Volkswagen Golf GTI
All-new Mk8 hot hatch rated
Forty-four years. That’s how long the Volkswagen Golf GTI has been on sale. A rather decent run so far, then. The firstgeneration model, introduced in 1976, established the formula that each of its successors has carefully followed, with a decisive increase in performance and dynamics over the standard Golf and a styling package that is simple yet subtle.
We limit our use of the word ‘iconic’ at Autocar, but the description fits the bill better than any other here. The letters GTI have long become synonymous with enthralling hot hatch performance. So it’s with a good deal of interest and intrigue that we approach the latest version, scheduled for delivery in the UK by the end of the year.
The new eighth-generation Golf GTI receives a revised turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine from its predecessor – an engine dubbed EA888 internally – developing the same 242bhp as the previous Golf GTI Performance. It also has a reworked chassis that benefits from an array of electronic upgrades, including Volkswagen’s new VDM (Vehicle Dynamics Manager), with a centralised network for faster reactions from a whole range of different chassis functions, most notably the adaptive dampers.
Based on the same MQB platform as before, it’s an evolutionary step in overall engineering terms, but relative to the previous car, it has gained greater design distinction from the standard Golf. This is most noticeable at the front, where 10 LED foglights are integrated into the honeycomb insert in the lower part of its uniquely styled bumper.
That’s not all, though. There’s also a full-width LED light graphic with the red band running across the top of the headlight assemblies and through the grille at the front. It helps accentuate the new model’s width while also providing it with quite a distinctive night-time graphic. Further back, the new Golf GTI also adopts a small badge, or ‘flitzer’ as Volkswagen’s designers call it, within the trailing edge of the front wings, plus black sill elements below the doors.
The rear, meanwhile, is distinguished by unique tail-light graphics and a chromed GTI badge set within the lower middle section of the tailgate. The rear bumper is the same as that used by the standard Golf but gets a unique lower section in black. The traditional round tailpipes have also been moved further outboard compared with the seventh-generation model’s.
As it has been down through the years, the interior is a subtle upgrade over the standard Golf’s. That means a new digitally oriented driving environment, with a 10.25in instrument display featuring unique GTI graphics and an 8.25in (or optional 10.25in) infotainment display with the latest Volkswagen connectivity functions together with touch-sensitive controls. A stubby shift lever sits within the centre console, operating the seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox fitted to our test car. It’s quite a departure from the old GTI, exuding a typical impression of solidity, even if some of the shiny plastic materials incorporated within the dashboard appear a little cheap.
The Gti-specific touches are a welcome addition, giving the interior a more upmarket feel in combination with the sort of sporting flair we’ve come to expect from the long-running performance Golf. The standard sport seats, with integrated headrests for the first time, have plentiful adjustment and are very supportive. The leather-bound steering wheel, complete with a red highlight and GTI badge within the lower spoke, is also more sculpted and fatter than that of a regular Golf. There are stainless steel pedals and unique trim elements, too.
Volkswagen claims this new model offers the strongest performance of any standard Golf GTI yet. However, you could be excused for looking at the modest-by-class-standards 242bhp of its updated 2.0-litre engine and wonder if it can really deliver the intrinsic thrill that buyers in this part of the market demand. After
all, the Ford Focus ST packs 273bhp, the Hyundai i30 N 271bhp and the Renault Mégane RS 276bhp.
Although it lacks the overall firepower of some direct frontwheel-drive hot hatch rivals, the turbocharged four-cylinder is terrifically keen. With 273lb ft over a big chunk of revs (1600rpm to 4300rpm), there’s outstanding lowto mid-range flexibility that propels the new model along with swift in-gear qualities. It’s not rabid in its execution, but the resulting punch on a loaded throttle is nevertheless quite impressive, as reflected in its official 0-62mph time of 6.3sec and governed 155mph top speed.
An increase in the fuel injection pressure from 200 bar to 350 bar, along with new magnetically actuated injectors and what Volkswagen describes as “a new combustion process” also improve its overall response and ability to rev. There’s greater sensitivity to throttle inputs at lower revs and it now spins out to 6800rpm with greater urgency than its direct predecessor.
The most striking factor, though, is the way the new car transfers its added 25bhp and 11lb ft to the road. Volkswagen has programmed its XDS electronic differential lock to allow some slip on urgent starts, but it launches without any unruly torque-steer antics or continued wheelspin on a loaded throttle. In dry conditions, there’s a marked improvement in traction both under hard acceleration and out of tighter corners. This can be traced to the VDM system. Operating via a new electronic architecture, it networks the XDS and DCC (Dynamic Chassis Control) functions, providing faster reaction times for a variety of different systems.
If only it sounded better. The adoption of a larger-volume catalytic converter and particulate filter has robbed the GTI of much of its earlier aural appeal. But even with a new sound actuator, it lacks the purity and intensity of earlier models. There’s a raspy timbre to the exhaust note in Sport mode, but it is rather monotone and quickly becomes wearing at constant motorway speeds.
Gearshift quality is another area for improvement. Although Volkswagen has adopted a revised version of its seven-speed dual-clutch automatic for the new model, we experienced some rather unpleasant shunt through the driveline at low speeds around town together with unnecessarily long pauses on downshifts and at higher revs. This considered, the standard six-speed manual might just be the better option. One area that is greatly improved, though, is the stop/start function, thanks to the adoption of a new electric pump.
Volkswagen has always been careful not to make the GTI too extreme. Its appeal has historically been its relative ease of driving. The new one is no different, providing a set of dynamics that are very approachable. It is usable every day, but it is also terrifically entertaining on the right road.
The design and geometry of its Macpherson-strut front and multilink rear suspension is carried over from the seventh-generation car. As with the engine, though, it has been subtly evolved. Among other changes, a new aluminium subframe provides greater rigidity and a claimed 3kg reduction over the steel structure used before. The ride height is also 15mm lower than the standard Golf ’s. Even more significant is the move to transfer greater load stiffness to the rear: the front spring rates have been increased by 5% and those at the rear by 15%.
However, it is the adoption of the VDM system that Volkswagen credits most in providing the GTI with improved balance and stability. VDM oversees the operation of the steering, throttle, gearbox and adaptive dampers – the last of which continue to be made available as an option. As before, the standard model comes with 17in wheels shod with 225-profile Bridgestone Potenza tyres, although the optional 18in and 19in wheels now have 235-profile rubber for greater purchase.
The car immediately feels more responsive and a touch more sporting
It’s fast, more responsive than ever, comfortable in the right drive mode and superbly refined
than any standard Golf GTI that has gone before it, but crucially with a similar degree of refinement and overall maturity as other less powerful eighth-generation Golf models we’ve driven recently. With Eco, Comfort, Sport and Individual driving modes, you get a broader range of on-road characteristics than before, too. The VDM system also allows you to individually control the adaptive damping characteristics across 15 different steps. There’s added body control in Sport and greater subtlety in Comfort.
The electromechanical steering is terrifically well weighted, more tactile and, given the power being fed through the front wheels, commendably free of corruption. It might lack the whip-crack reactions of some rival hot hatches, but it is very accurate and its ability to communicate with greater feedback than most makes it truly rewarding.
There’s a compellingly neutral feel to the way it corners. It resists understeer remarkably well, instilling confidence in the driver. In keeping with its everyday aspirations, the suspension is quite subtle in terms of tuning. At lower speeds around town, you detect some added firmness in relation to other Golf models but the ride is quite pliant, even in the more sporting driving modes.
The interaction between the XDS, DCC and VDM systems provides for faster damper adjustment at each wheel than with the old model, giving improved body control, added ride refinement and a generally more settled feel to the whole car.
The brakes – 340mm discs up front and 310mm discs at the rear – are outstanding, with excellent pedal feel and impressive stopping power when you lean on them.
So, overall, the Golf GTI remains the mature choice in its class. It’s fast – although not ferociously so – more responsive than ever, comfortable in the appropriate drive mode setting and superbly refined. A little bit more differentiation from the standard Golf, a lift in the perceived quality of some of its interior trims and a more enticing exhaust note would make it a more compelling proposition, but after 44 years at the sharp end of the hot hatch ranks, Volkswagen says it knows what its customers want.
To that end, an even more powerful Golf GTI Clubsport model with close to 285bhp is planned for launch by the end of 2020 as a replacement for the earlier GTI Performance. For now, though, the standard model represents a predictable advance on the model it replaces. It’s better in every way, not least in how it drives.