Volkswagen Golf R 228kW Akrapovic Exhaust System

Golf R 228 kW Akrapovic exhaust system

If you didn’t know, Volkswagen South Africa have updated the Golf 7.5 R. This will most likely be the last variant of the 7th generation Golf R we’ll see in South Africa until the Golf 8 arrives. The feature update to this vehicle is that we now get full power. Yes, South African Golf R’s now produces 228kW which falls in line with the European models, compared to the 213kW models originally available in South Africa. Along with this big change are some minor exterior tweaks in terms of lips and diffusers. There’s also another really exciting addition, the optional Akrapovic exhaust system.

Akrapovic systems are quite popular among the German brands here in South Africa, especially the likes of the Golf GTI and Golf R. They’re extremely high quality, aid performance and sound great. The problem with fitting one of these aftermarket systems to cars under warranty is that it can often cause issues if a warranty claim arises, the difference here is that the Akropovic system available for the 228kW Golf R is manufacturer fitted, thus it’s approved by VW South Africa.

After spending a week with the 228kW Golf R, I can say that the Akrapovic pipes really are a nice addition to an already decent sounding vehicle. What’s impressive about the system is that there’s no exhaust drone when at driving at a steady speed – such as on the highway. In fact, I’d go as far to say that there isn’t much additional noise when cruising and this is a big positive.

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The difference is noticed on acceleration, upshifts, downshifts and overrun.  When accelerating a more aggressive, raspy sound can be heard from the Akrapovic tips. Upshifts incur a loud vrpraa and the pops, bangs and bubbles heard on overrun are simply delightful.

If you’re worried this system will be too loud, don’t be. It’s very tasteful and while it’s noticeably louder outside the vehicle, inside the cabin it blends nicely with the engine and induction noise and isn’t obtrusive or annoying when your foot isn’t buried into the floor – we know this probably isn’t much of the time.

For us, if you’re buying a 228kW Golf R, the Akrapovic system is a must and really is the finishing touches to an already very well rounded performance vehicle.

To give you a better insight into the sound, here’s a clip of the Akropovic pipes fitted to the 228kW Golf R at standstill.