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'll be 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 Golf GTI is now over 45 years old, and while some fast Fords were kicking around back then, the latest models don't carry the same lineage. 

The 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 Golf.

The latest, Mk8 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 subtle.

Whereas you had to wait until later in the last generation Golf GTI's lifespan to get the 'special' models, you can already order the latest car with a hotter Clubsport variant. Whereas the standard car makes do with 245PS, the 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 latest GTI: like the standard Golf, the fully touch-controlled dashboard is frustrating to use when you're driving and sometimes suffers from glitches. 

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 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. Spec 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 flavours) 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 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 GTI - particularly in 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. 

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 a bit meek if you're jumping out of rival machinery. Having said that, purists do get the engagement of the slick six-speed manual gearbox with that version. 

The Clubsport, by contrast, doesn't get 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 Clubsport feels just as quick as the more powerful but heavier all-wheel drive 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. 

Whether in 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'll 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 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 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 Golf isn't the class-leader when it comes to rear accommodation: a Honda Civic Type R in particular is more generous. Our other complaint is the the single-piece front seat backs obscure the view forwards.

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, although the Civic Type R is both considerably larger too. 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 Golf, and Golfs 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 GTI in that respect. It just seems a bit ordinary now, rather than impressively polished. 

Every Golf GTI gets 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, and both screens are 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 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 Golf - that used to mean peerless ergonomics - so you shouldn't have to. 

Prices for the 'standard' VW Golf GTI start at a little over £36,000. That's higher than the class average, when the Hyundai i30 N and Ford Focus ST both noticeably undercutting it. The same applies to the closely-related Octavia vRS and Cupra Leon. But that's always been the way with the GTI, which straddles the mainstream and premium competition. 

You'll need a little over £40,000 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. 

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

On the official numbers a DSG-equipped GTI will manage up to 38.7mpg on the combined cycle, which is among the best in the class. Plumping for a manual reduces that by a hardly noticeable 0.5mpg. Impressively the Clubsport manages exactly the same official figures, but use that extra power and you'll see less economy overall. 

Insurance is relatively affordable for a hot hatchback, too, while all GTIs sit in the same tax band (£585 for the first year rate in 2022, £165 after that). However, the biggest drawback with the Clubsport is that the list price is only just over the £40,000 'premium car tax' threshold, adding a chunky £355-a-year charge for five years after registration. 

The Volkswagen Golf GTI uses the standard 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 18in alloys (19s are 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 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.