Like most performance cars to come from Germany, the new Volkswagen Golf R is electronically capped from the factory at 155 mph (250 km/h). However, you can ask the homies at Wolfsburg to ease the limiter to 168 mph (270 km/h) by ordering the R Performance package at an additional cost. It appears the hot hatch can be driven at an even higher speed, according to Australian police.
A 22-year-old driver was arrested by New South Wales police after “allegedly traveling 280 km/h”. This equals 174 mph. The high-powered compact sedan was spotted on the Hume Highway, Mittagong, where the speed limit is just 68mph (110kph). Earlier in the day at 9.30am local time, officers told the speeding teenage driver to pull over before stripping him of his driver’s license.
The police statement says the driver of the Golf R has received a ‘notice to attend court for speeding/dangerous manner’ and is due to appear in Moss Vale Local Court on December 20. R was reportedly caught doing 6 mph (10 km/h) above the top speed of the version with the R Performance pack and 15 mph (24 km/h) more than the standard car.
The only two logical explanations we can think of are either that the car was modified and its limiter removed, or that the police radar gun was not calibrated correctly. It should be mentioned that there are videos on Youtube with the last Golf R on the highway doing nearly 180 mph (290 km/h) as indicated by the car’s speedometer. However, the actual speed measured by GPS is lower and in line with the data sheet provided by VW.
Recall that just over a year ago, the 80-year-old driver of a Subaru WRX lost his license for six months after Australian police caught him driving over the speed limit. speed of 51 mph (82 km/h).
