 30–50 mph: 2.6 sec Top Gear, 50–70 mph: 3.7 sec Top Speed (gov ltd): 151 mph Braking, 70–0 mph: 152 ft Braking, 100–0 mph: 299 ft Roadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 0.99 g C/D FUEL ECONOMY Observed: 23 mpg Unscheduled Oil Additions: 0 qt EPA FUEL ECONOMY Combined/City/Highway: 25/22/31 mpg WARRANTY 4 years/50,000 miles bumper to bumper 4 years/50,000 miles powertrain 7 years/100,000 miles corrosion protection 3 years/36,000 miles roadside assistance 2 years/20,000 miles scheduled maintenance C/D TESTING EXPLAINED Headshot of Andrew Krok Reviewed by Andrew Krok Managing Editor, Reviews Cars are Andrew Krok’s jam, along with boysenberry. After graduating with a degree in English from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2009, Andrew cut his teeth writing freelance magazine features, and now he has a decade of full-time review experience under his belt. A Chicagoan by birth, he has been a Detroit resident since 2015. Maybe one day he’ll do something about that half-finished engineering degree. In-depth auto reviews, ratings, and instrumented tests. Hear from our expert automotive journalists. Email address What’s your email address? LET’S RIDE. By signing up, I agree to the Terms of Use (including the dispute resolution procedures) and have reviewed the Privacy Notice. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. This content is imported from OpenWeb. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. Watch Next Play videoVideo poster Long-Term Road Tests