The VW Golf 8 GTI drives up and, oh wonder, the performance is that of its predecessor. Nevertheless, the compact sports car should be more fun. Some changes have been made for this, not just on the chassis. But is that enough to meet expectations?
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 5000, almost 500,000 units of the Golf I GTI were sold. A success story that was to last for seven generations and that is now being continued: the GTI 8 is scheduled to be available from dealers from the end of August at a price of around 36,000 euros. VW will only announce details in the coming weeks.
The five-point daytime running lights of the Golf 8 GTI should polarize.
(Photo: VW)
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As usual, VW relies on a slightly revised look for the GTI. The honeycomb-shaped air inlet in the front apron, in which the designers have integrated five LED light points as fog lights, is new. With a little imagination, they look like a checkered flag, with a cursory glance like a copy of the Porsche light graphics or the five on the dice.
Dice eyes as a sign of sportiness
Well, be that as it may: 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 bit more filigree. As usual, the lettering will also stick to the fender, and in future it will be prominently attached to the rear under the VW logo. From the rear, the GTI scores with two real tailpipes and a roof spoiler.
The GTI is also entering the digital world in generation eight.
(Photo: VW)
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Like the normal Golf, the almost 4.30 meter long GTI is only available as a five-door model. Anyone who gets into row one enters the new VW world, with hardly any real buttons, at least 8.25-inch touchscreen infotainment including slider control for air conditioning and volume, the voice assistant and digital instruments.
For the latter, the designers have come 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. The well-formed sports chairs allow the driver to travel comfortably, but the passengers in the second row don’t have to suffer either. The trunk is just as big as the normal Golf with 380 to 1237 liters.
Nothing new under the hood
Under the hood of the Golf 8 GTI is the fuel of the predecessor.
(Photo: VW)
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Under the hood is an old friend: VW relies on the two-liter, four-cylinder turbo gasoline engine for the new GTI, internally known as EA888, which already made its predecessor work. Although it has been optimized in terms of exhaust emissions, surprisingly the Lower Saxony have not turned the performance screw. Only the former performance variant became the standard: Ideally, the gasoline engine delivers 245 hp and 370 Newton meters of torque and, like its predecessor, is expected to accelerate the Golf 8 GTI to 100 km / h in 6.2 seconds. If desired, the directly appealing four-cylinder also accompanies its work robust engine sound, which can, however, be influenced via the driving profile.
Even if the new GTI of No. 7 cannot drive away, it is still clear that it was in the fitness studio. The engineers have installed a vehicle dynamics manager here, which regulates the interaction between the adaptive damper control and the electronic differential lock XDS, which can brake individual wheels in a targeted manner. In addition, a lot of diligence was put into the coordination of the substructure and a long time worked on springs, wishbones and the damper hydraulics.
The cornering behavior of the new GTI is better than that of its predecessor.
(Photo: VW)
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The result is an impressive balancing act: at high speeds, the GTI is significantly more stable on the road than its predecessor, and at low speeds it is more agile. The sport 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 move the valance from lock to lock. In addition to direct steering, the electric limited-slip differential on the front axle supports ambitious cornering.
Consumption at 6.5 liters?
Speaking of the front axle: it continues to transfer power to the asphalt alone, all-wheel drive is taboo with the GTI. The management of the power in turn is the responsibility of a seven-speed dual clutch transmission or a six-speed manual switch. VW promises that the automatic version will be the sportier one. If you want, you can manually intervene in gear changes using the shift paddles.
In addition to the GTI, GTD and GTE are also expected.
(Photo: VW)
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The choice of gearbox is unlikely to have any effect on consumption: Although there are no specific values yet, both are likely to be just below the level of the predecessor, which took around six and a half liters in the NEDC test, which is not really suitable for everyday use.
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 also the Golf R. It will certainly drive up again with all-wheel drive.
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