YouTuber Tommy F Yeah swapped an Audi RS3 powertrain into an Mk7 Golf R and Larry Chen checks out the results.
As part of the same automotive family, Volkswagen and Audi vehicles often share platforms and other technologies. It’s fairly common knowledge that the VW Golf and Audi A3 share are on the same platform, making it fairly straightforward to swap more powerful engines across platforms.
One of the more common swaps in recent years is taking the Audi RS3 5-cylinder turbo engine and putting it into an Mk7 Golf R, effectively adding about 100 horsepower. Larry Chen meets up with fellow YouTuber Tommy F Yeah to see what his incredible swapped Hot Hatch is all about.
The Volkswagen Golf R Gets An Epic Audi RS3 Swap
Larry caught up with Tommy at Limerock Park, where he brought a fairly standard-looking VW Golf R. However, as we quickly discover, the car is anything but standard, as it features the running gear and several other components from a wrecked Audi RS3.
Where the Golf R and S3 have a turbocharged four-cylinder engine, Audi slaps its legendary 2.5-liter 5-cylinder engine in the RS3, along with a dual-clutch gearbox and all-wheel drive. Tommy sourced a wrecked Audi on Copart for $30,000, along with a grey Golf R, and took the duo to Innovative Motorsports in Milford, CT. The project took a few weeks, and Tommy describes the need to get things done quickly to keep YouTube viewers happy.
In addition to a range of other performance services, the shop specializes in swapping Audi 5-cylinder drivetrains into Volkswagen MQB cars, which include the Golf, Passat, and others. The crew got to work, swapping in not only the engine and transmission but the differentials, mufflers, brakes, tires, and more. They even managed to fit the front and rear seats, though the fronts are manually adjusted instead of power.
This Swapped Golf R Might Be The Ultimate Sleeper
Tommy showed off the interior, which also got an RS3 steering wheel and shift knob. Amazingly, there are no warning lights or weird unfinished bits in the cabin. The only bit of tech that didn’t translate was the front sensor array for the adaptive cruise control system.
Despite the extra power this RS3 swap brings, Tommy uses the car as his daily driver by taking kids to school and commuting. It’s the true definition of a sleeper, and with the exhaust valves closed, it sounds pretty sedate. With the valves open, however, the car snarls with the ferociousness we’d expect from an RS3, just in a much different body style.
Later in the video, Larry gets behind the wheel and finds that this Mk7 Golf R is perfectly suitable for a daily driver. Interior noise levels with the vehicle are not too crazy and the only hint that anything different is going on is the hum of the unique engine under the hood.
