2021 Volkswagen Golf R Puts New Turbo to the Test at the Nurburgring

White paint makes the hot hatch look clinical, plus it reveals any camouflage that might be covering the car. There isn't any, a slightly strange move by Volkswagen. And while the Golf R prototype looks like an ordinary car, there are several changes going on.

At the front, the bumper is obviously new. Both the GTI and the normal Golf use this wide lower face, but the Golf R sports three separate intakes, just like the previous model.

Volkswagen also doesn't like to use big side skirts, but the new R has some. And around the back, the prototype features a fresh trunk lid spoiler design. We believe that some of these design elements will be shared with the Golf GTI TCR that will have nearly as much power.

The interior will probably feature a bucket seat redesign and a D-shaped steering wheel in addition to the changes we saw on the normal Golf. It's a screen fest in there.

Everything from the leaked info turned out to be true, so the Golf R really should get a new 2.0-liter turbo engine with about 10% more horsepower. More specifically, the output of 329 hp (333 PS) will put it slightly ahead of rivals like the Mercedes-AMG A 35 and BMW M135i, but also in line with the old S4 sedan with the supercharged V6. You can't ask for much more from a 2.0-liter engine.

There have been rumors about a hybrid system being used to access more power. However, Volkswagen recently stated it goes against the way a hot hatch is used and decided to skip it on the less powerful GTI.

We expect to see the new Golf R by the end of the year, together with the GTI TCR boasting an impressive output of around 290-300 hp.