Skip advert
Advertisement

250bhp VW Golf GTI

Tuner APS helps the new VW Golf GTI hot hatch fight the Ford Focus RS

Fancy a mk6 Golf GTI but worried it’ll struggle against today’s wealth of mega hatches? Northants-based tuner APS can ease your woes. It’s revealed a Stage One upgrade for the sixth incarnation of the original hot hatch that takes its power closer to the Leon Cupra R, Focus RS and Mazda 3 MPS that dominate the hot hatch power stakes.

Advertisement - Article continues below

The standard car’s 207bhp and 207lb ft of torque rise to 250bhp and 292lb ft with the ECU remap, with some marked results on the Golf’s performance figures – the 0-60mph time drops to 6.2sec and the top speed meets the class best at 155mph.

Set aside £599 if you want to APS your GTI, making it a cheap fix while you wait for the VW Golf R to come along. There’s even a guarantee that lasts the length of your official manufacturer’s warranty.

Click to see our group test of powerful tuned hot hatches

Read about the Golf’s cousin, the Volkswagen Scirocco RFollow evo Magazine on Twitter for the fast car latest

Skip advert
Advertisement
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

Ford Puma review – the best-seller that’s still no patch on the Fiesta
Ford Puma
In-depth reviews

Ford Puma review – the best-seller that’s still no patch on the Fiesta

The Ford Puma melds some of the Fiesta’s charm with big-selling crossover form factor, but we still miss a proper small Ford hatch
21 Aug 2026
Lotus wants to save its Norfolk factory by developing and building other company's sports cars
Lotus factory
Features

Lotus wants to save its Norfolk factory by developing and building other company's sports cars

The Emira will live on and there's an Esprit supercar on the way, but Lotus has another plan to keep Hethel active
18 Aug 2026
Lotus Exige V6 (S3, 2011-2021) review – a mini supercar for Golf GTI money
Lotus Exige S V6
In-depth reviews

Lotus Exige V6 (S3, 2011-2021) review – a mini supercar for Golf GTI money

For the S3 generation the Lotus Exige got a lot brawnier, trading the four-cylinder engines it had hitherto utilised for a supercharged Toyota V6
21 Aug 2026