The question has never been should they or shouldn’t they, but rather will they? Volkswagen has traditionally withheld their best products from the North American market, everything from special edition GTI’s like the Clubsport and TCR, to more sensible models like the Tiguan R or Touareg. VW’s inability to scale upwards from a performance and maybe even luxury perspective due to Audi’s own market share being at stake has often stunted the growth of the brand, and now with trouble on the horizon in China and Europe, Volkswagen is running out of options and time to right the ship and get back to being competitive on a global scale.
Recently it was announced that for the 25th Anniversary of the Golf R, VW plans to drop in a turbocharged in-line 5 cylinder engine for their hottest hatch, likely using the same powertrain that is found in the Audi RS3. This will likely be the last iteration of the Golf R to NOT be electrified, so why not go out with a bang and give the people what they want? And that’s the problem. The people (from North America) never get what they want from Volkswagen, whereas the idea of a turbo 5 in the R for Europe and other global markets is nowhere close to being outlandish.
Some influencers who primarily focus on VW/Audi content have already dismissed this news as being nothing more than a rumor and have gone even further by suggesting that Audi would never allow it. Seeing as though VW owns Audi, they may not have much say in the matter. Consider the fact that a Golf R currently comes in at starting cost of $48k (dealer markups are hurting this car btw) and the Audi S3 which uses the exact same engine is priced at $52k to start, having an RS3 powered Golf R and RS3 being sold simultaneously honestly could work in theory.
Then theorizing even further on what pricing could look like, this is where it gets interesting for the VW/Audi group. An RS3 has a price range between $66k – $80k when well equipped, which if you think about it directly competes with it’s own sibling, the new Audi S5 and in some cases is more expensive than a base BMW M3. Whereas with the Golf R with this turbo 5, anything below $70k is a major win, while also having the advantage of the hatchback which is a far easier sell to enthusiasts who need at least a bit of practicality. It may simply come down to corporate interests such as sales figures, market share, and earnings, something VW is desperate for after a tumultuous few years.
A More Powerful Tiguan Arrives
To further validate the possibility of this happening, take a look at what else Volkswagen is doing right here in the US. For the 2026 Tiguan they are going to offer a new trim, the R-Line Turbo, boosting performance to a staggering 268 hp and 258 lb ft of torque and is projected to have a starting cost of just under $50k when it goes on sale later this fall, severely undercutting the new Audi Q5 which ironically also offers 268 hp.
Not widely known aside from the VW faithful, there was a Tiguan R that was sold in Europe which made over 300 hp, and the thinking behind us never receiving it was due to it competing directly with the Audi Q5/SQ5. It seems VW is slowly easing off its own restrictions for American consumers by being somewhat adventurous even at the expense of their subsidiary, Audi. And when you factor all of this into the equation, the atmospheric conditions for an RS3 powered Golf R coming to fruition doesn’t seem so crazy or unlikely after all.
