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"We haven&amp;#039;t even landed the regular Mk7 Golf in the US yet, let alone the GTI, but Volkswagen is torturing us with whiffs of more forbidden fruit, namely the new Golf R. The Mk7 may look like a mildly reheated version of last year&amp;#039;s car, but it&amp;#039;s actually built off of VW&amp;#039;s new MQB platform, which promises more exciting handling. The engine&amp;#039;s new, too\u2014still a turbocharged 2.0-liter four, but based on the latest EA888 engine found in the new GTI. That car makes 217 hp, but this one kicks out 290 hp (34 hp more than the last R) with 280 lb-ft of torque. Couple that with the optional six-speed DSG transmission (don&amp;#039;t worry, there&amp;#039;s a manual, too), and you&amp;#039;ve got the first Golf to go sub-5 to 60 mph. Stick with the stick, and the same run takes 5.3 seconds, or 0.4 seconds longer, though that&amp;#039;s still the same amount quicker than the previous manual R. PHOTOS: Volkswagen Golf R brings 290 hp to the American hot hatch party   While Europe gets a choice of three- or five-door body styles, we only get the sensible one, at least initially. A three-door may arrive, although modest sales expectations mean you shouldn&amp;#039;t bet on it. Visually, this is a trademark understated hot Golf and a complete contrast to what will be its key rival: the new Subaru Impreza WRX STI. If you thrive on being the center of attention, the R won&amp;#039;t cut it. Next to the Subaru, the Volkswagen is as eye-catching as a beige Camry. But tell-tales that this is no 100-hp diesel are there for keen eyes to spot, and they include standard bi-xenon lamps, a chrome-trimmed radiator grille, a pair of microscopic &amp;#039;R&amp;#039; badges, and four not-so-diminutive tailpipes. Wheels are 18 inches as standard, with 19s residing on the options list alongside the DCC adaptive damping system. PHOTOS: Long-term Test Wrap-up: 2013 Volkswagen Golf R  Driving Character:  Throw on the lock, lift off the gas. You feel the tail slew &amp;#039;round, but you must fight the temptation to unwind the lock. &amp;quot;More lock, more gas!&amp;quot; shouts our racing instructor. So you keep your foot pinned and feed in even more steering angle. That&amp;#039;s no chore thanks to the new car&amp;#039;s short-geared &amp;#039;progressive steering&amp;#039; rack. The engine wails, the back wheels are throwing up giant rooster tails, and we&amp;#039;re so sideways that we could do with a windshield wiper on the door glass. In the 20 years I&amp;#039;ve been driving them, I&amp;#039;ve never steered a Golf like this.  Before you become faint at the prospect of VW going all GTR and we have to revive you with a whiff of Castrol R, I should point out that all of our driving took place on a giant frozen lake in northern Sweden, just 70 miles short of the Arctic Circle. Given the current state of weather in the eastern United States, driving impressions based on a day pretending we were gunning for a stage win in the 1000 Lakes Rally may not seem entirely irrelevant, but we certainly can&amp;#039;t make a definitive call about the R&amp;#039;s dry-weather ride and handling.   But here&amp;#039;s what we did learn. First, that the latest faster-acting iteration of the Haldex four-wheel-drive system is a vast improvement, transferring up to 100 percent of torque to the rear exactly when you need it. The engineers from R GmbH say it&amp;#039;s the key enabler when it comes to the R&amp;#039;s newfound agility. For the first time on a modern VW, the ESP system can be fully switched out, too. Even jabbing on the middle pedal mid-slide to help tuck the nose into that apex won&amp;#039;t send the brakes into an electronically-activated frenzy. But even more impressive, the ESP &amp;#039;Sport&amp;#039; mode lets you do all the fun stuff, only intervening to mop up your excesses and spare your blushes. PHOTOS: 2015 Volkswagen Golf R  And second, the new-generation 2.0 feels urgent, sounds angry, and yet is a heap more refined than the old one. The throttle response is strong and the power&amp;#039;s served up in one fat, linear helping, only tailing off close to the 6800-rpm redline. Start/stop is standard with whichever transmission you choose, and it helps this R post some spectacular mileage numbers. US figures are still to be announced, but an almost diesel-like 34 mpg (US) on the Euro combined cycle is epic given the performance.  And lastly, a tip of the hat to our test car&amp;#039;s six-speed manual. That it exists at all is reason to celebrate; that it is so damn sweet just makes one more reason not to spend on the optional DSG. PHOTOS: First Drive: 2015 Volkswagen GTI Favorite Details: That combo of fully killable stability control and new faster-acting Haldex differential (though how much hoonage that&amp;#039;ll actually offer on grippy bone-dry summer pavement remains to be seen).  Biggest Gripe:  Front-drive Mk7 Golfs for the US, including the GTI, will be built here this spring as well as in Mexico. But the 4Motion cars still have to come from Germany. It looks like US customers are a low priority, because it&amp;#039;s going to take a whole year for the R to make it across the Atlantic. You know, they really ought to invest in a faster boat.  PHOTOS: First Drive: 2013 Golf R Cabriolet Bottom Line:  In the absence of the Euro-only Scirocco in VW&amp;#039;s US lineup, you could conclude that the Golf R looks tediously dull for what&amp;#039;s supposed to be Wolfsburg&amp;#039;s performance flagship. But if you dig the whole sleeper schtick, then you&amp;#039;ll love it. Potent performance in a flingable under-the-radar package combined with an all-weather transmission that&amp;#039;s now far more fun makes for a winning combination. Plus, the Mk7 cabin manages to push the boundaries again. You just know that Subaru&amp;#039;s new Impreza hasn&amp;#039;t a hope of matching the ambience or the projected 34 mpg. Is it worth a likely $10,000 premium over the already brilliant (and soon available) GTI? We&amp;#039;ll say yes and pray for more awful weather next spring. READ THIS: 7 things we learned while visiting Volkswagen&amp;#039;s enormous factory in Mexico 2015 Volkswagen Golf R  Powertrain: DOHC 16-valve 2.0-liter 4cyl Dricetrain: 6-speed manual Fuel Economy (EPA city/hwy/combined): : TBD, 34mpg (US) on European combined cycle  "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/first-drives/reviews/a6967/first-drive-2015-volkswagen-golf-r/>