Like most performance cars coming from Germany, the new Volkswagen Golf R is electronically limited from the factory to 155 mph (250 km/h). However, you can ask the peeps from Wolfsburg to loosen the limiter to 168 mph (270 km/h) by ordering the R Performance Package for an additional fee. It looks like the hot hatch can be driven at a higher speed, according to Australian police.
A 22-year-old driver was pulled over by New South Wales police after “allegedly traveling at 280 km/h.” It worked out to 174 mph. The high-powered compact hatchback was spotted on the Hume Motorway, Mittagong where the speed limit is just 68 mph (110 km/h). Earlier today at 09.30 local time, police officers ordered the speeding young driver to pull over before taking his driver’s license.
A police statement said the Golf R driver received a “Court Attendance Notice for dangerous driving speed/way” and must appear at the Moss Vale Local Court on December 20. People commenting on the NSW Police tweet have questioned the accuracy of the speeds recorded since the Golf R was allegedly caught doing 6 mph (10 km/h) over the top speed of the version with the R Performance Package and 15 mph (24 km/h) more than the standard car.
The only two logical explanations we can think of are whether the car was modified and the limiters removed or the police radar speed gun was not calibrated properly. It must be mentioned there is a video on Youtube with the new Golf R on the Autobahn going nearly 180 mph (290 km/h) as the car’s speedometer shows. However, the speed measured by GPS is actually lower and is in accordance with the technical specification sheet provided by VW.
We’ll remind you that just over a year ago, an 80-year-old Subaru WRX driver lost his driver’s license for six months after Australian police caught him doing 51 mph (82 km/h) over the speed limit.
