Volkswagen Golf GTI Review 2024

The Volkswagen Golf GTI has always been like a faithful old labrador in the hot hatchback market. You can always count on it being there, it's effortless to live with and, while there might be more exciting dogs (erm, hot hatchbacks in this stretched review analogy), few will get on with the job with such class. 

Sticking with that dog theme, you won't find another hot hatchback on the market with more pedigree. The first-generation VW Golf GTI is now almost 50 years years old and while some fast Fords were kicking around back then, the latest models don't carry the same lineage. 

The VW Golf GTI has been constant, proving that buying a hot hatch doesn't have to mean accepting big compromises. Although we can argue some generations were better than others, all eight generations of GTI have delivered more performance and better handling without becoming unbearably noisy or bone-shakingly hard.

Classiness is the name of the game, too - enthusiasts will spot that it's a GTI, 'normal' people will just think it's another Volkswagen Golf.

The latest, Mk8 Volkswagen Golf GTI is perhaps a bit less covert in its pursuit of style with chunkier bumpers, shoutier exhausts and a little red 'moustache' spanning the width of its face. But in the context of the positively obnoxious Honda Civic Type R, it's relatively subtle.

A mid 2024 update brought some cosmetic changes including LED matrix headlights and an illuminated Volkswagen logo on the bonnet. There are also redesigned LED rear lights and new 18-inch alloy wheels.

Alongside the standard VW Golf GTI there's also the GTI Clubsport variant. Whereas the standard car makes do with 245PS, the Golf GTI Clubsport gets a healthy boost to 300PS, along with lowered and retuned suspension, bigger brakes and a special 'Nurburgring' drive mode depending on spec. It's the one we'd choose if you can stretch to it. 

Whichever model you go for, though, you get almost as much comfort and refinement as a regular Golf plus the same level of practicality and technology.

It's the latter feature that is our only real grumble with the VW Golf GTI: like the standard Golf, the fully touch-controlled dashboard on early models is frustrating to use when you're driving and sometimes suffers from glitches. Fortunately this was rectified in 2024 with the introduction of a revamped infotainment system which is far better.

We've only driven the VW Golf GTI equipped with the brand's Dynamic Chassis Control (DCC), which is a fancy name for adaptive dampers. It was a must-have on the previous VW Golf GTI, and we suspect that's much the same here. 

Yes, you get a baffling 15 different parameters between Comfort and Sport for the dampers, but you can set up an individual mode for your favourite - we found it felt most at home towards the comfort end of the spectrum on UK roads.

Choose DCC on the Clubsport and you get a special 'Nurburgring' mode, which sets the car's systems up for the feared German circuit. Sounds irrelevant on the road, but it actually suits British tarmac really well. 

You'll want to stick to the 18-inch wheel option (standard on both regular and Clubsport) if everyday comfort is important, the cooler-looking 19-inch options add a bit of road roar. 

You'll notice we're talking about comfort quite a lot and that's because while the handling is very composed and satisfying, this isn't a hot hatchback that's about ultimate thrills. Think of it as a normal VW Golf with more poke and twisty-road capability, rather than a razor-sharp track monster like a Civic Type R. 

That said, you can get into a good rhythm with the VW Golf GTI - particularly in Golf GTI Clubsport form where it feels that bit more eager, agile and planted. There's not much body roll, the steering is direct and confidence-inspiring and the electronic limited-slip differential does a largely good job of keeping you nailed to your chosen line out of a bend. 

One thing worth noting is that the Clubsport won't be much faster than the standard car on wet or icy roads because it scrabbles for grip in the lower gears, struggling to get its 300PS keyed into the tarmac until the tyres warm. Indeed, if outright speed isn't essential, the 'standard' VW Golf GTI will feel more than fast enough for most.

While 245PS used to be more than sufficient to get your hot hatch thrills around a decade ago, it makes the regular GTI pretty much the least powerful car in its class nowadays. It's not slow, with a gutsy mid-range, but it's a bit meek if you're jumping out of rival machinery. Having said that, pre-2024 models did get the engagement of the slick six-speed manual gearbox with that version. It was sadly dropped in 2024.

The Golf GTI Clubsport, by contrast, has never had a manual option, but we reckon even hardcore enthusiasts won't mind because the extra 55PS livens up the GTI's straight-line potency noticeably. It chops the 0-62mph time down from 6.3 seconds to 5.6 seconds.

The rapid-fire DSG shifts mean you'll rarely want for more forward motion and because it's lighter and front-driven the Golf GTI Clubsport feels just as quick as the more powerful but heavier all-wheel drive Volksagen Golf R once you're up to speed (it's slower off-the-line of course). 

The engine note is also pleasingly rorty, although much of that is synthesised through the speakers as is increasingly common these days. But it settles down at a cruise, wind down the drive modes and you'll easily forget you're in a hot hatchback when you just want to get home comfortably. It's no hardcore hot hatch, but more a refined machine for making quick progress when required.

Whether in Golf GTI form or not, the Volkswagen Golf is one of the safest cars in its class. Euro NCAP gave it a five-star rating in 2019, with impressively high adult occupant and child occupant protection ratings. Its safety assist score was decent, too.

Adaptive cruise control is standard fitment across the range. While that isn't to everyone's tastes (some prefer to adjust the cruise manually on busy motorways, where the adaptive system struggles), it also brings Front Assist. That can detect an impending collision, warning you or priming the brakes. If you don't react, the (again standard) autonomous emergency braking system will step in. 

Also fitted on every VW Golf is lane keep assist, a driver fatigue monitor and traffic sign recognition. There's also new tech called 'Car2X', which uses the car's on-board data connection to warn of imminent traffic hazards. It will become cleverer in future, being able to communicate with other cars and even warn of approaching emergency service vehicles. 

The Volkswagen Golf GTI is not really suited to towing, but it does have a maximum towing capacity of 1600kg should you have no other choice but to do so. 

We don't recommend towing anything except a small caravan, though, because the VW Golf's relatively low kerbweight reduces safety and stability. Caravan experts recommend you should never tow anything heavier than your own car and ideally you'd want the load to be 85% of the car's kerbweight or less. 

Volkswagen usually nails its driving positions and the Volkswagen Golf GTI is no different. The standard figure-hugging sports seats hold you in place but don't obstruct those of a broader build, while the well-placed pedals and level of adjustment means anyone can get comfortable. 

Storage is good and we also like the comfy centre armrest that you can ratchet into position. Step in the back and, while there's still a good amount of leg- and headroom for six footers, the relatively compact VW Golf isn't the class-leader when it comes to rear accommodation: a Honda Civic Type R in particular is more generous. 

The tailgate offers a wide boot opening and the shape is nice and square, but the actual capacity of 374-litres (reduced ever so slightly other the standard Golf due to the exhaust system) is a fair way off class-leading. You'll want the huge Skoda Octavia vRS for that. The Golf is pretty much level-pegging with the Ford Focus ST on capacity, though. 

Judge the Volkswagen Golf GTI against its mainstream-badged competition and the interior feels well-made, with a feeling of solidity and generally nice materials. Details such as ambient lighting lift the atmosphere, too. 

But this is a VW Golf and a car that used to look and feel a cut above the 'normal' competition inside, while giving premium branded alternatives a run for their money. And we can't help but feel the latest cabin has taken a step back from the Mk7 VW Golf GTI in that respect. It just seems a bit ordinary now, rather than impressively polished. 

From launch, the  VW Golf GTI was a 10-inch infotainment display with sat-nav, voice control and the usual suite of smartphone connectivity. There's also a similarly-sized digital dial display with both screens mounted side-by-side in a Mercedes-style twin-screen layout. 

It looks polished, the graphics are pretty smart and the digital dials have lots of different views. But that's where the praise stops, I'm afraid. You see, like the standard VW Golf, interacting with the technology is frustrating because Volkswagen has, for some reason, decided that physical buttons are a thing of the past. 

Instead you get touch sensitive panels covered in fingerprint-magnet glossy black plastic. And they're just not as easy to use in any situation. You'll either need to give the 'button' a second prod when driving because it hasn't registered your input or (in the case of the steering wheel) you'll glance a button while driving and find your steering wheel is getting hot of its own accord. 

What's more, the endless sub-menus in the touchscreen are frustrating and the similarly fiddly touch slider panel below the screen for temperature, volume and fan speed is a faff. And inexplicably not backlit and unusable at night. It's stuff you'll get used to over time, sure, but this is a VW Golf - that used to mean peerless ergonomics - so you shouldn't have to. 

Fortunately things improved when the facelifted VW Golf GTI was launched in mid 2024. The infotainment system was significantly overhauled and is now far more intuitive and more user-friendly. There's a bigger 12.9-inch freestanding screen which now properly responds to inputs so you're not having to tap everything twice.

The endless menus have been replaced by a simpler layout with handy shortcuts at the top of the screen. And it all just actually works as it should. The best praise we can give is that during our test, we didn't once throw any expletives its way...

When the VW Golf GTI was first launched in 2021, prices for the standard model started at a little over £36,000. However, following the 2024 facelift, prices rose to a pretty eye-watering £40,000. 

As a comparison, the very similar Cupra Leon starts at around £31,000 while the more practical Skoda Octavia vRS is priced from around £38,500. And both the excellent Hyundai i30 and the Ford Focus ST undercut it but that's always been the way with the VW Golf GTI, which straddles the mainstream and premium competition. 

You'll need close to £43,000 for the Golf GTI Clubsport, which sounds like quite a lot. But given the upgrades it offers over the standard car (and the ability to swallow that difference up with a keen finance deal) we reckon it's a worthwhile choice if you want a proper hot hatch.

The thoroughly-engineered VW 'EA888' 2.0-litre turbo engine powering the Golf GTI is renowned for being surprisingly frugal at a cruise and that applies here. 

On the official numbers a DSG-equipped GTI will manage up to close to 40mpg on average, which is among the best in the class. Plumping for a manual reduces that by a hardly noticeable 0.5mpg. The Golf GTI Clubsport uses slightly more fuel but a claimed 37.4mpg is still not at all bad.

Insurance is relatively affordable for a hot hatchback but with all models now costing more than £40,000, you'll have to swallow the CO2-based expensive car tax supplement if buying new. That's more than £1300 extra a year for five years from April 2025.

The Volkswagen Golf GTI uses the standard VW Golf in sportier R-Line form as its base equipment-wise. Standard equipment includes the usual 10-inch touchscreen with sat-nav and wireless smartphone connectivity, wireless phone charging, digital instruments, adaptive cruise control, three-zone climate control, 30-colour ambient lighting, a heated steering wheel, LED 'Plus' headlights with a cornering function and full-width light strip and the full roster of driver assists. 

The GTI adds to that list with 18-inch alloys (19-inch is optional), unique trim inside and out, a GTI-specific steering wheel, specific sports seats, an aluminium gearknob, twin chrome tailpipes, bigger brake discs with red calipers and a front differential lock. 

Step up to the VW Golf GTI Clubsport and you'll get a special bodykit with a front splitter, flared side skirts, a two-piece gloss black rear spoiler, a rear diffuser in black, special decals and oval exhaust trims. It also has larger still brakes with perforated discs, Clubsport-specific dash decoration, contrasting stitching, and bespoke seats and upholstery.

The revised VW Golf GTI from 2024 gets IQ.LIGHT LED matrix headlights, which have a range of 500 metres, an illuminated Volkswagen logo at the front, as well as redesigned LED tail light clusters an 18-inch Richmond alloy wheels. Inside there's a revamped infotainment system that is controlled via a visually free-standing 12.9-inch touchscreen or the latest Volkswagen IDA voice assistant with ChatGPT integration. The sports seats feature the classic GTI check pattern, along with additional red stitching.