Introduction The VW Golf R Cabriolet is based on the sixth generation and is a niche car within a niche. It is quicker, however, than the Golf GTI Cabriolet by nearly a second and it certainly looks the part, at an eye-watering £38,770 it's not exactly inexpensive but rare models will always attract collectors and the Golf R Cabriolet should be no different. VW may have dropped the ball by making the Golf R Cabriolet more expensive than a Porsche Boxster - only time will tell when it comes to sales figures. Regardless of the price the Golf is a head-turner and will attract plenty of attention but is it good enough to command that hefty price tag? Read on to find out. Performance 4.5/5 Powering the Golf R Cabriolet is the 261bhp four-cylinder 2.0-litre turbo engine that can be found in the Golf R hatchback. This is where you'll start to smile as it propels the droptop from zero to 62mph in 6.4 seconds - making it the quickest cabriolet ever produced by the maker and it can go on to an electronically limited top speed of 155mph. That means the Golf R Cabriolet is close to a second quicker across the benchmark sprint than the GTI Cabriolet and only 0.6 of a second slower than the Porsche Boxster. The smooth shifting six-speed DSG semi-automatic gearbox comes as standard and paddle-shifters are located on the underside of the steering wheel making the drive more engaging. The four-cylinder 2.0-litre turbo engine makes a lovely soundtrack and the raspy note when downshifting is especially appealing to enthusiastic drivers. Overtaking is painless. The engine produces 350Nm of torque and the power is right the way through the range making it easy to overtake slower traffic. Ride & Handling 4.0/5 It is fair to say that a Cabriolet is never going to be as good as its hard top sibling, however, the Golf was much better than we anticipated. It is quite firm but you won't lose fillings unlike when driving some of the rivals. There is a fair amount of torque steer so you'll need a firm hold of the well weighted steering wheel and if you press the accelerator with the gearbox in Sport you will also get a bit of wheel spin at times. On twisty B roads the Golf R Cabriolet is nimble and agile and is 25mm lower than the standard sixth generation Golf that the R Cabriolet is based on. An optional system called Adaptive Chassis Control (ACC) is available. There are three settings on the suspension, the default mode being normal, comfort or sport settings. Practicality 4.0/5 Volkswagen has helped the Golf R Cabriolet stand out from the crowd by adding a bespoke front bumper with black grille and R logo, LED daytime running lights, LED rear lights, 18-inch alloy wheels, gloss-black door mirror casings and black-painted brake callipers with R logo. On the practical front, the Golf R has a fairly useable boot. There is a load space of 250 litres of carrying capacity whether the roof is open or closed. The rear seats are best used for extra storage as adults would struggle to sit comfortably on long journeys. Opening and closing the hood is child's play. Flick the switch and you will have wind in your hair motoring in nine seconds while closing takes 11.5 seconds (additional 1.5 seconds is the time it takes to carry out the automatic locking procedure). The best part is that the roof can be opened and closed at up to speeds of 18mph - a boon if you are encountering changeable weather. Running Costs 3.5/5 There is only one engine and trim available on the VW Golf R Cabriolet range and prices start from £38,770. On average VW claims the R Cabriolet will average 34.4mpg - well, that's if you don't have a heavy right foot. Expect around the mid to high 20s in real world driving. This is a 'hot' Cabriolet and with that comes high emissions -190g/km of CO2 - it's not exactly going to win you friends at the Green Party. What about standard kit? Standard kit includes chrome tailpipes, Bi-xenon headlights, brake callipers painted black with R logo, diffuser in glossy black, radiator grille in glossy black with R logo, LED rear lights, LED daytime running lights integrated in the bumper, 18-inch alloys, air inlet on front bumper, body coloured rear spoiler, body coloured side sill extensions, leather handbrake grip, instrument cluster with blue instrument pointers, multifunction leather-trimmed steering wheel with aluminium look trim and DSG controls, front sport seats Bluetooth and MP3 compatibility. XDS comes as standard on the Golf R Cabriolet. When cornering enthusiastically the XDS system can detect slip at the front wheels and alters the amount of power to stop wheel spin. It also works in conjunction with the Electronic Stability Programme (ESP) compensating for any understeer making handling more precise and neutral. Motortorque Verdict 4.0/5 It will not appeal to all but for a limited few, this is sure to become an iconic car with its distinctive burble on up- and downshifts. A niche within a niche - that pretty much sums up the VW Golf R Cabriolet - it is a mix of comfort and sportiness while giving you wind in your hair motoring. If you are after a sporty Cabriolet then you could do worse, however, don't forget about that an entry-level Porsche Boxster is less expensive.
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