The updated Volkswagen Golf Mk8.5 range will arrive in the early stages of 2025, and the hot GTI variant has seen a big power bump as part of the range refresh.
We’re talking an extra 15kW of power – meaning the Golf GTI now makes 195kW and 370Nm, all sent through the front wheels via a standard seven-speed DSG dual-clutch gearbox.
That’s right, more power but the manual hasn’t made a miraculous return. Does it matter when the updated engine has been improved so dramatically?
I’d argue not, after driving it in Germany as a brief taster before it touches down in Australia in the new year.
How much does the Volkswagen Golf cost?
We don’t know yet what the new Golf GTI will cost – or any of the new Golf models for that matter.
But, the brand has taken steps to address some concerns around the pricing for the existing Mk8 range. Recently the brand dropped the price for the Golf GTI by a huge amount, reducing it to $59,990 drive-away across Australia.
That price included the $4000 Luxury Package (including ‘Vienna’ leather upholstery, heated and ventilated front seats, power driver’s seat with memory, heated steering wheel and panoramic glass sunroof), as well as a the $2600 Sound and Style package (incl. 19-inch alloy wheels, head-up display and Harman/Kardon nine-speaker sound system).
VW Australia has indicated that it intends to offer better value in its Golf range for the updated model line-up, so we’ll have to wait and see if the Mk8.5 is as sharply positioned as its predecessor.
What is the Volkswagen Golf like on the inside?
Hallelujah!
There are buttons! Yes, I’m talking about the buttons on the steering wheel, which make this a more driveable car. That’s right, it means you won’t accidentally turn on the heated steering wheel or bump the cruise control haptics when you’re tackling corners.
And not only that, the new touchscreen media system is a revelation in terms of the usability of this car. The old Mk7.5 nailed it, the Mk8 missed the mark, but this one has found itself closer to being brilliant again.
Yes, it now has backlit sliders for the climate controls and volume, but they’re still sliders rather than actual dials, so that might take a little learning.
Otherwise, the media unit has home bar at the bottom of the display for climate controls that makes it much more user-friendly if you just want to adjust the air-flow, recirculation, or temperature.
The menu layout is far easier to learn, too – there aren’t pages and pages of controls, and the icons are simpler to get to terms with.
Further to that, the new buttons on the steering wheel also make interacting with the digital driver display much less of a pain, and the button-based shortcuts to adjust the car’s lane-keeping assistance and speed sign recognition system mean there’s far less fiddling and dithering than in the Mk8.
So yeah, it is a BIG improvement in terms of the experience for the driver, and there’s still the expected amenities of a Golf inside, too – decent cupholders between the seats, a wireless phone charger with a little shelf on top, bottle holders in the doors, and lots of adjustability to the seats.
Rear seat space hasn’t changed, with enough room for two adults to sit behind similarly sized people (I’m 182cm/6’0” and easily fit behind my own driving position). But, there is a large transmission tunnel intrusion that eats into foot room.
GTE 
Backseat riders get USB-C charge ports, directional air vents, climate control, map pockets on the seatbacks, a flip-down armrest with a pair of cupholders, and there are outboard ISOFIX points and three top tethers, too.
The boot is the same as before, with 374 litres of cargo capacity; an adjustable floor for improved storage; and the seats fold flat to align with the floor (when it is highest position) to offer 1230L. Aussie cars will get a space-saver spare, and there’s a ski-port as well.
What’s under the bonnet?
The latest take on the 2.0-litre turbo-petrol theme for the GTI means a maximum power figure of 195kW (from 5250-6500rpm), and while peak torque hasn’t changed, the maximum 370Nm now comes in from 1600-4590rpm.
GTI Clubsport
It isn’t the most powerful version on offer – in other markets there’s the 221kW Clubsport grade – but it doesn’t appear to be on the horizon for Australia as a gap-filler between the Golf GTI and Golf R.
The standard transmission is a seven-speed DSG dual-clutch auto, and of course, the GTI is still front-wheel drive. It has an electronic differential lock to help it get the grunt down, as well as paddle shifters for those who wish to take matters into their own hands.
The updated GTI has a claimed 0-100 km/h time of just 5.9 seconds – it’s the first sub-6.0-second GTI – and its top speed is electronically limited to 250km/h.
The Golf GTI has a European fuel use rating of 7.1-7.3L/100km depending on the wheels and tyres fitted – we can expect our cars to have the larger 19-inch Queenstown (Alfa Romeo-style) wheels, so a higher number will likely apply.
How does the Volkswagen Golf drive?
My oh my – I didn’t expect just 15kW could transform this car, but it really has.
GTI Clubsport
Like, it still does all the stuff we loved about the previous GTI, but there’s more ferocity. While previously it would nudge you back in your seat, this time around it will actually pin you into your bucket seat when you plant your foot.
Of course, the throttle response is determined by the drive mode selected, but in Sport mode it zings from a standstill, and the character of the engine is notably more revvy than the last model.
The linearity of the power delivery means you might think that it will shift gears well before it does, and in Sport it has an eagerness to hang on, and hang on, and hang on… just like you’ll need to.
When it does upshift, it’s the typical snappy and super fast DSG shifts, and you can provoke it to get a bit of pop and crackle happening on the overrun, too. It’s not audacious or silly like a Hyundai i30 N, but it certainly doesn’t lack character.
GTI Clubsport
While the official 0-100km/h time is 5.9 seconds, I managed a 6.2s dash during my time in the car.
The steering is – like the last GTI – accurate, precise and delightful when you’re tackling a tight road, and the electronic locking diff helps you keep getting the power down to the road as you punch out of corners.
It also has a bit of a cheeky lift-off oversteer character to it, and across a series of tight S-bends I got the back end to shimmy a little – I couldn’t help but giggle like a little kid.
But as has always been the case with the Golf GTI, it’s the way it can transform from being a leather-jacket-wearing hooligan to a suit-and-tie-wearing upstanding citizen that makes it so impressive.
GTI Clubsport
The urban driving manners of this car are exceptional.
Hit the Comfort button and the dampers suddenly stop feeding you all the crumbs on the road surface, the steering lightens up and become more easily manageable, and the powertrain offers a simpering smoothness that makes it utterly charming for slower speed stuff.
Based on my time in this updated Golf GTI outside Wolfsburg in Germany, I found it really hard to fault when it came to the driving situation.
Maybe Aussie roads – with their more challenging surfaces – will change my take on that, but we’ll just have to wait and see.
What do you get?
The final specifications for the updated Golf GTI are likely to be revealed in the first quarter of next year, but we have an idea of what to expect from the updated model.
Equipment highlights:
- Matrix LED headlights
- 19-inch alloy wheels
- GTI exterior trim and highlights
- Twin exhaust pipes
- LED grille strip
- Illuminated VW badges
- Adaptive Chassis Control with 15-stage damper adjustment
- Space-saver spare wheel
- LED sequential tail light clusters
- Keyless entry
- Push-button start with pulsing light
- Sports front seats
- Sports pedals
- Red stitching
- Multi-function steering wheel with paddle shifters (and buttons!)
- Digital Cockpit Pro digital cluster
- 12.9-inch touchscreen media system
- Satellite navigation
- ChatGPT voice assistant
- Wireless Apple CarPlay
- Wireless Android Auto
- Wireless phone charger
- Tri-zone climate control
- Auto-dimming rearview mirror
- Floor mats
- Ambient interior lighting
- Reversing camera
- Parking sensors
- Semi-autonomous parking system
- Opening glass sunroof
There is a new multi-tone leather interior trim which isn’t yet confirmed, though it’s likely to be standard as VW Australia’s customer base for the GTI is focused on a high standard equipment offering.
Otherwise, expect the gorgeous tartan-style cloth trim to be offered.
Is the Volkswagen Golf safe?
The 2022 five-star ANCAP and Euro NCAP rating is expected to be carried over to the updated range.
The Golf Mk8 scored 88 per cent for adult occupant protection, 87 per cent for child occupant protection, 74 per cent for vulnerable road user protection and 76 per cent for safety assist.
The updated Golf GTI may be offered with new Connected Services that can call emergency services in the event of an accident, and the brand may also introduce new speed sign recognition technology that was on offer in the Euro-spec model driven for this review.
Standard safety equipment includes:
- Autonomous emergency braking
- Pedestrian
- Cyclist
- Junction
- Adaptive cruise control
- Traffic Jam Assist
- Lane keep assist
- Blind-spot monitoring
- Rear cross-traffic alert
- Reversing camera
- Front and rear parking sensors with Manoeuvre Braking
- Semi-autonomous park assist
- Driver fatigue detection
- Rear seat passenger reminder
The Golf is offered with nine airbags – dual front, front side, front centre, rear side and full-length curtain coverage.
How much does the Volkswagen Golf cost to run?
That’s still TBC, but VW Australia offers a few things to keep in mind when it comes to the ownership situation.
The brand has a five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty for all of its models, and if you service with VW’s dealer network you’ll have your roadside assistance topped for that period. You get one year of roadside included, no matter what.
When it comes to maintenance, the Golf GTI currently has 12 month/15,000km service intervals, and there’s a choice of pay-as-you-go capped-price servicing, or you could choose one of the Care Plan options: three years/45,000km, which is currently $1875, a saving of $189 compared to capped-price; or five years/75,000km, which costs $3400 at the moment, saving you $617.
And in case you weren’t aware, Volkswagen offers a guaranteed future value program if you decide to take up finance through the brand’s in-house lending offer. You can calculate what the car will be worth after a set period of time/kilometres, and that might help ease your mind about the biggest cost of ownership – resale value.
CarExpert’s Take on the Volkswagen Golf
It was already pretty brilliant, but the attention to detail that has been paid to this updated Golf GTI makes it stand out as a much better offering than the existing Mk8.
Buttons on the steering wheel, a better media screen and a nicer interior make it far better to live with, and that new tune for the turbo engine means it makes you feel like you’re truly alive, too.
We look forward to driving it on Australian roads in the new year.
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