Automaker family portraits are like most of ours. See that mohawk in the back? That’s the Honda Civic Type R. The blue-face scoundrel flipping the bird? Hello, Ford Focus RS.

Every family has someone bound for the pokey—even short stretches, but the 2018 Volkswagen Golf R skips hard time because it’s effectively the VW GTI’s twin. Sure, the Golf R hits the gym—not the yard—compared to the GTI, and it could be more fun.

But in a world of wild wings and drift modes, the Golf R stands out because it doesn't go too far. It’s familiar and familial, so does it matter that it’s not VW’s wild child?

Twinsies

We're not kidding around about that twins business.

The Golf R's only visual differences are its 19-inch wheels, slightly lower ride height, an exhaust outlet for each cylinder, and silver accents in place of the GTI's red. It all feels underwhelming––Volkswagen doesn't need to go crazy with how its hottest hatchback looks. Still, we'd like the visual gulf between Golfs to be a little wider.

2018 Volkswagen Golf R

2018 Volkswagen Golf R

2018 Volkswagen Golf R

2018 Volkswagen Golf R

2018 Volkswagen Golf R

2018 Volkswagen Golf R

 

Changes to the cabin are similarly restrained, aside from one important detail: the Golf R is the first member of the family to adopt Volkswagen Digital Cockpit as standard. The all-digital display spans 12.3 inches and while it's not as reconfigurable as Audi's system, Digital Cockpit is a beautiful and comprehensive way to view driving, multimedia, communications, and navigation data.

Digital Cockpit's interface is more intuitive than Virtual Cockpit, and its controls––limited to just one side of the steering wheel––are simple to operate. While it retains the same page format that Audi's system uses, the reconfigurable options in the VW get their own page, while the side tabs from Virtual Cockpit are missing all together. There's still a learning curve, but the centralized and clearly marked customization options make VW’s the better of the two systems.

Digital Cockpit aside, the Golf R's cabin is virtually identical to the GTI’s. This is good for the business of driving––the leather seats are as snug as a good pair of lederhosen, with huge side bolsters that bearhug the driver and front passenger. The black cow hides are standard and that's a mark against the Golf R––the GTI's standard tartan cloth is far cooler.

Like the GTI, there's a flat-bottomed steering wheel with soft leather and ample padding and a manual shift lever that feels like an extension of the driver's right arm. Sightlines are excellent in every direction, even with the sport seat in its lowest position (where your 6-foot-1 author likes it). It’s an improvement from past Golfs, which occasionally suffered with the seat set too low.

One Heart

The similarities between the Golf R and the GTI are evident under the hood, where a 2.0-liter, turbo-4 sits in both cars. The R's engine is much more powerful, though (although its not as stout as its newly enhanced European cousin). With 292 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque crammed into a space the size of a New York City microstudio, acceleration is relentless from a standstill and nearly as impressive at speed.

But the performance is approachable, just like in the GTI. The Golf R doesn't feel frantic like the more powerful Focus RS, and with its standard all-wheel-drive system, acceleration requires much less thought than the front-wheel-drive Civic Type R––just grab the appropriate gear and mash the gas pedal.

But do so, and our biggest complaint about the Golf R's powertrain rears its head: it sounds remarkably artificial.

Like a lot of vehicles, the Golf R features a sound actuator, or as the VW enthusiast community calls it, the soundaktor (German for, you guessed it, “sound actuator”).

2018 Volkswagen Golf R

2018 Volkswagen Golf R

2018 Volkswagen Golf R

2018 Volkswagen Golf R

2018 Volkswagen Golf R

2018 Volkswagen Golf R

 

Search “Golf R soundaktor” and there are a number of threads on VW enthusiast forums, posts on Reddit, and videos on YouTube detailing the general dislike for the system. There are nearly as many explaining how to disable it. You should.

Volkswagen sells the Golf R with a standard 6-speed manual or a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic, an $1,100 option that's up a gear from last year's model. While we'd like to try the new 7-speed, our tester had the standard option and it's excellent.

The clutch has a wide and predictable catchpoint, and we'd be happy with the pedal in heavy traffic—rev-matched downshifts are easy thanks to the predictable clutch and attentive throttle. The shift lever has short throws and welcomes changes to any of its forward gears.

The Golf R distances itself from the GTI with a standard all-wheel drive system. Along with no-slip acceleration, the Golf R's 4Motion system can send up to 50 percent of the engine's torque to the rear axle via a multi-plate clutch. An electronic differential manages lateral power transfer and brakes a slipping wheel to send power to the opposite side.

 

Family Traits

The Golf R's tossability is only partially down to the 4Motion all-wheel-drive system. Like the GTI, there's a multi-link suspension in back and a pair of struts with coil springs in front––adaptive dampers sit at all four corners. The ride is 0.2 inches lower than the GTI, although any difference from that is hard to spot. The Golf R's stance is certainly better, though.

2018 Volkswagen Golf R

2018 Volkswagen Golf R

2018 Volkswagen Golf R

2018 Volkswagen Golf R

2018 Volkswagen Golf R

2018 Volkswagen Golf R

2018 Volkswagen Golf R

2018 Volkswagen Golf R

But ride height changes (and all-wheel drive) aside, this is mostly the same suspension found in the GTI. That means handling is sharp and predictable, with very little body roll. The GTI feels confident, but the all-wheel-drive Golf R has bedrock-like stability and poise through the corners, which is a particular pleasure compared to the understeer-prone Civic Type R and the Wheeeeee-I-have-Drift-Mode antics of the Focus RS.

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But it's the way the Golf R manages everyday conditions, coping with bad roads without brutalizing the driver. Detroit's roads (where we tested the Golf R) are notoriously rough, but the ride is far from spine-crushing, even with the standard 19-inch wheels. The suspension is soft enough that it soaks up the pockmarked surface without transmitting too much to the driver's seat, but firm enough that the car rarely feels disconnected. This is a refreshingly balanced performance car from a ride/handling perspective.

And it's that balance that permeates every facet of the Golf R. This is a high-performance hot hatch that doesn't bludgeon its driver every time they get behind the wheel.

While we'd appreciate some of the histrionics that help the Focus RS and Civic Type R stand out in our memories, it's easy to forget that those character-building imperfections get worse the farther you drive from a track.

The Golf R is as exciting as it needs to be and never at the expense of its everyday usability. It's not the most dynamic hot hatchback on the market, but just like its baby brother, it's almost certainly the best.