Looking at the prototype, there are a few tell-tale modifications that could suggest big power gains are part of the plan. The bonnet features a new pair of vents at their outer edges, suggesting that VW have needed to make changes in order to regulate hot engine bay temperatures.
This speculation is backed up by what could be a larger radiator mounted behind the modified lower grille. We can’t quite see if any additional front-mounted charge coolers are fitted – as you’ll see on other high-performance models, such as the Mercedes-AMG A45 S – the outer edges of the main intake have been opened up compared with the standard Golf R, which is where they would likely sit.
Something we can see is that there are no fundamental changes to the Golf’s bodywork, which suggests that the track widths will largely be left alone. Audi typically widens the front wheelarches of its A3 in order to create a more focused set-up for the RS 3, something that in theory could be fitted to a Golf, because the two models share many components under the skin.
Even without bodywork changes, this many mechanical changes would likely lead to a big price tag, which poses the final question: would there even be a market for a Golf that could cost upwards of £65,000 or even £75,000? There’s only one way to find out, VW.
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