The new Golf R debuts in Europe by autumn.

While American motorists will still have to wait awhile to see even the base version of the new Volkswagen Golf reach showrooms, VW is already offering us a look at the next-generation Golf R performance model.

And the hot hatch will deliver a combination of more power and improved fuel-efficiency, the maker says, while offering the latest version of VW’s 4Motion all-wheel-drive system.

Already on sale in Europe, the seventh-generation Golf has been generating quite a bit of buzz with its new lightweight platform and features. And that carries over to the new Golf R which adds some touches as its progressive steering and Dynamic Chassis Control, or DCC, systems, as well as a new sport suspension.

The A7 version of the Golf R will get another 30 hp - and about 18% better fuel economy in European testing.

Known internally as the A7 – not to be confused with the sleek hatchback model offered by sibling German brand Audi, the R version of the Golf will punch 296 horsepower out of its turbocharged and direct-injected 2.0-liter inline-four. That’s up 30 hp from the outgoing VW Golf R – and a solid 69 hp more than the 227 horsepower made by the Golf GTI. Torque, meanwhile has increased by 22 pound-feet to 280. Credit updated features including the cylinder head, high-pressure injection valves and the turbocharger.

The A7 Golf R pumps its power to all four wheels with a fifth-generation Haldex 4Motion system. Buyers can choose between a DSG manumatic or traditional manual gearbox.

The package will get you from 0 to 100 kmh (0 to 62.5 mph)  in just 4.9 seconds with the DSG and 5.3 seconds with the manual, according to Volkswagen’s numbers.  But the maker claims it will still yield as much as 34 mpg in the Combined European cycle. That’s up 18%.

How it will fare in the American EPA test cycle remains to be seen. Indeed, while the base Golf is already on sale across the Atlantic, with the Golf R coming to European showrooms by autumn, we’ll have to wait nearly til mid-2014 for the base hatchback here, with the Golf R due months later.

VW promises it will be worth the wait. The Golf R will feature a progressive variable-ratio steering system, a sport-mode electronic stability control package that now can be deactivated entirely for track driving, a sport-tuned suspension, and optional highlights that include its new DCC dynamic chassic control which adds a new Race mode.

That boosts suspension damping will quickening engine throttle response and the shift points of the Golf R’s optional DSG transmission. An Eco mode takes things the other way, adjusting the throttle, and even auxiliary systems such as climate control, for optimal fuel economy, VW says. With the DSG gearbox, the engine also goes into coast mode when slowing down or coasting downhill. Drivers also can mix-and-match setting in the Individual mode.

The European version of the Golf R will feature not only new design details such as special bumpers, side skirts and 18-inch alloy wheels, but option Bi-Xenon lamps and a two-branch exhaust with quad chrome tips. Interior features include new sport seats and Alcantara trim. The maker isn’t saying which of these and other upscale details will follow the R to the States.