All-new 2022 VW Golf R features a new 4Motion all-wheel-drive system

Volkswagen has unveiled the all-new 2022 Golf R sports car that will arrive later this year. VW says the new Golf R will offer more power than any previous version packing 315 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque. To get all the power to the road, the Golf R also gets a new 4Motion all-wheel-drive system that features rear-axle torque vectoring.

VW says the new 4Motion system serves as the foundation for the updated handling capability of the car. 4Motion all-wheel-drive is standard in the Golf R, and the new system can send up to 50 percent of the engine's total power to the rear axle. The drive system differential typically transfers power in a 50:50 ratio using a multi-plate clutch to the left and right rear wheels.

The new torque vectoring system in the 2022 model uses a rear differential with two multiplate clutches to distribute up to 100 percent of the rear torque to an individual wheel. The system decides how to apportion power between the wheels based on speed, power application, yaw, and other factors. In a corner, the system can direct more power to the wheel on the outside of the curve to reduce the turning radius.

For 2022 the 4Motion system is connected to the Vehicle Dynamics Manager integrated into the torque vectoring axle along with the electronic differential logs and DCC adaptive damping system. The Vehicle Dynamics Manager monitors handling on every corner and adapts individual wheel damping up to 200 times per second.

The new torque vectoring system also allows a track-only Drift mode in the updated driving mode selection. When that mode is selected, the Golf R changes stability control parameters to ensure the torque vectoring system allows the drift by sending all available rear torque to the outside wheel. The vehicle also has a new Special setting configured for the highest performance around the Nürnbergring Nordschleife racetrack. Pricing on the new Golf R is unannounced this time.