07 HP VW GOLF R 7.5

THERE’S NO BOOM, OR DRONE, AND THE POWERTRAIN OPERATES WITH OEM SMOOTHNESS

Rating 4.0

ENGINE 1984cc inline-4, DOHC, 16v, turbo

POWER 362kW @ 6400rpm (at the hubs)

TORQUE 584Nm @ 4810rpm (at the hubs)

0-100KM/H 3.2sec (estimated)

WEIGHT 1450kg • PRICE $97,185 (as tested)

LIKE: Monstrous top-end; strong brakes; solid traction; great driveability; refinement

DISLIKE: Jarring ride; turbo lag; was blowing a bit of smoke during our test; brakes pricey

VOLKSWAGEN, like most of us, wanted the wild Golf R400 to live. It lured Friedrich Eichler, the man who designed the AMG A45’s world-beating four-cylinder engine, to Wolfsburg, then built a mean-looking concept car and hustled undisguised prototypes around the Nurburgring Nordschleife.

But then Dieselgate happened.VW forfeited billions of dollars, in fines, and among the