The Lemon Index
Head to head
Each car's headline trim of its newest generation. Green check = the better of the two on that line (more power, quicker, lighter, cheaper, fewer recalls).
Subaru WRX
VB WRX (6-speed manual) · 2022–
VB WRX (6-speed manual) · 2022–
Volkswagen Golf R
Mk8 Golf R (2025 update) · 2022–2025
Mk8 Golf R (2025 update) · 2022–2025
Horsepower
271
328
Torque
lb-ft
lb-ft
258
295
0–60 mph
seconds; magazine test, else maker
seconds; magazine test, else maker
5.5
4.1
Top speed
—
—
Weight
—
—
Price new
base, when new
base, when new
$29,105
$47,100
Engine
Subaru FA24F 2.4 turbo
2.4-liter flat-4, turbo, direct injection
2.4-liter flat-4, turbo, direct injection
VW EA888 evo4 2.0 TSI (Golf R)
2.0-liter inline-4, turbo
2.0-liter inline-4, turbo
YouTube owner tone
out of 100, these years
out of 100, these years
58
—
Owner complaints
NHTSA, raw count, these years
NHTSA, raw count, these years
51
28
Recalls
these years
these years
2
7
Owner complaints are raw counts from NHTSA, not per car sold: performance cars sell too few for a fair per-car score, and the busier seller usually draws more. YouTube owner tone = how positively the most-watched videos about those model years talk about the car (100 = all praise).
Pick other generations or add a car
Every generation
Subaru WRX
| Generation | Trim | hp | 0–60 | Engine | YouTube tone | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VB · 2022– | WRX (6-speed manual) | 271 | 5.5 | Subaru FA24F 2.4 turbo | 58 | 51 | 2 |
| VA · 2015–2021 | WRX (6-speed manual) | 268 | 4.8 | Subaru FA20F (FA20DIT) | 56 | 242 | 5 |
Volkswagen Golf R
| Generation | Trim | hp | 0–60 | Engine | YouTube tone | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mk8 · 2022–2025 | Golf R (2025 update) | 328 | 4.1 | VW EA888 evo4 2.0 TSI (Golf R) | — | 28 | 7 |
| Mk7 / Mk7.5 · 2015–2019 | Golf R DSG | 292 | 4.5 | VW EA888 Gen 3 2.0 TSI (Golf R) | — | 43 | 9 |
| Mk6 · 2012–2013 | Golf R two-door | 256 | 5.9 | VW EA113 2.0 TSI (Golf R) | — | 5 | 0 |
Everything on the Subaru WRX · Everything on the Volkswagen Golf R · Specs and their sources are on each car's page.