Month: April 2025

2025 VW Golf R first drive: The R stands for “really good fun”

We always forget how good the AWD Golf R is to drive.

I remain perpetually wrong-footed by the Volkswagen Golf R, the more powerful all-wheel drive upgrade to the venerable VW Golf GTI. I always expect I'm in for a driving experience that is as measured and calm as it is fast. I don't know why I continually underestimate the R—Ars has driven a few of them now, and you'd think I'd remember that maybe the R should stand for "raucous."

VW has been making hot Golfs for as long as I've been on the planet—next year will be the GTI's 50th anniversary. The super-GTI is a little newer. In 1986, the GTI was joined by a more powerful version with a 16-valve engine—here in the US, they also got a capacity bump from 1.8 to 2 L. Later, the much rarer Rallye Golf emerged as a homologation special. Five thousand all-wheel drive, supercharged Golfs were built to make the car eligible for Group A rallying, and then VW Motorsport built a small number of G60 Limiteds—essentially the Rallye with some added luxury like leather, ABS, and power steering.

The Mk2's straight lines gave way to the Mk3's curves, and by then, VW had developed its VR6 engine. Most engines with two banks of cylinders have a V angle of 60 or perhaps 90 degrees; with a V angle of just 15 degrees, the VR6 engine was able to fit in the tight confines of the Golf's engine bay. For the Mk4 and Mk5, this morphed into the Golf R32, where the VR6's power and torque were better harnessed by all-wheel drive.

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OnePlus lowers Watch 3 price by $150, promises refunds for early buyers

OnePlus says supply chain tweaks have allowed it to lower the price of its new wearable.

OnePlus undoubtedly hoped the release of its newest smartwatch had gone smoother. After delaying the launch, the company released the watch right at the peak of tariff drama. The watch debuted at a higher $500 price in the US, but OnePlus now says that after some adjustments, it is able to bring the price down by $150, and it's staying there.

OnePlus, which is part of the Chinese megacorp Oppo, announced the OnePlus Watch 3 in early 2025. The first batch of units to roll off the line went out to reviewers, who promptly noticed that the underside featured a prominent typo, reading "Meda in China" instead of "Made in China." OnePlus delayed the release to fix the issue.

That brings us to early April and the onslaught of tariffs, which are still hanging over the US economy. OnePlus finally released the watch, but it did so with a $500 price tag "due to the current market conditions."

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Bundesdigitalminister: Ein Manager für die Staatsmodernisierung

Die Nominierung von Ceconomy-Chef Wildberger als Digitalminister ist eine Überraschung. Doch die Verwaltung lässt sich nicht führen wie ein Unternehmen. Eine Analyse von Friedhelm Greis (Netzpolitik, Breko)

Die Nominierung von Ceconomy-Chef Wildberger als Digitalminister ist eine Überraschung. Doch die Verwaltung lässt sich nicht führen wie ein Unternehmen. Eine Analyse von Friedhelm Greis (Netzpolitik, Breko)

Nothing’s CMF Phone 2 Pro is an affordable phone with a unique modular ecosystem

The CMF Phone 2 Pro from Nothing is a new phone with a 6.77 inch, 120 Hz AMOLED display, a battery that should provide a full day of run time or more, and a camera system that includes a 50MP primary camera, 50MP telephoto camera, and 8MP ultra-wide ca…

The CMF Phone 2 Pro from Nothing is a new phone with a 6.77 inch, 120 Hz AMOLED display, a battery that should provide a full day of run time or more, and a camera system that includes a 50MP primary camera, 50MP telephoto camera, and 8MP ultra-wide camera. The phone also supports modular accessories that […]

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