Finally the cat is out of the bag- German carmaker Volkswagen has released details of the new Golf R at its driving launch in Ellmau, Austria. Very different from the regular Golf R32 in terms of exterior styling, it is a complete package in the auto market that promises more power, handling, features and aggressive styling – not to forget its affordable pricing.

It is powered by a 2.0 TSI turbo four-cylinder direct injection that releases 199 KW/ 270-hp and 350 Nm of torque at 2,500 rpm, clearly the most powerful Golf ever. It has a pick-up of 0-100km/h in just 5.5 secs and the maximum electronic speed is capped at 250 km/h or 155mph. With a 21% improvement in fuel efficiency over the R32 (27.7 mpg), carbon missions have been reduced from 255 to 199 g/km.

Armed with modern technology, the Golf R is equipped with Bi-Xenon headlights, centrally mounted exhaust pipes, a large roof spoiler, LED daytime running lights and LED rear lights besides customized features like the new “Talladega” style wheels, black calipers with R-logo and a new bumper design. The interior comes with mirror housings painted in high-gloss black, restyled gearshift knob, carpet floor mats with piping in “Art Grey”, aluminum door tread plates with R-logo, stainless steel sport pedals and door accents in “Silver Lane” styling, heated and leather trimmed seats and a multi-function 3-spoke leather steering wheel.

Additional features include an automatic climate control system (“Climatronic”) and the “RCD 310” radio-CD system (4×20 watt) with MP3 player plus dual tuners.

The manual model weighs around 3,353 pounds as compared to 3,400 pounds for the automatic. There is also another option – DCC dynamic chassis control which continually adapts suspension depending on the roadway and driving situation besides the ability to activate into a “Normal” mode, a “Sport” mode or “Comfort” mode. While pricing details is expected in a few weeks from now, the car is expected to hit showrooms sometime later in the first half of the year.