Volkswagen Golf R hatch gets another tease in anniversary camo

With the reveal of the Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport last week, there's just one more step to ascend on the Golf ladder, the one labeled "Golf R." The Wolfsburg brand teased the flagship trim during the annual ice races at Zell am See at the beginning of the year. As the launch nears, we're getting video of the hatchback and the wagon body style that will join it in "near production study" form. Naturally, our market should only expect the hatch. We were more hopeful of getting additional power over the current Golf R, but the latest Clubsport has tempered our expectations; the tweener trim between GTI and R picked up a more refined chassis, but not one horse more from its turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder. If the R holds steady as well, it will roll into its Mk 8.5 phase with 315 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque in the U.S., sent exclusively through a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission thanks to the death of the six-speed manual.