with the demise of the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X pending this year, the Subaru WRX STI will have one less rival to fret about filling its rearview. Not that the sn needed more assurances, what with it winning a June 2014 comparison test against the 320-horse BMW M235i and 355-horse Mercedes-Benz CLA45 AMG. Talk about taking down the heavyweights. Like any reigning champ, the STI wouldn't go untested for long. Enter the 2015 Volkswagen Golf R, the most powerful production Golf ever to come to the U.S. Not only is the R armed with a rip-roaring 292-horse version of VW's EA888 turbo inline-four, but it also boasts a checklist of requisite go-fast bits: a six-speed dual-clutch gearbox (a six-speed manual will be available this summer as a 2016 model), a 4Motion AWD system with a fifth-generation Haldex center coupling and the XDS+ cross differential system, and an available DCC adaptive damping system. Better yet, for track duty, the R gets the larger brake system seen on the GTI Performance Package, available 19-inch alloys with 235/35 summer tires, and a stability control system that can be fully defeated. No doubt, the Vee-Dub is a formidable foe to the 305-horse Subaru.
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