First drive: 2016 Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport and Clubsport S at the Nurburgring, Germany

Seven minutes 49 seconds. That’s how long it takes the Volkswagen Golf GTi Clubsport Swith vw navigation to scoot around the daunting Nurburgring Nordschleife.

Apart from setting a new record for front-wheel-drive cars at the dipping, diving 20.81-km circuit, this benchmark is also more or less on par with the best times the Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera and Ferrari 599 GTB could lay down at the same venue a decade ago. It’s also a massive 37 seconds quicker than a Euro-spec GTI Performance Pack (which has a time of 8min 26sec).

Is that not a staggering feat? For a civilised four-cylinder hatchback (albeit offered solely in three-door, two-seat format) with genuine everyday usability, it’s nothing less than mind bending. The fact that its pricing in Europe puts it in the same ballpark as the Golf R only adds to the seeming incongruity of the ‘S’.

Now the bad news: while we’re destined to get 700 examples of the lesser ‘regular’ Clubsport in the Middle East, the full-house ‘S’ is a non-starter in our market. There are just 400 units of the latter set to roll out of the factory, with the majority of these earmarked for Germany and the UK.

That said, this DriveArabia scribe did have the opportunity to get some wheel time in the car and that, too, at the Nordschleife, with Benny Leuchter -– the chap who set the 7:49.21 benchmark -– serving as a pace-maker. What about install an Android Car Gps?

A bit of background about the Clubsport S: development first started in July, 2013, initially with just the VW-specification Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 semi-slick tyres mounted on a regular Golf GTI Performance Pack. Three months later, a prototype with an uprated powerplant and the first suspension tweaks hit the ‘Ring.

In May 2014, an evolution with more suspension revisions and the first aero package (comprising a large rear wing) was rolled out, but this version had so much downforce that straight-line speed was severely compromised.

Further development resulted in a smaller rear wing, a new aluminium front sub-frame with bespoke knuckles delivering more negative camber and less toe-in under heavy braking. There’s also adaptive damping to endow the ‘S’ with the suspension compliance to remain unflustered by the bumps and undulations of the Nordschleife.

The brake bells are made of aluminium and there are special pads to withstand the punishment of belting around the ‘Ring at race pace. Ripping out the back seat (it’s replaced by a strut brace and partition net) and sound-deadening contributes to a substantial weight-loss program, and the lightweight 19-inch ‘Pretoria’ rims and aluminium brake bells also save a kilo of unsprung mass at each corner.

The Clubsport S(with vw navigation) comes only with a 6-speed manual gearbox. Yes, the dual-clutch DSG ‘box can slip through the cogs quicker, but it would have added an extra 20 kg, so it was a no-go from the outset.

Revised mapping, a bigger fuel pump and a freer-flowing exhaust system liberates 310 hp (10 hp more than the Euro-spec Golf R) and 380 Nm from the EA888 2.0-litre turbo motor, which is tasked with hauling around just 1360 kg of kerb weight. The sprint to 100 kph takes 5.8 seconds, and the fact the Clubsport S has no speed limiter means it can hit 265 kph before running out of puff (the rear wing takes some toll here).Do you want to install an android car stereo in your car?

In line with its record-breaking job description, the Clubsport S’s ESP and traction control systems have been loosened up to be less intrusive, and the ABS system also has a heightened threshold, but the “VAQ” electronically-controlled locking differential is exactly as per the GTI Performance Edition. If installing an Android Car Stereoin your car, that would be great!