Interior
The interior layout, fit and finish
The driver’s seat in the Volkswagen Golf R is figure-huggingly bolstered and holds you in place well during quick changes of direction. It has adjustable lumbar support as standard and there’s plenty of reach adjustment in the steering wheel. We also love that the pedals are placed neatly in line with the wheel and seat, helping you to feel right at home.
Visibility isn't a problem, either. The large windows and relatively slim windscreen pillars make it easy to see straight ahead and to the sides. The rear pillars are fairly chunky, but front and rear parking sensors are fitted as standard, so you shouldn’t find slotting into a tight parking space too tricky.
Even the controls on the steering wheel are part touch-sensitive, so it’s all too easy to trigger a driving mode change accidentally by brushing the wrong part of the wheel. Overall, the Audi S3 and BMW M135i have much more user-friendly interiors.
Those functions that are not controlled using the touch-sensitive buttons are operated using the touchscreen in the middle of the dashboard – and that's no better. The software is clearly designed to look good, but Volkswagen forgot to make it intuitive, so you find features buried in menus that make no sense. For example, the traction control switch is in a sub-menu for the brakes. We much prefer the infotainment systems in the S3 and M135i.
On the plus side, the screen is mounted high up, is a decent size (10.0in) and is fairly high definition. Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone integration are included, along with wireless phone-charging and a DAB radio. A more powerful Harman Kardon sound system is a reasonably priced option.
The Golf R's interior quality isn’t bad by any means, but it's not as upmarket as the premium-badged rivals it's priced in line with, and the S3 and M135i have fewer hard plastics and more lavish materials.
