Volkswagen has not released a Nürburgring Nordschleife time for its outgoing seventh-generation Golf GTI TCR, so the folks over at sport auto have hit the track themselves to see just how quickly this front-driven hot hatch can lap the Green Hell.

Set to arrive in South Africa in “limited numbers” (likely around 300 units of the five-door variant, each priced “under R700 000”) in the second quarter of 2020, the front-wheel-drive Golf GTI TCR employs the firm's familiar turbocharged 2,0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, but in this case tuned to deliver 213 kW and 370 N.m (up on the standard GTI’s 169 kW and 350 N.m).

Fitted with a six-speed dual-clutch transmission as standard, Volkswagen says the special model is capable of sprinting from zero to 100 km/h in 5,6 seconds – a full eight-tenths quicker than the standard GTI. Maximum speed, meanwhile, is 250 km/h, although the automaker says this can “optionally be increased to 260 km/h”.

With sport auto test driver Christian Gebhardt behind the wheel, the Golf GTI TCR managed to record a time of 8:04,92 ... which isn’t quite enough to beat the Honda Civic Type R’s time of 7:43,80 (achieved back in 2017) nor that of the Renault Mégane RS Trophy-R, which earlier in 2019 hit either 7:40,10 or 7:45,39 depending on which way you look at it.

Watch the footage below...

Original article from Car