R YOU READY FOR THE FASTEST EVER GOLF?

THE R32 is dead, long live the R!

The bad news: Volkswagen have done what many initially feared and dropped their 3.2-litre V6 from the new Golf line-up.

The good news: the car set to replace it, the 2-litre TSI-engined Golf R, is the fastest Golf ever.

Unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show this week the R comes equipped with 266bhp—up 20bhp on its 3.2-litre predecessor—and keeps the R32's four-wheel-drive set up.

The results delivered by the smaller turbocharged engine are impressive.

With a DSG dual-clutch gearbox the R will accelerate to 62mph in 5.5 seconds, that's faster than a Ford Focus RS, but should still return 33.2mpg (6.8mpg up on the R32) on the combined cycle and CO2 emissions of 199 g/km (58g/km down on the R32). 

The R also features a revolutionary new four-wheel-drive system which uses a pre-charged hydraulic system to shuffle power between the wheels and reduce wheelspin, channelling up to 100 per cent of the torque to the rear wheels if required.

The new Golf R is set to arrive in the UK in December with prices and specifications due to be announced nearer this time.