The engine hasn’t been started yet.
This video is courtesy of Archie Hamilton Racing on YouTube. It features a brand new VW Golf R.
New This does not just refer to the model year. The clip shows that the car has only 150 miles so the 2.0-liter engine isn’t yet broken in. This is a warning to those who are afraid of seeing new cars get hammered during break-in. You might not like this video.
The video includes banter between the car owner and the techs at the Dyno Shop, along with discussion about tuning. The clip at the beginning of this article will show the actual dyno pulls. Only a few are done in race and normal modes. VW rates the new Golf R as having 315 horsepower. That’s 235 kilowatts, and 320 metric horsepower. This last figure is crucial for the dyno session. It takes place in the UK across the pond. In this instance, 320 is the target.
It beats it. This series of pulls yields a maximum of 335 hp, 20 more horsepower than VW claims. This rating is not the rating at the wheels. It’s the figure that we are used to seeing in US chassis dyno runs. This setup calculates the power rating for the crankshaft. There is always room for error in these calculations. While we don’t claim that this readout is incorrect, has definitely seen errors before .
Pay attention to a few other factors. This Golf R has not yet gone through its break-in period. Engines can gain power after all moving parts have been properly seated. If the stats are correct, then another 10-20 hp might be possible. Although 20 hp may seem a bit low, it is not worth a second glance. Future dyno runs will show a difference of 40 hp. That’s nothing to be ashamed of.
Volkswagen is the other wildcard. the new Golf R was listed in 2020 by VW as having 245kW. This is equivalent to 333 horsepower. This dyno session is almost identical to the original, supporting the underrated engine theory. There has been speculation that a VW Golf R Plus would have the additional power. Perhaps all latest Golf Rs have a higher output and VW is being a little coy about this.
We’d love to see more Golf R Dyno runs in order to get a better understanding of the hot hatch’s power potential.