Volkswagen Golf R Wagon Heads for LA Auto Show to Tease US

Volkswagen has pulled the wraps off the latest family-hauler turned sports car before it is formally revealed at the LA Auto Show, though it is all a big tease.

Despite the fact that the new Golf R Wagon, known properly as the Golf R Variant, will make its official debut on US soil, Volkswagen USA spokesman Mark Gillies has already informed AutoGuide that “there are currently no plans to bring it here.”

That will leave Americans no choice but to dream about the Golf R Variant which has seating for five, and gets its power from a turbocharged 2.0-liter four cylinder that makes 296 hp and 280 lb-ft of torque giving it a 0 to 62 mph sprint time of 5.1 seconds. Power is sent to all four wheels through a six-speed dual-clutch transmission.

To make this car a star at the racetrack, an adaptive damping system is fitted that offers five driver settings: Eco, Normal, Comfort, Individual and Race. As would be expected, race mode sets the dampers to their stiffest point, increases throttle response and changes the shift mapping. Individual can be set up custom by each driver while Eco will garner the best fuel economy. Comfort is pretty much self explanatory.

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To set this wagon apart from the regular commuters, the R gets unique bumpers, a high-gloss black diffuser, four chrome exhaust tips, Bi-Xenon headlights with LED running lights, 18-inch aluminum alloy wheels (19-inch wheels are available), and ‘R’ logos all over. There is also a suspension drop of 0.8-inches compared to the standard Golf.

Inside, blue ambient lighting is found along with cloth and Alcantara sport seats embroidered with ‘R’ logos. Leather seats are available as an option. Even with the car full of five occupants, 21.4 cubic feet of cargo space is available behind the rear seats, a number which grows to 57.2 cubic feet when the rear seats are folded down.

The car will be available in Europe starting spring of 2015.