There's Yet Another Volkswagen Golf You Can't Get Your Hands on in 2020
It’s tumultuous times for fans of the long-running Golf nameplate. As Volkswagen slowly births an eight generation of the popular compact (an official European debut is scheduled for this fall), Golf devotees in North America find themselves having to say goodbye to a number of variants.
The Golf SportWagen and Alltrack? They’re gone after the current model year. There’s a strong possibility that the plain-Jane Golf itself will fade from view in the near future, leaving only the sportier versions to tempt hatchback buyers of greater means.
Speaking of sporty Golfs, the hottest of VW’s compact hatches will also stage a disappearance for 2020.
Unlike the Sportwagen and Alltrack, however, this vanishing act might have a happy resolution. With production coming to an end on various seventh-gen Golfs, the top-flight Golf R will take a powder for the 2020 model year, leaving American Golf buyers with a significantly slimmed-down lineup from which to choose.
According to Volkswagen of America, the only Golfs on offer for the coming model year are the e-Golf, available in SE and SEL Premium trims, a singular Golf Value Edition that lumps certain niceties (leatherette, sunroof, Wi-Fi, etc) into a carefully tailored package, and the hot-hatch GTI. Buyers of the GTI can expect additional standard safety equipment (blind spot monitoring, front brake assist, rear traffic alert) on their S and SE trims, the only trims available for 2020.
As you can see, the Golf R has all the presence of Jimmy Hoffa in this lineup. A spokesperson for the automaker confirmed to Motor Authority that production has ceased on the current R, but wouldn’t offer an assurance that the model will return when eighth-gen Golfs appear on these shores. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t seem like there’d be much in the way of Golfs to choose from.
Indeed, sales figures show the regular Golf in a downward plunge, with more stable figures for the better-selling GTI and low-volume-but-high-margin Golf R. Surely, VW isn’t about to let a hot hatch die. At last report, earlier this year, the automaker said it was considering “other Golf models” for the North American region — referring specifically to models other than the regular, unboosted Golf.
With 288 horsepower and 280 lb-ft on tap from its turbo 2.0-liter, the Golf R is viewed as the elder statesman of Hot Hatchland, though the model faces growing competition from the likes of Honda and Hyundai.
[Images: Volkswagen of America]
More by Steph Willems
Comments
Join the conversation
No surprise for those in the know. The Mk7 Golf Rs were built in Germany and that assembly line has just retooled to build Mk8s. All other Golfs for North America were made in Mexico and that line is not retooling this year so one more year of Mk7s. VW often makes the US wait a year or two for model upgrades done in Europe.
I considered a Golf R, but couldn’t justify the price for what I was getting. I would have been perfectly content picking up a GTI and paying a bit extra if AWD was available.