For many car enthusiasts, the Volkswagen GTI has been the hot-hatch benchmark since its launch way back in 1976.
There are faster, sharper and cheaper hot hatches, but none have managed to balance performance and day-to-day comfort quite like the Golf.
Here are five things you should know about the Golf GTI.
It’s a (relative) drive-away bargain
When the eighth generation GTI arrived in Australia in 2021, it came with a sharp price rise. While the previous version cost as little as $47,990 drive-away towards the end of its production run, the new one was nudging $60,000 on the road. Then the pandemic intervened and no-one could get their hands on a GTI for some time. When they returned to local showrooms in July this year, Volkswagen dropped the price to a more tempting $55,490 drive-away.
The new model is an evolution rather than revolution
Volkswagen resisted the temptation to tinker with the Golf’s basics, despite the arrival of sharper, faster and cheaper rivals. The new model arrived without a power increase and reaches 100km/h just half a second quicker than the Mark V of 20 years ago, stopping the clock at 6.4 seconds. Hyundai’s excellent i30 is roughly a second quicker. The 2.0-litre turbo four puts out a respectable 180kW and 370Nm and performance is helped by a snappy seven-speed dual-clutch auto that delivers quickfire changes when pressed. While purists will lament the lack of a manual, the auto seems to instinctively pick the right gear to extract the most from the engine’s broad toque band. The only disappointment is a lack of theatre from the exhaust. The old model used to snap, crackle and pop on gear changes but emissions regulations have muzzled the new one.
There’s some clever technology at play
The GTI comes standard with adaptive suspension that delivers more adjustability than its rivals. You can choose from 15 individual spring settings ranging from firm to cosseting. The GTI has always been a car that can deliver sharp responses through the bends and surprising comfort on choppy back roads. This latest model cements its advantage over rivals in this regard. Volkswagen has also resisted the temptation to fit ultra-low profile tyres to the Golf, which helps to cushion occupants from sharp edges and road joins at lower speeds. At speed, the GTI turns in well and feels balanced and predictable, helped by communicative, well weighted steering. This is a car that won’t bite the hand that steers it.
The styling is subtle but sporty
Who would have known that Tartan cloth seats would have had such enduring appeal? Our 2023 model had a variation of the original 70s pattern and anything more flash would seem like sacrilege. The seats, well bolstered for enthusiastic cornering, have subtle red accents and GTI lettering embossed in the headrests. The flat-bottomed, perforated leather steering wheel feels chunky in the hands while alloy pedals add a suitably sporty ambience to the cabin. The driver display can be configured in different layouts and the instruments glow red when you select the sport drive-mode setting. The rest of the dash design is simple and uncluttered, with buttons replaced by touchscreen menus that can get a little fiddly.
If you buy one, you might want to hang on to it
Volkswagen recently unveiled a GTI version of the ID. 2 electric car at the Munich motor show. The car, which executives said was “production-ready” looks remarkably like a Golf GTI, from the red paint to the badges and styling cues. If this is the last petrol-powered GTI then you’d expect collectors to be lining up for a slice of the action, given what’s happened to the prices of now extinct performance cars. Then again, mothballing a GTI seems a lot like a crime against humanity.