What a Car - UK - (2020-04)

FIRST LOOK

JUSTASYOUwouldn’tweartrainerstoa

businessmeetingorbroguesatthegym,cars

tendtofeelmostathomein a particularrole.

However,theVolkswagenGolfGTIis a better

multitaskerthanmost– probablybecauseit

hastraditionallycombineditsagilehandling

andlivelyperformancewithlooksthatare

almostasunderstatedasanyotherGolf’s.

So,is it thesamestorywiththisnew,Mk

version?Well,it pushesthingsa littlefarther

thanusualbyaddinga gapingfrontbumper

venttothetwinexhaustsandredfrontgrille

pipingthatwe’vecometoexpect.Butoverall

itsappearanceis stillmoreRussell& Bromley

thanReebok.Infact,in someareasit looks

moresubtlethanever,witha wheeldesign

reminiscentofthatusedonSkoda’sKamiqSUV.

Asrecentlyaslate2018,Volkswagen

plannedtousemildhybridtechnologyto

RIVALS

HondaCivic

TypeR

Fastandfunyet

surprisinglyeasyto

livewith,theTypeR

is thecartobeat.

RenaultMéganeRS

A morehardcore

takeonthehot

hatch,buthugely

rewardingonthe

rightroad.

16 April 2020 whatcar.com

LIGHT THE WAY

LED headlights are

standard to improve

visibility, while a strip

light that runs through

the front grille is

offered as a cost

option.

automatic emergency braking, climate control

and ambient interior lighting that lets you

choose from 30 colours. Meanwhile, the list of

options includes 19in alloy wheels (in place

of the standard 18s) and the Akrapovic sports

exhaust system that so dramatically improves

the sound made by Volkswagen’s sporty

T-Roc R SUV.

In addition to the GTI, Volkswagen is

readying successors to other hot Mk7 Golfs,

with the 197bhp diesel GTD and 241bhp

plug-in hybrid GTE both due before the end

of this year. A new version of the four-wheel-

drive Golf R, which hikes power from today’s

296bhp to 329bhp, will follow in 2021. There

are even plans to introduce an R Plus, with

around 350bhp.

It seems likely that this agship model would

cost around £45,000, undercutting other

mega-hatches such as the Mercedes-AMG

A45. Meanwhile, the price of the standard

Golf GTI is likely to rise to about £32,

to reect its extra power and equipment

compared with the previous version.

boost the GTI’s acceleration and efciency,

but ultimately it decided in the interests of

more overtly sporty road manners to update

the existing turbocharged 2.0-litre petrol

engine instead. This now produces an extra

13bhp in standard form, meaning it matches

the 241bhp of the outgoing GTI Performance

model. Meanwhile, the successor to that car

• which is likely to be called the Clubsport –

packs 296bhp.

As with the Mk7, you’ll be able to specify a

six-speed manual or seven-speed dual-clutch

automatic gearbox (which can be controlled

manually via paddles mounted on the

steering wheel). Although Volkswagen is still to

release performance gures, a 0-62mph time

of around 5.5sec seems realistic with a dual-

clutch gearbox tted to the standard GTI.

The decision to continue to offer a manual

gearbox, when so many rivals are abandoning

them, was apparently to appeal to enthusiasts.

For the same reason, a limited-slip differential is

now standard to boost traction out of corners.

However, for the rst time, there will be no

three-door GTI model, mimicking the decision

to drop this slow-selling bodystyle elsewhere

in the Golf range.

Similarly, the interior closely follows the formula

of lesser Mk8 Golfs, so you get twin digital

screens (one for instrumentation, the other for

infotainment) and a voice control system that

recognises natural speech instead of requiring

you to remember specic commands. There

are bespoke sporty touches, too, including red

on-screen graphics, a at-bottomed steering

wheel and the traditional tartan-trimmed seats.

Other standard equipment includes keyless

entry and start, lane-keeping assistance,

Volkwagen Golf GTI

Latest version of Volkswagen’s iconic hot hatch brings more

power and tech On sale Autumn Price from £32,000 (est)

Sporty wheel and red screen graphics are GTI touches

Steve Huntingford

[email protected]