A Buyer’s Guide to the 2012 Volkswagen Golf R

The Volkswagen Golf R has all-wheel drive, two or four door options, and a turbocharged engine for those who want a little extra power. The Golf R is upgraded from the GTI, giving it better handling and more aggressive power. It can go from zero to 60 in 5.6 seconds with a top speed of 130 mph. The Volkswagen Golf R makes for the perfect every day driver for those looking for a little more power while still getting decent gas mileage.

Key Features

The Golf R comes with a 2.0 liter turbocharged four cylinder that offers 256 hp. A six speed manual transmission is the only transmission type offered with this vehicle. The fuel economy will provide you with 19 mpg in the city and 27 mpg on the highway. It has a “good” safety rating due to the roof strength and side-impact tests.

Changes for 2012

The 2012 Volkswagen Golf R is a brand new vehicle so this is its first year on the market.

What We Like

The Golf R handles gracefully and is not too heavily weighted. All-wheel drive (AWD) comes standard on this vehicle which other Golfs do not have. The AWD allows the vehicle to handle corners better and provide you with more confidence while driving. The retuned suspension offers sharper handling and a better driving experience.

What Concerns Us

While it is an upgrade from the GTI, it is also much more expensive. The manual transmission may be off putting to customers who only used automatic transmissions. In addition, the Golf R does lack interior storage space, especially once you fill it full of passengers and their luggage.

Available Models

The two models of the Volkswagen Golf R are the base model and the Golf R with Sunroof and Navigation Hatchback. The latter offers more features and options than the base model of the Golf R.

Major Recalls

The 2012 Volkswagen Golf R was recalled due to the fuel injection pulse coincided with the natural frequency of injector line number two. This could create stress on the fuel line causing cracks and leaks which may lead to a fire. A vibration damper will be installed on these vehicles to stop this issue.

Common Issues

Common complaints with the Volkswagen Golf R include the AM radio stopped working, the door doesn’t unlock every so often, not starting, oil leaks from the crankshaft seal, engine losing power, and rough shifting.

Volkswagen Golf R 2012 Interior


Next Step

Schedule Pre-purchase Car Inspection

The most popular service booked by readers of this article is Pre-purchase Car Inspection. YourMechanic’s technicians bring the dealership to you by performing this job at your home or office 7-days a week between 7AM-9PM. We currently cover over 2,000 cities and have 100k+ 5-star reviews... LEARN MORE

SEE PRICING & SCHEDULING

The statements expressed above are only for informational purposes and should be independently verified. Please see our terms of service for more details

Recent Pre-purchase Car Inspection reviews

Excellent Rating

(5,493)

Rating Summary
5,137
193
39
38
86
5,137
193
39
38
86

Jermaine

25 years of experience
382 reviews
Jermaine
25 years of experience
Dodge Durango V6-3.6L - Pre-purchase Car Inspection - Silver Spring, Maryland
Awesome mechanic! Very reliable !! Awesome personality! Explained everything and now I feel less stressed.
Hyundai Ioniq - Pre-purchase Car Inspection - Chevy Chase, Maryland
Jermaine was very friendly, efficient and professional. He kindly explained to me those things that did not score well in the service report, so that it didn't come as a surprise, and I would know what to do about it.

Caz

18 years of experience
146 reviews
Caz
18 years of experience
Mercedes-Benz GLA250 L4-2.0L Turbo - Pre-purchase Car Inspection - Woodstock, Georgia
Caz was extremely knowledgeable, personable and provided excellent service. He was on time for the appointment and answered and explained everything I asked concerning my vehicle. I will definitely use the company again and I would love to have Caz as my mechanic! Excellent!
Mercedes-Benz S550 - Pre-purchase Car Inspection - Mableton, Georgia
Caz Arrived on time much earlier than scheduled. He was very professional in inspecting the car and made excellent recommendations.

Brian

19 years of experience
138 reviews
Brian
19 years of experience
Lexus RX350 V6-3.5L - Pre-purchase Car Inspection - McDonough, Georgia
Brian was very informational and knowledgeable about the Inspection. He throughly inform me what issues on vehicle. Great Mechanic !!!
Ford Transit-350 HD - Pre-purchase Car Inspection - McDonough, Georgia
Great service. Honest , respectful and truly cares about making sure you get the best options possible at an affordable price. Finding a mechanic you can trust is rare. I highly recommend Brain.

Jay

24 years of experience
262 reviews
Jay
24 years of experience
Honda CR-V L4-2.4L - Pre-purchase Car Inspection - Glendale Heights, Illinois
Jay did a great job! Excellent at taking time to explain things about your car. And provided sound recommendation on repair. Courteous and responsive. I would definitely recommend Jay!
BMW 535i xDrive - Pre-purchase Car Inspection - Des Plaines, Illinois
Excellent ! Jay is very detail oriented and forward thinking. I would highly recommend him to anyone.

Need Help With Your Car?

Our certified mobile mechanics make house calls in over 2,000 U.S. cities. Fast, free online quotes for your car repair.

GET A QUOTE

Related articles

How to Buy a Car Through Your Business
Sometimes Sometimes businesses need access to a vehicle on a regular basis, or even occasionally, to serve its customers. Purchasing a car under your business name that employees can drive often saves companies time and money versus reimbursing employees for...
How to Replace a Lost or Stolen Car Title in South Carolina
There There are a few different reasons you may find yourself needing to obtain a duplicate car title in your lifetime. Your car title is what proves you are the registered owner of your vehicle, and is important if you...
10 Cars That Look Expensive but are Actually Cheap to Buy
There are inexpensive cars on the market that look high end. The Ford Mustang, Toyota Prius, and Honda Civic are good looking cars with low MSRPs.

Related questions

What does the lamps on reminder light mean?
The lamps on reminder light is located on the instrument panel. When the lamps on reminder light is illuminated, that means that your lights are currently on. When you turn off all of your lights, the lamps on reminder light...
My check engine light came on
You can try and have the throttle body (https://www.yourmechanic.com/article/symptoms-of-a-bad-or-failing-throttle-body) and idle control valve (https://www.yourmechanic.com/article/symptoms-of-a-bad-or-failing-idle-control-valve) cleaned first and code cleared. If the code returns then you will need to have the computer program updated for this code. There is a technical...
I have a 2005 Volkswagen Jetta the engine just went is it worth fixing or trashing it
If your goal is to minimize the cost of transportation, compare the total cost of getting your car fully functional, in your case that would be the cost of repairing the engine, to the total cost of replacing the car....

How can we help?

Our service team is available 7 days a week, Monday - Friday from 6 AM to 5 PM PST, Saturday - Sunday 7 AM - 4 PM PST.

1 (855) 347-2779 · hi@yourmechanic.com