Volkswagen on Wednesday unveiled a tuned version of its Golf GTI inspired by the TCR race version of the car.
It's called the Golf GTI TCR, and it was previewed by a concept at the 2018 Wörthersee Tour tuning fest held last May in Austria.
2016 Volkswagen GTI TCR race car
The production version matches the concept car's specs, with a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-4 under the hood sending 286 horsepower and 272 pound-feet of torque to the front wheels via a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission.
That compares to the standard GTI's 220 hp and 258 lb-ft.
2019 Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR
VW claims a 0-62 mph time of 5.6 seconds and a governed top speed of 155 mph. Strangely, VW lets you increase the top speed to 161 mph, like that's any less safe.
The car also comes with a front-axle differential lock, vented brake discs, LED headlights, a driving modes selector, grippy bucket seats, red cabin accents, and a sports steering wheel with a red mark at 12 o'clock. The standard wheels measure 18 inches across but buyers can select a 19-inch set. Also available is a black accent package for the exterior that adds the dark shade to the side mirror caps, side skirts, front splitter, rear diffuser, and roof-mounted spoiler.
2019 Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR
Unfortunately, the car has only been announced for Europe where it is priced at approximately $44,350. We currently don't expect it to reach the United States.
And if VW is now building Golf GTIs with almost 290 hp, where does that leave the 292-hp Golf R? VW's next-generation Mk8 Golf is just around the corner, and we hear its R version could pack a 400-hp punch.
