Volkswagen Golf GTI DSG

VW has added a host of new technologies to its bestselling Golf derivative. Does it remain the do-it-all hot hatch?

SOUTH Africans love the Volkswagen Golf GTI. A lot. Fifty-five percent of all local Golf sales are GTI models and that’s the highest percentage in any market globally. In Germany, for example, on average GTI sales account for a mere 8 to 10%. It’s hardly surprising, therefore, that, at the national launch of the entire facelifted Golf range, we spent more than 500 km in the new GTI, heading from the coast into the beautiful Karoo. (The new 1,0-litre derivative was also among the press cars and we’ve tested one on page 80.)

Being a facelifted model, it’s all about an evolution of the outgoing car and the exterior changes on this Golf 7.5 are predictably subtle. Highlights include LED headlamps, a new front bumper and fresh LED taillamps. The launch cars were also all equipped with the larger (optional at R8 100) 19-inch Santiago alloy wheels, one inch up on the standard Milton Keynes units.

The interior offers the same high perceived quality we have come to expect of the Golf, and in particular the GTI. While the standard infotainment unit is an eight-inch Composition Media system, all our test units came fitted with the optional (R20 200) Discover Pro system that includes a 9,2-inch screen, gesture control and virtual buttons. I found the system’s features, particularly the phone connectivity and satellite navigation, intuitive to use.

In terms of the driving experience, the optional Adaptive Chassis Control system is once again a highlight. As before, it allows you to toggle between several settings that, among others, tweak the exhaust note, throttle and engine calibration, steering and suspension.

The GTI’S 2,0-litre, turbocharged engine has been tweaked and essentially you get the previously optional Performance Pack spec as standard. The result is 169 kw from 4 700 and 6 200 r/min, and 350 N.m between 1 500 to 4 600 r/min.