Corner exit isn’t the only thing the 2022 Volkswagen Golf R does well: There’s also its raw speed, the feel of which is enhanced by the six-speed manual. We love the feel of its shifter, though we’d prefer it if the clutch’s engagement point didn’t feel quite so vague.

There are also good arguments to be made for the seven-speed DSG automatic, particularly on curvy roads: We found a few sharp turns where the car would have been happier in first, but we stayed in second, figuring it would be quicker to wait for the revs to build than to downshift and almost immediately upshift again. With the DSG, we could have paddled down to low gear with no time penalty. That said, launches with the automatic are unimpressive unless you use the Golf R’s launch mode; with the manual, your left leg is the launch mode.

The brakes are brilliant: We leaned on them quite heavily—perhaps more heavily than we would care to admit on a couple of blind turns—and they responded with firm bite, easy modulation, and rapid speed-scrubbing. Lateral grip was so strong, we felt as if the tires were stapled to the pavement, and despite registering up to 1.15 on the in-dash g-meter, we heard barely a squeak and felt barely a scrub.

All the while, we marveled at the Golf R’s ride. With the dynamic dampers set to their stiffest mode, the 2022 Golf R transmits every single bump, crack, and imperfection in the pavement back to the driver’s posterior—and yet it never felt jiggly, despite almost constant jiggling.

Volkswagen does have imperfection well-covered in its interior, though. Once again, we struggled with the new climate and infotainment system. It’s not the steep learning curve that’s the problem; some of us have gotten used to the interface already in the all-electric ID4 (think smartphone, not car). Rather, it’s the controls’ positioning that are the problem, particularly the buttons that call up different functions on the screen and yet are located down by the air vents.

That just makes no sense. Neither do the temperature and volume controls immediately below the screen, because if you happen to rest your palm against them as you try to use the screen, nothing works. Simple tasks like changing the temperature frustrated us repeatedly.

The capacitive-touch buttons on the steering wheel aren’t any better—who thought to put the capacitive steering-wheel heat button right at the edge of the steering-wheel spoke? We repeatedly turned on that hand heater while simply making a turn, then had to stare at the dash to figure out how many button pushes turned it off. This is not a situation you want to face when careening hell-for-leather down an unfamiliar twisty road. Volkswagen used to have the most straightforward control layouts in the biz; now it has one of the most confusing. It’s not good.

When it arrives in dealerships toward the end of this year, the 2022 Volkswagen Golf R will sell for $44,640 with a manual transmission and $45,440 with an automatic. That’s higher than we’d hoped—a $3,350 jump compared to the 2019 Golf R—though Volkswagen argues the R has every creature comfort available in other Golfs worldwide, save those that don’t pass American regulations.

We came away impressed overall by the 2022 Volkswagen Golf R’s driving characteristics. The dynamics and agility are truly awe-inspiring, and we were amazed at the pace we could keep up down those very twisty roads. But VW seems to have improved the dynamics so much that it bleaches out some of the car’s character, and the frustrating controls serve to only erect an unnecessary barrier between the driver and the driving experience.

The 2022 VW Golf R delivers exactly what we expected in terms of its dynamics, but the fact we prefer the less powerful, front-drive GTI says something.

The R has historically always been a hit with us because it delivered performance you would never believe could come from a Golf. The new R performs better than ever, but somehow, it’s left the Golf’s humble character behind—and that’s what we miss most.

Our drive of the new VW Golf R was supposed to take place on packed snow and ice, but a classic Michigan false spring brought rain and temperatures that reduced the frozen stuff to a slushy mixture wherever it hadn’t been outright eliminated. We still came away with a good understanding of the R’s capabilities. The trick rear end isn’t just for low-mu surfaces, of course—it mitigates understeer and helps the car hold your intended line on pavement, too.

Time spent hammering the Golf R on a wet but high-grip concrete skidpad confirmed the differential’s aptitude; it gives the car a mash-it-and-forget-it ability that lets you apply huge gobs of power early when exiting corners with no ill effects.

The previous Comfort, Sport, and Individual chassis modes are also present, but a new program dubbed “Special” is a second addition under Race. It puts the car into the ideal configuration to tackle the Nürburgring Nordschleife and turns the Golf R’s screen accents green. (Green Hell, get it?) While the setting sounds a bit contrived—and not particularly relevant to anyone not near the famed track—the MkVIII R turned a lap of 7 minutes, 51 seconds at the ‘Ring, 19 seconds quicker than the previous Golf R, so we’ll let VW thump its chest here.

We pressed the button and can confirm it activates, but an investigation of its effects will need to occur at a location not awash in a cold slurry.