Devonshire April May 17

FOOD and DRINK
MOTORING REVIEW
Volkswagen Golf R Mk 7
Food & Dining
Photography
It's no good just producing great food, you
need to shout about it with rich imagery to show
the public what your kitchen can deliver.
We specialise in photography and can provide a highly
affordable professional service to businesses wishing to
upgrade their website, social media and print imagery.
Contact DEVONSHIRE magazine
Ask for Nigel Jones on: 01395 513383
It's hard to believe that the Golf in its 43rd year of
production, older than many of you out there.
Yes, it's still going strong and the
Golf R Mk 7 reaches the pinnacle
of what has been a very long life
for this popular model. And it's
understandable really, the Golf's
a great size, not too big to be
unwieldy, but there's enough
space for a comfortable ride
for 4 people, but small enough
to be nimble and easy to park.
Of course, the Golf comes in all
sorts of variants, with a range
of petrol and diesel engines,
but the 'R' model is the petrol
powered 2 litre turbocharged
version, the most powerful
Golf ever produced with nearly
300bhp, that's about 70bhp
more than the already quick GTI.
was fitted with the much-loved
V6 unit, so you have to wonder
why they'd ditch this in favour
of the 4 cylinder 2 litre one?
Probably because the 4 cylinder
engine's cheaper to produce,
but to be more charitable, I'd say
it was done to reduce front-end
weight to improve handling.
Whatever the reason, they've
created an incredible pocket
rocket, to say this car is quick is
an understatement. With a 0-60
time of just over 4.5 seconds,
you need never worry about
There's always a worry with
front wheel drive cars that
overloading with power results
in much wheel spinning and
lack of control at the front, so
VW have fitted 4Motion, their
front wheel biased 4 wheel
drive power train system. So
the usual scenario where you
swiftly pull out from a side road,
only to find the front end of the
car scrabbling for grip is totally
averted, as the rear wheels
step in to provide much more
stability to the power delivery.
Quad pipes, the only visual cue to this
car's amazing performance
having enough acceleration
when overtaking slow-moving
traffic. The engine delivers
power in a way you wouldn't
expect, with masses of torque
from 2,000 rpm, and revs rapidly
gathering pace all the way to
the redline.
The R is limited to a very safe 155mph
VW's greatest triumph
with this car has been
to endow the car with
a level of road holding
and cornering capability
that's quite staggering.
The balance and poise this
system brings to the car is a real
triumph. The previous Golf R
The Golf R truly is a wolf in
sheep's clothing. - Editor
30
Countryside, History, Walks, the Arts, Events & all things Devon at: DEVONSHIRE magazine.co.uk