Volkswagen Golf has become synonymous with the kasi cool guy who possess great amounts of swag. Affectionately known as the “vrrphaa” all over South African townships, its home in our minds and hearts is our urban cities and townships.
I recently got assigned the new Golf R and the first thing that came to mind was taking it for a spin in Mamelodi. Make no mistake we are not short of the VW brand around this township, there’s plenty. The Golf 7 GTI, the Golf 6, 5 and the new Polo TSI, the old caravelle (popularly known as the caracara) and even the Golf 1 is still thriving. So one could easily say that Volkswagen has a home in Mamelodi.
I will admit when I first got news that the new Golf R will be getting an additional 15kW of power bringing it to 228kW making it the most powerful Golf ever sold in South Africa, I was a little worried for the young petrol-head loyal to the VW brand. I thought should this guy full of swagger and a need for speed get ahold of this kind of power they would go absolutely crazy! The Golf R rockets to 100 km/h in a swift 4.6 seconds thanks to 228kW of power and 400Nm of torque and a top speed of 249km/h . This gain in dynamics is attributable to an extremely fast-shifting 7-speed DSG and the standard Launch Control feature as well as the overall high engine output.
How was driving around Mamelodi with this beauty you may ask? It was an experience I will never forget. Firstly because I got the respect I have been dreaming of from the local taxi drivers ever since I got my driver’s license. I got the nod of approval and the occasional right of way which I wouldn’t normally get in my Ford Figo.
Every time I passed a carwash I would select race mode so the Golf would do what it was known for, vrrrphaa, thanks to the Akrapovic titanium exhaust , this made the young men at the carwash bow down to this unmatched piece of machinery. This was an interesting couple of days and I definitely felt like I belonged at the cool kids table. The user friendly infotainment system with 9.2-inch discover pro with gesture control, made it easy for me to connect my phone to the Bluetooth to play my favourite amapiano tracks.
If you have R676 000, to spare you should know that the Golf R has the sex appeal, the looks, the attitude, and that “tshaba re fete” factor we all love.
