It's 10am on a Monday morning in Melbourne. The expected winter chill of Australia's second-most-southern state capital lingered slightly; I was right to wear the bigger, thicker hoodie this morning. Although not my intention, my all-black 'fit matched the car I'd just been handed the keys to.
For the next 24 hours, I had a brand new Mk8 Volkswagen Golf R and all 315 of the imperial horses powering it at my disposal. Despite what an enticing proposition it is on paper, it's a relatively understated car in the metal, particularly in comparison to the rowdy hot hatch crowd surrounding it.
As I'd find out over the coming day, it's anything but that to drive.
Hour 1: Not like the other Golfs
Right off the bat as I cruised around the motorways and city streets of Melbourne, this new R makes it clear that it isn't like the other Golfs.
While its predecessor – the Mk7 and updated Mk7.5 – was an absolute weapon to drive, my one criticism of it was that it felt a bit too numb. I drove the latter around Malalla Motorsport Park in South Australia at one of Volkswagen's driver training days – an experience paid for with my own money – and even at track speeds in excess of 230km/h, it felt a bit too easy. A bit too refined. A bit too, well, boring. Circa 180km/h in a Mk7 GTI on the same stretch of track felt twice as thrilling.
In the Mk8, the default driving mode is Sport. The burble of the exhaust is unmistakably enthusiastic. The chassis is stiff, yet not at all punishing. This all bodes well for what I had in store later on.
Hour 2: Lunch with a view
If you're a car enthusiast visiting Melbourne, there's one brunch spot that's an absolute must-do: Dutton Garage in Richmond.
While I couldn't get a photo out the front – you'll be hard pressed for a parking spot on the same block – I could sit and admire a good number of other Volkswagen Group products, namely the Porsche 918, new GT3 RS, and my personal favourite in the Carrera GT.
As I kicked back and chowed down a chicken schnitzel roll (what else when you're driving a German car?) and topped up on coffee, I reflected on how many decades of knowledge from within Volkswagen's ranks have trickled down into the Mk8, as it feels like the product of decades of constant innovation.
Hour 3: Office admin
With the car still sparkling clean, I figured it was best to get some snaps of it before it was coated with a layer of bugs and Victorian road grime.
As I performed the motoring journalist's equivalent of office admin, it struck me how much better the Mk8 looks in the metal, rather than through a camera's viewfinder or on a computer screen.
Up close, its longer bonnet, low-slung headlights, and 19-inch 'Estoril' alloy wheels all look so much more dynamic than the pictures would have you believe. Particularly in this stealthy black paint job, it looks equal parts classy and discerningly sporty. It also looks classically Golf-like in a way the pictures don't convey.
I even had a few comments from passers-by saying how much they liked it. "Sick!" was the particular adjective used by some lads in a noughties Holden. "Lovely" was preferred by the more mature crowd. It's such a winner, it truly appeals to all demographics.
Hour 4: The High Country beckons
It would be a waste of a car like this to sit in traffic all day – I had to get out and find some proper roads to test it on. Fortunately, the Victorian High Country is the perfect place for it. About an hour and a half out of Melbourne, the roads in this neck of the woods are an utter treat.
Faster speed limits, corner after corner, and acres of green scenery with ferns and eucalypts aplenty, it's more my speed than city streets are. Mind you, I first had to endure the tedious drive down the M3 toll road before trundling along the B380 from Ringwood to Warburton. I let it chill out for a while in Comfort mode, with it feeling as smooth and subtle on the motorway as any other Golf out there.
Hour 5: Finally, it is happening to me
As I made a quick detour to shoot up the sealed section of Donna Buang Road (C507) in Warburton and back, the R finally started to strut its stuff. Although the speed limit had been cut down from 100km/h to a lower 70-80km/h, the well-cambered curves of this short stretch still allowed me to start pushing its chassis for the first time.
So far, so good. Like many cars these days, the steering is a bit too heavy in its various Track modes – including even a Nürburgring setting – for road use. However, I pulled over for a moment and configured the Individual setting to suit my typical preferences – steering on the lighter and quicker side, suspension somewhere in the middle, and everything else turned all the way up to 11.
Hour 6: Tackling the tricky Reefton Spur
Perhaps the High Country's crown jewel, Reefton Spur (C511) is a testing 20km ribbon of tarmac – another 20km past Warburton – which is a must-drive for any car enthusiast. Corner after corner of driving perfection, it's a challenging road in more ways than one. Given the altitude, it's often cold and drizzly, and the surface was certainly damp on this day.
Mind you, that was hardly an issue for the Golf's 4Motion all-wheel drive system. Even though it's a part-time setup, it grips the tarmac ferociously, with it almost never struggling to put the power down except for on the most chewed-up surfaces, which in fairness only adds a bit of character to the experience. Think of it like a beauty spot, not an unsightly mole.
What got the greatest workout here, though, was the gearbox, since there aren't the sort of stretches in this section to lay down the power. Instead, the DSG was called upon like a waiter in a packed restaurant. As I flicked the enlarged paddle shifters with the regularity of a chef's service bell, every shift was punctual and delivered with gusto, while the expected sound of it smacking into the next gear was as reassuring as "here you are, sir" being delivered in a charming European accent.
Hour 7: Good thing the brakes are good
Reefton Spur may be the crown jewel, but in my opinion, the most enjoyable part of this drive is Marysville-Woods Point Road (C512 and C513). Mercifully, the speed limit is still 100km/h here, and given the snowfall which occurs at this height, the road markings are painted in a more legible yellow. Funnily enough, the Golf has a blue head-up display mode for when there's snow out as well.
Where other roads out here are tighter and more technical, this stretch has smoother and faster corners which link together with perfection – a feeling enabled further by the Golf's suspension which is right on the money. It's tuned just the way I like it, with the initial firmness to stay balanced on turn-in but a rebound rate which eats up any mid-corner bumps. There's still a hint of lean at times when you're right on the absolute limit, but it's a good reminder to back off a tad.
It's the brakes which were called upon, though, as a blind corner led towards a massive fallen tree across the entire road. Fortunately, SES had been up here and cut a section of it out to allow traffic through, but it was only the width of one car in the very middle of the road. The nimble Golf, mercifully, dodged it with ease.
Hour 8: The tourism hot-spot
Given how far I'd come, the obvious route back to Melbourne was via the Black Spur (B360). The best-known road on this drive, it's also the one most populated by tourists. In the past two hours, I'd only seen one other car, but now I was in a deluge of minivans and SUVs.
Fortunately, there are slow vehicle turn-off spots. Even more fortunately, the good people of Victoria actually use them, unlike those in my home state of South Australia.
Undoubtedly, the Black Spur is the prettiest road up here, but with this many tourists, I simply chilled out and enjoyed the smooth corners of this drive back to Melbourne.
Hours 9-10: More motorways
Melbourne's massive five-lane motorways make commuting a breeze, but my word are some of them long and dull. The Golf's standard Harman Kardon audio system helped stave off some of my boredom as I went through a few podcasts and playlists, but I already missed the corners of before.
Having already eaten chicken schnitzel earlier, Italian was my dinner choice. I can only do it for the bit so much; I'd eaten too much deep-fried food on my travels already.
Hours 11-12: You wouldn't expect it...
... but the experience of powering through the High Country was actually beaten by another driving experience that day. Since I was staying nearer the coast and it was a warm, pleasant evening, I went for a relaxed cruise along the Esplanade all the way from Mentone to Port Melbourne.
With the sunroof open, chill tunes playing, and the roads relatively empty, this is an experience that would help anyone feel better about life itself. These are the moments one lives for.
Hours 13-21: Driving the point home
I tucked the Golf R away for the night and myself into bed back at my AirBnB. As I slept, I had a dream about playing golf. No idea why that might be.
Hour 22: Running errands
With some time to kill before I had to hand back the keys, I figured I might as well do a bit of typical daily driving to ensure the R doesn't compromise too much on the Golf's usual city manners.
Coffee and a croissant for breakfast in Malvern (I've no idea where to get a traditional pretzel in these parts) was followed by an obligatory trip to the Chadstone Shopping Centre, one of the largest in the Southern Hemisphere.
Despite how hardcore the R clearly is on the right stretch of road, a return to Comfort mode demonstrated that it really can calm things down when it needs to. It even goes into E, presumably standing for Efficiency, rather than D which keeps the gear changes even smoother and earlier. A jack of all trades, but a master of them, too.
Hour 23: The heavens open up
I was starting to feel a bit forlorn as I knew I'd be handing back the keys soon. After a beautiful evening before, Melbourne's traditional weather had arrived to make me feel even more miserable.
I kept it calm from behind the wheel given how soggy the streets now were as I made my way back to the drop-off point. Spotify started queuing up the most forlorn songs in my playlist at the time. You couldn't script it better.
Hour 24: Goodbyes are always hard
The keys practically had to be pried out of my cold, rain-drenched hands as the time came to say goodbye to the Golf.
Perhaps it's because (disclaimer) I own an older Golf GTI. Perhaps it's because of how much fun I'd had in the High Country and cruising past the beach. Perhaps it's simply how well-rounded this car is. No matter the reason, this was the sort of goodbye that's particularly hard to say.
For the whole 24 hours and 448km I spent with the Golf R, I tried to think of something that would make me not want one so much. Not even the steep price tag for a hot hatch feels unreasonable given how well it performs on all counts.
Time to put in some extra hours back at the day job. 24 hours with one of these was clearly not enough.
2024 Volkswagen Golf R (Mk8)
Price (MSRP): AUD$70,950 // As Tested: $72,850
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol
Transmission: 7-speed DCT
Drivetrain: AWD
Power: 235kW // 320PS from 5600-6500rpm
Torque: 400Nm // 295lb-ft from 2000-5600rpm
Acceleration (0-100km/h // 0-62mph): 4.8 seconds
Top Speed: 250km/h // 155mph (limited)
Weight: 1519kg (tare)
Economy: 7.8L/100km (claimed)
