Volkswagen Golf R now offers 329bhp

It's an exciting day for motorists. After the BMW M5 and the Bentley Continental, Volkswagen has now revealed the updated Golf R.

Unlike the other two premieres, the Volkswagen Golf R has not received a plug-in hybrid drivetrain. But there's new power, nonetheless. This updated Golf R now offers a total of 329bhp, up from the 315bhp from before, although peak torque does remain at 420Nm.

The Volkswagen Golf R now offers a total of 329bhp from its 2.0-litre engine, and now comes with an illuminated 'VW' badge at the front

This engine is paired to a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission and Volkswagen's 4Motion all-wheel drive complete with torque vectoring. The combination not only allows the Golf R to sprint to 100km/h from a standstill in 4.6 seconds (0.1 seconds faster than before), but also ensures greater driving stability and agility when you're tackling the corners.

Top speed for this new Golf R, meanwhile, now stands at 250km/h although those who opt for the R-Performance package can get this maximum speed boosted to 270km/h.

On the outside, the new Golf mirrors the updates that have been made to the regular Golf. So this Golf R now gets redesigned head lights as well as an illuminated 'VW' badge, a completely redesigned front bumper, as well as new taillight clusters.

The cabin of the Golf R now features Volkswagen's 15-inch infotainment system, while the Golf R variant can offer a maximum of 1,642 litres of cargo space once its rear seats are folded flat

But the cabin houses more significant upgrades for the performance hatch still. On the dashboard of the car now sits the firm's largest 15-inch infotainment system, which comes complete with its IDA voice assistant system that is capable of utilising ChatGPT to answer general knowledge questions.

This system comes paired to the firm's Digital Cockpit Pro instrument cluster. Measuring 10.2 inches across, the system features a round rev counter with an R-specific design, as well as the R-View with a horizontal rpm display.

Volkswagen is launching this new Golf R alongside the Golf R Variant, which comes with total luggage space of 1,642 litres once its rear seats are folded down. Also available is a Golf R Black Edition, which comes with darker badging and R logos, as well as black R brake callipers, black 19-inch Estoril wheels and black tailpipes, on top of darkened IQ. Light LED matrix head lights.

Pre-sales for the Volkswagen Golf R start on 3 July in Germany.