The seventh-generation Volkswagen Golf still seems fresh in the US after debuting in 2014 for the 2015 model year, but visitors to the 2016 Geneva Motor Show might get a first look at the venerable hatchback's upcoming refresh.
VW plans to unveil the updates sometime in March, and the international automotive event in Switzerland seems like the best place for the reveal.
The regular Golf is said to benefit from a few visual tweaks plus the availability of LED headlights across the range. We know there’ll be some tweaks in the interior as well, with VW recently previewing a gesture control interface for mainstream cars. This setup will likely be offered in higher-spec versions of the popular compact.
There are few details about powertrain changes but Autobild is reporting that the high-performance version, previewed by 2014’s R 400 concept car, will come to the market with close to 420 horsepower, hence the car in production form might be called the Golf R 420. It’s expected to come with an uprated version of the current Golf R’s turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine plus a dual-clutch transmission and all-wheel drive.
It will target the 375-hp Mercedes-AMG A45, 350-hp Focus RS and even the 362-hp RS 3 from the fellow VW's Group brand - Audi.
