Volkswagen Golf GTi Hot Hatch Makes A Brilliant Leap Forward With Mk8

Test Drive: The automotive world waits with baited breath for only a small handful of new models, and the 2022 Volkswagen Golf GTi is right at the top of the list.

Not too big, not too small, not too fast, not too flashy and not too expensive, the Volkswagen Golf GTi Mark 8 follows the same tried-and-tested formula as the Mk7, only it works better this time around.

Instead of some of the boiling hot, mid-priced hatches coming from Renault, Hyundai and Ford, Volkswagen’s GTi holds the line at hot-chocolate warmth, running to 60mph in 6.3 seconds and pushing out 245hp (180kW) from its 2.0-liter four-cylinder turbo motor.

While it’s already on sale in Europe, the Golf GTi won’t arrive here in the US until late next year, somewhere around the same $29,515 price tag of the current Golf GTi Mk7. And that will make it a bargain.

It will also make it the only representative from the world’s biggest-selling passenger car badge to make it stateside, at least until the even-faster, all-wheel drive, 330hp Golf R arrives in 2022.

The Golf GTi gains already from the Mk8 Golf upgrades, then gains again through some exhaustive engineering, particularly at the GTi’s front end.

A new aluminum sub-frame under the engine reduces weight but stiffens the chassis so much that it flits into bends with a level of happiness and precision its predecessor couldn’t match.

And it doesn’t just retain its comfort and ease during less enthusiastic driving, but it expands it. There is a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster, a similarly sized multi-media touchscreen, tartan-trimmed sports seats and 380 liters of luggage capacity behind the three-person rear seat.

It loses none of the Golf’s versatility in the upgrade to GTi status, but gains some upmarket touches (like red LED strips across the top of the headlights, 10 LED fog lights built in to the bottom half of the grille and some GTi badges scattered here and there).

How, and how fast

There’s an upgrade – the fourth – to the Volkswagen EA888 four-cylinder gasoline motor.

It makes the emissions cleaner, via its particulate filter, new catalytic converter and, in particular, the upgrade from 200 bar of fuel injection pressure to 350 bar.

While the US will use the new catalytic converter and fuel injection system, it won’t get the particulate filter, so the engine note should be a little more enthusiastic than its European siblings.

A new turbo, too, helps to deliver the peak of 273 lb/ft (370Nm) of torque from 1600 to 4300rpm, while the 245hp (180kW) power peak is there from 5000 to 6500 revs.

The engine’s performance drives the front wheels through a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, though Europeans can also ask for a delightful six-speed stick shift.

It’s a strong, relaxed powertrain that partly makes up for its reduction in vocal sparkle with an increased willingness to rev and in the intuitiveness of its throttle response.

But the real charm here is the chassis and the way it helps the Golf GTi around corners and delivers astounding levels of confidence to its drivers.

Volkswagen has eradicated the Mk7 GTi’s “double bite” turn-in behaviour, even though the core structure is essentially the same MQB platform.

The ride is 15mm lower than the standard Golf, but the new subframe and a new Vehicle Dynamics Manager (VDM) to centralize all of the handling functions (from the skid control to the adaptive dampers) making the biggest difference.

The VDM is so sharp that it makes 200 shock absorber adjustments per second, so the handling accuracy is unprecedented in this class of car.

There used to be a simple three-step driving mode system of Eco, Comfort and Sport settings. They are kept for simplicity’s sake, but Volkswagen also adds a 15-step sliding scale for the Individual model that now gives custom control of steps from Eco to Comfort to Sport and above. It can now dive three steps softer than the old Comfort mode and three steps firmer than Sport.

Inside Story

Touchscreens aren’t for everyone and the redundancy option is voice control, which works reasonably well in the Volkswagen Golf GTi.

There is a range of different instrument cluster views, which you can toggle through via the steering wheel, and the multimedia screen controls the rest of the car’s functions.

There’s a short, stubby little transmission lever, paddle shifters behind the steering wheel, aluminium pedal covers and sports seats with integrated headrests that feel both firm and supportive.

The interior accommodates both a pair of cupholders and an inductive charging pad for smartphones, and full-sized drink bottles can be comfortably slotted into the door pockets if even more hydration is needed.

More speed, less haste

The speed the Volkswagen Golf GTi generates – when the driver finds those increasingly fleeting moments of clear, winding road – is so calm and fluid that it’s easy to forget the volume-selling car it’s based on.

The trick of the Golf GTi has always been that it rides well, handles well, goes better and retains the Golf’s versatility, and the Mark 8 doesn’t stray from that mantra.

It can pull more than 1.1g of cornering acceleration, rides better than ever (even on the optional 235/25 R19 tyres) thanks to the faster damper adjustment and stops brilliantly.

It’s slower than some of its rivals, but better in day-to-day life, particularly in the grind of urban commutes.

The engine is so strong in the mid range that it can pull itself out of any corner or any situation easily and calmly, and that’s the GTi’s big trick.

That calmness of character, the knowledge that it will just get things done and have some fun doing it, gives the driver enormous confidence in the machinery under them.

It flows through winding roads, with that transmission whipping seamlessly up and down the gears and it carries ridiculous amounts of speed into corners as well.

It’s not as urgent as the Hyundai i30N or the Ford Focus ST, but it scarcely matters because its way just seems more… real.

There’s no wasted effort, no mouth-frothing engine scream, no steering wheel-tugging torque steer and no trace of any system fighting anything else. Every system feels like it’s on the same page.

The seats are superb, full of support in cornering and support for cruising, and the steering wheel, as ever, feels perfect in your hands.

Some of the touchscreen functions are perhaps too fiddly, taking your eyes off the road for too long, but only a longer familiarization will determine if this is a problem or not.

Warm character, Warm hatch

Nope, the Volkswagen Golf GTi is not the fastest hot hatch in the business.

It’s not even the fastest hot hatch at Volkswagen, with the Golf R on its way down the Mk8 pipe as well.

It refuses to be dragged into a go-fast war with its rivals and instead holds the warm-hatch line steadfastly.

The philosophy of the Golf GTi was never to be the fastest. It was always just to be faster, without using any Golf versatility, and it remains that way today. 

It is superbly usable every day.

It rides well, it looks upmarket compared to a stock Golf, but not flashy.

It makes the dull life interesting, and the interesting roads entertaining.

It’s a ridiculous step forward over the Mk 7 Golf GTi.

And it’s still a fun-loving adult.

Volkswagen Golf GTi

Body:            five-door hatchback

Seats:   five

Drive:            front-wheel drive

Engine:         2.0-liter, turbocharged gasoline four

Power:          245hp (180kW) @ 5000-6500rpm

Torque:        273lb/ft (370Nm) @ 1600-4300rpm

Transmission: seven-speed dual-clutch / six-speed manual

Mass:           3220lb

0-62mph:     6.3 seconds

Top speed: 155mph (250km/h), limited

Mileage:      To be confirmed

Price:            Approximately $29,515

On sale:       Late 2021