Milltek Golf R
January 18, 2012
Written by vitya, in Volkswagen
The big promotional graphics down the side are the most obvious thing about this Milltek Golf R. Strip them away and you have a hatchback that could easily have cruised unnoticed into our Q-cars feature last month. Depending on your point of view on aftermarket tuning, this might be a very pleasant or a very disappointing thing.
Stickers aside, one of the major changes Milltek has made to this Golf R is to fit a new exhaust downpipe complete with a high-flow sports catalyst (£748, excluding fitting) and a cat-back section with active exhaust valves and titanium tips (£974). The four-cylinder R has never had the most soulful of voices, and to be honest this exhaust doesn’t really change matters. The volume has been turned up a fraction and the note is a touch deeper, but not a lot. On the plus side it’s EU-homologated and hasn’t turned die R into a ghastly booming motorway annoyance.
The main purpose of the system is to reduce back-pressure and improve spool-up of the turbo. With assistance from this car’s Autotech high-pressure fuel pump and accompanying Custom-Code software (£924, from jbsautodesigns.co.uk), it certainly hits the spot. There is added zip to the throttle response and huge punch lower down, although the engine does run out of enthusiasm at higher revs. Claimed total power is 330bhp (up 64bhp), torque 3171b ft (up 59lb ft).
Because Milltek does a lot of testing on track with this car, it has also been fitted with some Tarox front brakes. The ten-pot ‘B360’ calipers with 360mm discs have actually added more to the aural output of the Golf than the exhaust, because they squeak like terrified hamsters when the hard pads are cold. However, once you’ve got some heat into them with a couple of decent stops, the hamsters recede and you’re left with a very effective upgrade. The pedal is nicely firm with real power from the top of the pedal, and there’s no over-served snatchings. But at £3000 plus fitting, they’re not cheap.
In the end you’re left with a car that is improved but doesn’t feel much more extrovert than the standard one. If you bought a Golf R for its subtlety, these upgrades may appeal.