Manual fans rejoice! VW’s U.S.-spec Golf R will get a manual option after all

By Alexander Kalogianni December 4, 2014

manual fans rejoice vws u s spec golf r will get option 2015 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

The hatchback that sets the standards for five doors across the globe is dropping the hammer this spring with its most powerful version to date, with the 2015 Volkswagen Golf R. While the V-dub crowd here in the States have been eagerly awaiting this hottest of hatches, they’ve also been lamenting the fact that it would arrive exclusively with VW’s Direct Shift Gearbox. This was disappointing to learn because manual is already being offered in the European-spec Golf R.

An article from Car and Driver bears some good news for the Golf enthusiasts eager to shift for themselves: the 2016 Golf R will sport a manual option. While that may sound like the most backhanded offer of consolation, fear not, as Golf fans won’t have to wait for an entire year to get their hands on their configuration of choice.

2015 Golf R — Image used with permission by copyright holder

The 2016 Golf R will drop in the summer of ’15, so there’s a slight wait for manual, but only a handful of months. Either way, Volkswagen enthusiasts will still get a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that will send 292 horsepower to all four wheels.

There is a little bit of a tradeoff though. The Golf R with DSG is currently set to retail at $37,415, and the sought after manual should trim off $1,100 from the bottom line, but it will also be as much as half a second slower to accelerate, bringing its 4.9-second 0 to 60 time to 5.5 seconds.

It probably doesn’t seem like a lot, but to the performance-oriented, the world is measured by fractions of a second. Despite all the give and take, the Golf R will still improve upon the previous model in every way, including engine power, fuel economy and continue to make your GTI friends envious of your lack of torque steer.

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Alexander Kalogianni

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Alex K is an automotive writer based in New York. When not at his keyboard or behind the wheel of a car, Alex spends a lot of…

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