The new Volkswagen Golf GTI is cheaper and more powerful than the old one
The Mk8.5 Golf GTI gets more power, an interior refresh and a lower asking price – can it right the wrongs of its predecessor?
The Volkswagen Golf GTI lost its footing slightly when the latest version arrived in 2020. Taking a step forward in performance but losing the deep-seated quality feel and excellent ergonomics of its predecessor, Volkswagen left the door wide open with the Mk8, and the Honda Civic Type R walked right through it.
In 2024, exactly five decades after the Mk1 Golf hit the road, Volkswagen is addressing these complaints with this: the Mk8.5 GTI. It arrives as part of the Golf’s mid-life update and its last outing as a petrol-engined hatch (the Mk9 will be pure-electric), costing £38,900 – about a grand less than its predecessor.
Visually, the changes are mild – the GTI has gained new LED headlights, a new front bumper and an illuminated Volkswagen badge, along with redesigned taillights and a set of ‘horse shoe’ alloy wheels that might ruffle a few feathers at Alfa Romeo.
Inside, the Golf gets an all-new infotainment suite that’s touted to be more intuitive and quicker to respond than before. Dubbed MIB4, the system offers a 10.4-inch touchscreen with revised graphics and menus, powered by new computing hardware. The GTI gets an upgraded 12.9-inch unit display as standard, and the Golf’s temperature and volume touch sliders are now backlit, as they always should have been.
The rest of the cabin, such as the GTI-specific steering wheel, digital dash and stubby automatic gear selector are familiar. As before, the GTI is only available with a seven-speed DSG gearbox – the manual option was removed from sale last year.
The Mk8.5 does, however, gain more power. Volkswagen’s EA888 2-litre turbocharged engine is being rolled out for service once again, this time with a power boost from 242bhp to 261bhp to bring the 0-62mph sprint down to 5.9sec.
The Mk8.5 rides on the existing MQB Evo platform – Volkswagen hasn’t specified any changes to the GTI’s chassis hardware, but it’s likely to have fine-tuned its suspension calibration and geometry as part of the updates. Adaptive DCC dampers will feature too, offering 16 steps of adjustment in the Golf's drive mode menu.
As for the rest of the Golf lineup, mild-hybrid eTSI models get a 1.5-litre petrol engine developing either 113bhp or 148bhp, sitting alongside two non-hybrid turbocharged variants with the same outputs. Plug-in hybrid Golfs – topped by the 268bhp GTE – also use a 1.5-litre petrol engine. Thanks to a larger 19.7kWh battery pack, pure-electric range has been boosted to 62 miles this time around.
A new Golf R is imminent, but for now the GTI Clubsport sits at the top of the tree, packing 35bhp more than the regular GTI and a more performance-oriented calibration for its chassis systems. Pricing for this is yet to be announced, but expect it to cost a few grand more than the base GTI.
