2023 Volkswagen Golf R Details of the New 20th Anniversary Edition.
The special edition hot hatch looks cool thanks to different wheels and other visual changes, but unfortunately the US version doesn’t get the power bump that Europeans love.
Volkswagen is celebrating the 20th birthday of its R-badged Golf hot hatchbacks, but the special edition model we got in the US isn’t as cool as the version sold in Europe. Overseas Golf R 20 Years gets a 14-hp bump for the turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four, while Americans will instead get the same 315-horsepower 2023 Golf R 20th Anniversary Edition as other versions of the Golf R.
The anniversary model only costs $650 more than the standard model, starting at $46,035 with the six-speed manual and $46,835 with the seven-speed dual-clutch automatic. (It’s also worth noting that the Europe-market 20 Years car doesn’t offer a manual at all.) For that small sum, you get a whole host of visual changes, including 20th anniversary badging for the B-pillars, blue “R” logos inside and out, and special puddle lights that project a “20R” graphic on the ground. The interior receives carbon-fiber trim, and black 19-inch wheels are standard.
Three colors are available for the 20th Anniversary model (blue, black or white). If you choose white or black, the mirror caps will be blue. If you choose blue, the mirrors will be black. The panoramic sunroof, standard on the Golf R, has been deleted for the special edition car, which VW says saves weight.
Around 1800 units of the 20th Anniversary Edition will be offered in the U.S., and they’ll arrive at dealerships later this fall.