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Hot Hatch

So this is the VW Golf R 333 Limited Edition, not* yours for €76,410 euros

*Unless you live in Germany. VW reveals limited edition Golf R with semi-slick tyres and Akrapovic exhausts

Published: 01 Jun 2023

So this is the Volkswagen Golf R 333 Limited Edition that was teased last month. It’s based on a Golf R Performance, but is crucially also yellow. Now cough up, suckers.

We kid… a bit. As the name suggests it’s limited to 333 examples, a number not plucked from thin air but reached on account of the 2.0-litre turbo engine’s output in horsepower; 328bhp, to us Brits.

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VW makes much fanfare over the 333’s R-Performance Torque Vectoring and Vehicle Dynamics Manager, which very cleverly distributes power to not only front and rear axles but also between individual rear wheels. Exactly like the Golf R does already.

It also champions the ‘Drift’ and ‘Special’ driving profiles for larking about at the Nurburgring, but again these are features we’ve already seen on the no longer available Performance Pack. Which was last bolted onto the 20 Years edition, come to think of it. 

Like the 20 Years, the 333’s power is up on the standard car and 310lb ft is enough for a slightly faster 0-62mph sprint of 4.6 seconds and an increased top speed of 168mph. Same pre-loaded turbo trickery, too. And 19-inch wheels.

So what’ve they done differently? VW’s added some of the fancier (and expensive) kit you miss out on otherwise, so you get those Akrapovic exhausts with titanium silencers, as well as semi-slick tyres and HUD. Plus, y’know, yellow. With black accents.

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Order books open on 2 June, and prices in Germany are set at €76,410. Or £65,500. Not that that’s relevant, because it’s not coming to the UK. Production commences in September, so the earliest you’ll see one of these buzzing along an autobahn is October.

“The Golf R 333 is the first R model with a specification predefined by us that leaves no customer wishes regarding performance unfulfilled – thanks to its extensive equipment,” said Hakim Halimi, head of product marketing at Volkswagen R.

“With the special exterior colour, black-painted roof and design decals with 333 logo on the sides, this Golf R will be offered in a combination that is unique up to now. It is the first Volkswagen R model with a strict limitation to 333 units and with a sequentially numbered badge in the interior.”

Now there’s a reason to buy one…

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