#Forzatography - the Golf R rally car

You could describe the Golf R as a touch too straight-laced. In a world of 320bhp front wheel drive civics with more styling than a hair salon, Ford Focuses that could turn even Taki Inue into Ken Block, and Audi RS3s and Merc AMG A45s with power that not long ago wouldn’t seem out of place on a supercar, the Golf could be described as a bit boring. Too sensible, not enough pizzazz. Yes it may drive well but it certainly won’t get you noticed, with its subtle styling enhancements and extra exhaust pipes only hinting at the potential within. Those who know, know, and those who don’t… sucks to be you buddy!

However, boring isn’t really the case here. Oh no. A Rocket Bunny kit helps de-sensiblize the looks, giving the car some serious hips and a ensuring that it certainly looks mean. With the Gulf paintjob over the top and a new set of wheels, externally the car has been improved massively. Suddenly, this Golf is the one to watch. It’s the one people stare at. Nevertheless, this thing isn’t all mouth and no trousers. Under the skin huge changes have occurred, with rally suspension being one of the most major. There’s also a whole new gearbox, allowing for tuning of the gear ratios and a new dif so I could send power rearward. Finally, the engine department - oops. I’m away while writing this and so can’t remember the exact figures, however I can tell you that this thing is pushing almost 350 horses now, giving it a certain turn of pace. It’s definitely enough to combat the stock car’s power deficiency compared to other hatches.

In fact, the Golf is now much faster than any other hatch on almost any surface. There is so much grip when you want it, so much so that on tarmac the car doesn’t really want to slide unless you really ask it to ( although that may be my dodgy - read as “non existent” - drifting skills). On the dirt though… phwoar. The car is simply so agile, turning in without any slack whatsoever. Instead of the front running slightly wide, it’s the rear, which is desperate to step out and help tighten your line. When you first drive it it can seem rather twitchy, but after a mile or a two you get used to it and suddenly you’re flying down dirt trails faster than you thought possible. I love rallying in FH4, and I’m firmly into the school of thought that says “if it isn’t sideways, you ain’t pushing hard enough”. I’m aware that may not always be true, but it sure seems to be the way, and the Golf fits my maximum attack style extremely well. Push it harder and harder and it continues to respond well to any inputs, the revs screaming and the whole car shifting around beautifully, throwing it’s weight around (it isn’t the heaviest but it’s not the lightest either) to unbalance the car and set up for corners. Even if you mess up and over - commit there isn’t too much of a problem, because of the incredible acceleration. There’s thrust in almost every gear at every speed, so you can pull yourself out of slow corners with ease by simply mashing the throttle and being teleported into the next braking zone. Then rinse and repeat - brake, turn in, floor it and let the rear step out, a touch of counter steer and boom, you’re away.

As you can tell, I really enjoy chucking this thing around on and off the road. For me, it is a great improvement over the standard Golf - faster, better looking and generally more fun.

As no one ever said, ever -

Sometimes you want to fade into the background. Other times, you want to be the star of the show.