Official pricing has been released for the eighth-generation . Volkswagen’s website pages for the model are now live across Europe, and these provide some insight regarding how much American drivers will pay for the privilege of piloting one of these rockets.

The Golf R starts at slightly under £40,000 GBP in the . It will cost a little over €52,000 EUR in . And in Volkswagen’s native , the hottest VW hatch starts at around €48,000 EUR.

The prices of the Audi S3 Sportback are not consistently higher across these same markets. The S3 is around £38,500 GBP in the . It starts around €54,000 EUR in . And just over €48,000 EUR in . We would’ve expected the Audi cost more than the VW without any caveats.

For those of you who don’t like to do the currency exchange, here’s the breakdown: The Golf R ranges from about $53,000 to $63,000 USD. The Audi S3 ranges from about $52,000 to $66,000 USD.

With these new figures, we are closer to knowing the price of the Golf R stateside but will still have to wait for the final price. It will be sold to U.S. drivers late next year, as 2021 draws to a close, as a 2022 model. The Golf’s price may be closer to the S3’s price than expected, if not above it. The last time both were sold here, the undercut the price of the by a few thousand. The overseas price parity in this generation is telling.

In any case, the Golf’s price will be high, given that the R sits atop the . Enthusiasts love the Golf in any guise, but the cars badged , and the hatchback to drivers, and Volkswagen claims the new R is of the performance past badges represented.

I still mourn the loss of the on-again, off-again model name. Volkswagen foolishly squandered the opportunity to call this hatchback the R-Rabbit but whatever model name you go with, this Golf is fast.

This generation R boasts better specs than the by a small margin. The Audi outputs 305 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque, while the Golf R produces 315 horsepower and 310 lb-ft of torque. Each comes with all-wheel drive and a well-appointed cabin. Alas, only the Golf is confirmed to reach the U.S.

Comparing the models in their overseas markets was a little surprising. It seems as though the Golf R is not the cheaper model this generation, not in all markets. We could argue that the VW’s improved performance is more or less in line with the prices, but it’s surprising nonetheless.