► Sequentially numbered 328bhp special edition
► Outstanding Lime Yellow Metallic paint
► Full R Performance package – but Germany only
Following swiftly after the VW Golf R 20 Years edition is this new Volkswagen Golf R 333 variant of the firm’s most potent hot hatch. Packing the entire performance-enhancement options list – including the titanium Akrapovic exhaust – its most enticing feature is nevertheless the Lime Yellow Metallic paint.
But more than that, it’s also first Golf R to come as a sequentially numbered limited edition, a practice that’s fallen slightly out of favour in recent years due to buyers squabbling over which number they want.
Pop all this together, however, and VW is probably right to suggest the R 333 is ‘a potential collector’s item’. Which is fine if you live in Germany, because that’s apparently the only place it’s going to be sold.
Oh no, not another exciting hot hatch we can’t have?
The UK has always been an ardent hot hatch market, so this kind of thing is perhaps a little galling – though given the eyebrow-singeing 76,410 Euro starting price, probably also a sensible one.
Still, as with the Toyota GR Corolla, there will be some of us who can’t help dreaming a little wistfully about this new ultra-Golf.
What else is special aside from the Golf R 333 Limited Edition’s yellow paint?
The yellow is complemented by black accents, including the 19-inch Estoril alloy wheels – which are shod with ‘semi-slick’ tyres, adorned with ‘dynamic’ R centre caps (meaning they should stay the right way up, like those of a Rolls-Royce; these have been on the VW options list for a while), and shield a set of R blue brake calipers.
Golf R 333 Limited Edition – definitely not mellow yellow
The R 333 also gets the whole R Performance package: power boost to 328bhp (which is 333ps, hence the name), 310lb ft of torque, speed limiter raised to 168mph, and the full suite of R-Performance Torque Vectoring with Vehicle Dynamics shenanigans. This includes the ability to power-split drive to the rear wheels as well as between the front and rear axles, enabling some Drift driving mode silliness.
The Akrapovic exhaust features titanium silencers, and should ensure people hear buyers coming – maybe with a view to letting them get their sunglasses ready. The R 333 will go 0-62mph in 4.6sec, though, so they’ll need to be quick.
Close up of the loud noises from the Akrapovic titanium ‘silencers’
Other neat Golf R tricks include turbocharger ‘preloading’ that keeps the turbine spinning at part throttle, and the throttle valve that opens on the overrun – both features that helps adrenalize response time.
Anything else before I go and cry into my energy drink?
That pretty much covers the major points – though the IQ.Light adative LED headlights and 480w Harman Kardon hifi are nice inclusions, too. The interior is clothed in black Nappa leather, and you get all the usual gadgets as well. German buyers can order the R 333 from 2 June 2023, with first deliveries expected the following October.
Yes, VW does appear to have colour-matched the infotainment system… (even if it was an existing function)
Meanwhile, you can read more about the spec highlights and performance in our VW Golf R review, which includes info about the 20 Years edition that is available in the UK.