Same performance, more driving fun

No Golf without a GTI: VW had already launched a sports version of the first generation of the compact in 1976, which at the time was a customer favorite with a really strong 110 hp. Instead of the planned 5.000, almost 500.000 units of the Golf I GTI were sold. A success story that was to last for seven generations - and which is now being continued: the GTI 8 will be available from dealers as planned from the end of August at a price of around 36.000 euros - VW does not want to announce the exact tariff until the coming weeks.

As usual, VW relies on a slightly revised look for the GTI. The honeycomb air inlet in the front apron, into which the designers have integrated five LED light points as fog lights, is new. With a little imagination, they look like a checkered flag. The red accent stripe in the wide radiator grille, which is now flanked by a light strip that connects the two LED headlights, should not be missing. And of course there is still the classic GTI logo, which is now a little more filigree. The lettering sticks to the fender as usual, but in the future it will be prominently attached under the VW logo at the rear. From the rear, the GTI scores with two real tailpipes and a spoiler.

Like the normal Golf, the almost 4,30 meter long GTI is only available as a five-door model. Whoever gets into row one enters the new VW world, with hardly any real buttons, an at least 8,25 inch touchscreen infotainment system including slider controls for air conditioning and volume, the voice assistant and digital instruments. For the latter, the designers came up with a special GTI graphic with a large, central rev counter. Of course, the red accents should not be missing in the cockpit, and of course you take a seat on the classic checked seats. There are well-formed sports chairs in the front, but you can also travel comfortably at the back. With 380 to 1.237 liters, the trunk is just as big as the normal Golf.

An old acquaintance is under the hood: VW trusts the new GTI in the two-liter four-cylinder turbo gasoline engine, known internally as EA888, which has already made its predecessor stand out. Although it has been optimized in terms of exhaust emissions, the Lower Saxony have not turned the performance screw. Only the former performance variant became the standard: ideally, the gasoline engine delivers 180 kW / 245 PS and 370 Newton meters of torque and, like its predecessor, is expected to accelerate the Golf 8 GTI to 6,2 km / h in 100 seconds Four-cylinder does its work with a robust engine sound that can, however, be influenced by the driving profile.

Even if the new GTI No. 7 cannot drive away, it is still clear that it was in the gym. The engineers installed the vehicle dynamics manager, which controls the interaction between the adaptive damper control and the electronic differential lock XDS, which brakes individual wheels in a targeted manner. In addition, they put a lot of effort into tuning the substructure and worked for a long time on springs, wishbones and the damper hydraulics.

The result is an impressive balancing act: At high speeds, the GTI is much more stable on the road than its predecessor, and at lower speeds it is more agile. The sports golf dances lightly around the curve and can be precisely directed by the progressive steering. If you want to make a full circle, you only have to make 2,1 turns on the GTI sports steering wheel to circle the valance from lock to lock. In addition to direct steering, the electric limited-slip differential on the front axle supports ambitious cornering.

Speaking of the front axle: It continues to take over the power transmission to the asphalt, all-wheel drive is taboo with the GTI. The power is managed by a seven-speed dual clutch transmission or a six-speed manual switch. VW promises that the automatic version will be the sportier one, and if you want, you can manually intervene in gear changes using the shift paddles. The choice of gearbox is unlikely to have any impact on fuel consumption: there are no concrete values ​​yet, but both are likely to be just below the level of the predecessor, which took around six and a half liters in the NEDC test.

By the way: The GTI is only the first of several sports models. VW will soon be adding the power diesel GTD and the plug-in hybrids GTE. And instead of a performance model, a roughly 300 PS GTI-TCR version is about to be launched. And then there is the Golf R. It will surely drive back with all-wheel drive.