---
title: "Matt Farah Gets Floored by 500-Plus HP Volkswagen Golf R"
description: "Matt Farah tests the APR Stage 3+ 'Gonzo' Golf R which has enough power to make supercars nervous."
date: "2017-12-19"
modified: "2017-12-20"
authors:
  - name: "Chris Constantine"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/chris-constantine"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/watch-this/17100/matt-farah-gets-floored-by-a-500-horsepower-volkswagen-golf-r"
categories:
  - "News"
  - "News by Brand"
  - "Volkswagen News"
  - "Watch This"
tags:
  - "APR"
  - "compact"
  - "Golf R"
  - "Hatchback"
  - "Matt Farah"
  - "One Take"
  - "sports car"
  - "Volkswagen"
---

# Matt Farah Gets Floored by 500-Plus HP Volkswagen Golf R

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/2017/12/apr-golf-r.jpg>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com\</em\>*

Alabama-based tuning company [APR](<https://www.goapr.com/>) is already well known in the Volkswagen AG community for its ability to coax tons of power out of an engine with just a few tweaks. We know what a simple [APR ECU tune](<https://www.thedrive.com/watch-this/15557/watch-this-tuned-audi-rs3-run-a-10-55-second-quarter-mile>) will do to a car, but what happens when they put every part on offer into a [VW Golf R](<https://thestore.thedrive.com/>)?

Magical things happen, as Matt Farah finds out in the latest episode of his One Take series. Matt is testing the new camouflage-clad creation from APR, dubbed the Stage 3+ "Gonzo" Golf R, which makes 470-horsepower at the wheels on premium gas and 536-wheel-horsepower on 104 octane racing fuel. That's enough power to scare cars which cost three times as much as this little Dub.

The "Stage 3+" moniker in the name means this car is seriously modified. For reference, a Stage 1 upgrade is usually just software added to the engine's ECU, and a Stage 2 software flash requires upgraded parts like a cold-air intake and downpipe. This Stage 3+ Golf R goes the extra mile with a new 2.0-liter APR crate engine, 71-millimeter Borg-Warner turbocharger, and forged internals.

The grand total for a similar build will cost $17,000 according to Matt. That fat stack of change combined with the Golf R's current retail price puts it dangerously close to [Audi TT RS](<https://thestore.thedrive.com/>) territory. Comparing it to cars in this price/performance range is silly though because, at the end of the day, it's still an all-wheel-drive Golf. APR was only focused on whether they *could* do it, not whether or not they *should* do it.

Mr. Farah's (one) take on the subject can be found below.

https://youtube.com/embed/hwdGrSWJHdM

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