ABT Sportline gives the 2017 VW Golf R 400 horsepower

Can you imagine a car as small as Volkswagen Golf carry out as much as 400 horsepower? Well, you don’t have to imagine that anymore. Thanks to ABT Sportline, this was made possible in the Golf R. The best part about it is that it is road legal. Also, that is not all there is to the hot hatchback, as it had also been given some styling upgrades.

Most of the increase in the engine power comes from the engine tuning that ABT Sportline did. The tuner equipped the Golf R with a unique ABT Engine Control unit that maximizes the Golf’s turbocharged four cylinder that produces 310 horsepower up to a full 400 ponies. But it is not just the horsepower that benefits from this, because the torque also goes up to 368 pound-feet, and it is spread out to the all-wheel drive system.

The Golf R can be driven with only the power boost, but you can also get a suspension upgrade with new anti-roll bars and springs that ABT Sportline offers as an option. This lowers the hatchback by 20mm in front and 25mm in the rear. But there is also an option where the suspension’s height can be adjusted, dropping it as low as 45mm, making it look sweeter while being more handy when it comes to the handling department. This is paired with a six-piston brake upgrade that is capable of stopping a car with 400 horses.

Moving on to the hatchback’s physical look, the tuner will provide customers with a wide array of DR or ER-C wheels in different finished and sizes - from 18, 19, and up to 20 inches. If that does not make the exterior look aggressive enough, there are also new side skirts with a diffuser that add a little style to the Golf R, as well as the quad exhaust tips and an upgraded ABT rear muffler that add more aggression to it. Overall, we think that all the bits and pieces that have been added all work together. In fact, it is one good-looking Golf. All of the ABT Golf R’s parts are optional, but we think that getting all these upgrades together are pretty much worth it.

But of course, I think we are all going to agree that the best part about this is the fact that it now has a lot more power and sound too. Now, we also think that the Volkswagen Golf R is the perfect alternative to the Golf R400 and the Mercedes A45 AMG. Why the A45 AMG? Because it is rumoured to have 400 horsepower as well. And VWVortex actually thinks that ABT’s had its sight at the upcoming Mercedes.

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Golf equipment for the high-speed society – 400 HP in the ABT Golf VII R

Already the first Golf GTI wiped its mostly stronger opponents from the fast lane on the motorway by the dozen. But with its originally 112 HP, even after the facelift it wasn’t quite ready to attack the high-power sports cars, yet. Later the GTI was upgraded to 16V and G60 versions, which were again surpassed by the VR6 and R-models. The latter, in turn, found their match in their ABT counterparts. The latest counterpart is the Golf VII R with 400 HP / 294 kW instead of the standard 310 HP / 228 kW. Meaning that the specially developed ABT Engine Control (AEC) unit is responsible for a staggering power increase of 30 percent. The maximum torque is also increased from 400 to 500 Nm. “Even the special model Golf R360S, which was briefly offered ex works in Switzerland, is left behind,” explains Managing Director Hans-Jürgen Abt.

Thanks to four-wheel drive, the standard Golf R model already has plenty of traction. The optional ABT suspension springs, which lower the sports model by 20 mm at the front and 25 mm at the rear, make sure the pocket rocket handles even hairpin bends with ease. And even more so when the ABT Anti-Roll Bars are on board as well. This can be increased even further with the ABT Height Adjustable Suspension-Kit, which can lower the front axle by max. 40 mm and the rear axle by max. 45 mm. And anyway: The one who can brake faster, can maintain his speed longer. In line with this principle, the company has a powerful 6-piston brake system with fixed calipers in their product range to stop all that horsepower.

After stopping a literal horse you would use stirrups to dismount. The human ear also needs a stirrup, a small bone, to transmit sound. And this stirrup will be exposed to a lot of sound coming from the four-pass ABT Rear Muffler with 102 mm outlets. This arrangement is also pleasant to look at with its black chrome tailpipe – just like the attractive alloy wheels from ABT. The worldwide-leading tuning company for VW and Audi models supplies its DR and ER-C designs in different finishes and in the sizes 18, 19 or 20 inches.

But this is not the last of options for optical individualization: Naturally, ABT Side Skirts and a Tailgate Add-on designed as a diffusor are simply a must-have for a powerful appearance. After all: it's okay to show off performance!