Volkswagen Golf GTI Edition 50 – specs and initial driving impressions
Volkswagen is finally letting the Mk8 Golf GTI off its leash with a hardcore, track-honed version called the Edition 50. If it’s anywhere near as brilliant as the Mk7 Clubsport S, we’re in for a treat
It’s finally happening. Almost a decade since the Mk7 Golf GTI Clubsport S took our breath away – and second place at eCoty 2016 – Volkswagen is building another track-focused GTI to take on the hot hatch big leagues. It’s called the GTI Edition 50 and it could be the car to unlock the full potential of the Mk8 Golf, which hasn’t yet hit the heights of that stunning Clubsport S in any of its GTI or R forms. We took a trip to Germany to meet the minds behind it and have a quick drive.
This is far from a badge and stickers job. The Edition 50 has been comprehensively reengineered to unlock some of that lost magic, and benchmarked against the Clubsport S in its development. From the engine, suspension, geometry and chassis electronics to the wheels and tyres, everything has been modified to produce a Mk8 that can stand toe-to-toe with our favourite modern hot hatch, the Civic Type R, which will incidentally be killed off next year when the Edition 50 comes to market.
Visually, there isn’t much to suggest that this is a hardened track tool. It looks very much like the current Mk8 GTI Clubsport, save for darkened Volkswagen badges, black trim elements and a black and red decal along the sills. Inside, the rear seats haven’t been swapped for a Clubsport S-style cage either – probably because unlike the Mk7, the Mk8 is only available as a five-door. You do get red seatbelts, new floor mats, some Edition 50 logos and, oddly, red pedal faces. On the surface, this car is not much more than a blend of Golf R and GTI, but changes go much deeper than this.
Volkswagen’s EA888 2-litre turbocharged four-pot has been lightly tuned for the Edition 50, with power up from 296bhp in the GTI Clubsport to a Type R-beating 321bhp. Torque is also increased by 15lb ft, to 310lb ft. Sadly, there’s no option of a manual gearbox, but the seven-speed DSG is faster around a lap than a manual would be, and helps the Edition 50 hit 62mph from rest in 5.5sec – a tenth quicker than the Clubsport. The gap widens significantly in the run from 0-124mph, the Edition 50’s time of 16.8sec being 1.6sec quicker.
The GTI’s basic layout of a MacPherson strut front axle and four-link rear remains, with a standard chassis or an optional GTI Performance package, which brings the full suite of track-focused upgrades developed from those found on the Mk7 Clubsport S. On paper it sounds extreme, with significantly stiffer springs, recalibrated dampers and more aggressive geometry being the core changes. Volkswagen engineers admit the setup is more uncompromising in pursuit of track performance, but have left some comfort in reserve for it to be usable on the road.
The Performance pack-equipped Edition 50 sits 5mm lower than a Clubsport, while spring rates are up by 57 per cent at the front and 63 per cent at the rear, reducing roll by 13 per cent. The GTI’s DCC adaptive dampers have been fettled accordingly, and continue to offer 15 stages of adjustment via the infotainment screen. Volkswagen has since introduced more advanced, dual-valve DCC Pro dampers on other models like the Passat, but the main benefit of this system is improved comfort, which is a lower priority on a hardcore Golf.
New front uprights allow for two degrees of negative camber, while stronger mounts for the rear toe links reduce toe changes under load to improve precision and turn in. There are stiffer bushings too, reducing squidge and unwanted geometry changes in the suspension.
Lighter forged wheels and specially-developed Bridgestone Potenza race tyres are other key changes. The new tyres are supposedly improved in every area, from rolling resistance to steering response and outright grip, all while being 1.1kg lighter per corner. The reduction in unsprung mass helps claw back some of the ride comfort lost from the Performance pack’s stiffer setup. Talking of weight, the Edition 50 is almost 30kg lighter than the 1459kg Clubsport, thanks to the wheels, tyres and a titanium Akrapovič exhaust.
Tying everything together is Volkswagen’s Vehicle Dynamics Manager, which integrates control of the locking front differential, torque vectoring by braking and adaptive dampers in one system. The software has been reworked for the Edition 50, including a new calibration for the diff, dampers and steering. The latter is still a progressive-rate system, with calmer responses around the straight ahead and a quicker ratio as you apply lock, and the changes are said to improve linearity and feel.
The driving modes are familiar from other hot Golfs, with Eco, Comfort, Sport, Individual and Special, the latter using DCC and Vehicle Dynamics Manager settings designed for the Nürburgring. There’s also an S+ mode for the gearbox, which takes care of downshifts under heavy braking to pick the right gear into corners on track. There’s also a fully manual M+ mode that won’t upshift automatically at the rev limiter.
All these changes make the Edition 50 the fastest production Volkswagen around the Nurburgring, with a time of 7:46:13 set by racing driver Benny Leuchter. That’s more than a second quicker than the more powerful Golf R 20 Years edition, even though R was timed on a shorter lap – an equivalent run would have the Edition 50 more than six seconds faster. The Mk7 Clubsport S, meanwhile, is around eight seconds slower. What really matters, though, is the outright front-wheel drive production car record, which is still held by the Civic Type R. The Edition 50 is just over a second slower, but Leuchter says there’s more time to be found – he only had one attempt at his timed run due to poor conditions, and the track was still damp in places. Hence a sideways snap at 107mph through Foxhole…
Leuchter owns a Mk7 Clubsport S himself, and says that while the new car doesn’t feel as raw as the caged-up two-seater, it’s a more capable hot hatch across the board. ‘For me, the Edition 50 is the most precise and sporty Volkswagen I’ve ever driven. It reminds me a lot of the Clubsport S from 2016. However, the Edition 50 has been systematically enhanced once again. Because it’s so intuitive and precise, you have a lot of confidence in the car and can really push it to the limit.’
So, Volkswagen has finally built the Mk8 GTI we’ve always wanted. Pricing hasn’t yet been confirmed, but we’ll find out whether it was worth the wait when it hits the road early next year.
Driving impressions
Much of the Edition 50’s development has taken place at Volkswagen’s Ehra-Lessien facility, a huge complex that contains a variety of open proving grounds, handling courses and high-speed circuits – including the 13-mile track that Bugatti uses to max out its cars. Our first taste of the fastest, most dynamic GTI ever is... on a speed-limited three-lane straight. Still, there’s room to weave about and get a hint or two of what the Performance pack-equipped Edition 50 feels like.
Some exploratory waggles of the steering wheel reveal a more positive connection to the front end than in the Clubsport. Not the synaptic connection and precision of a Type R, but less of the standard GTI’s woolly on-centre feel. The stiffer springs keep the car flat and stable through quick lane changes, and you don’t need to wait a moment for the suspension to settle and the tyres to dig in. It’s more precise and keener to respond.
We were allowed a brief squirt up to 130kph (81mph) and the engine, unsurprisingly, feels familiar. The flat, parpy note is typical of the EA888, but it does feel quick, particularly as the boost builds in the mid range. Once up to speed, the Edition 50 holds its line precisely with minimal corrections, even when playing fast and loose with the speed restrictions.
The biggest question mark over the Edition 50 is whether there’s enough give in the significantly stiffer suspension for the rough and tumble of UK roads. The test track is perfectly surfaced for the most part, but the odd crack and ripple provide a hint of how connected the car feels. It doesn’t glide over the surface and some harshness is transmitted, but then we did ask for hardcore, didn’t we? It remains to be seen whether VW has got the balance just right, as it did with the Clubsport S.
