Volkswagen plans one last hurrah for petrol power in its legendary Golf GTI
The Golf 8’s infuriating human-machine interface is getting overhauled, too
Having confirmed its performance future lies in pure-electric models, Volkswagen is planning to send off its petrol-powered versions of the iconic Golf GTI in style — giving them more power and a much better tech experience in the cabin the current Mk8 models.
Due to land in 2024, it is expected that the GTI models of what will be dubbed the “Mk8.5” Golf will gain higher horsepower and torque outputs. From recent announcements of other VW models that use the same engine — namely, the Tiguan and Passat — it is believed power could increase from the current GTI’s 242bhp to possibly around 260bhp or more.
This would be for the standard model of the Mk8.5 Golf GTI: more potent versions, which already exist, such as the 296bhp GTI Clubsport and the 316bhp all-wheel-drive R, will likely continue, and could even see further power upgrades themselves.
Goodbye, petrol GTI
These proposed upgrades for the 2024 model year Golf GTI are a farewell gift for the old-timer model, Autocar reports.
The Golf GTI has been around since 1976, with its 50th anniversary coming up soon, so it’s only fitting that the petrol-powered models get one final hurrah ahead of Volkswagen switching to electric propulsion for its hot hatchbacks of the future.
This is a transition that has already been previewed by the recently revealed ID. GTI concept, likely to become a showroom-ready performance version of the incoming ID.2 electric city car.
Hot on the heels of that reveal, only last month at the Munich motor show Volkswagen’s CEO Thomas Schäfer also admitted that the next-generation Golf Mk9 would be an electric car, with a hot R model slated for 2028.
Volkswagen has therefore decided to give the GTI a proper send-off with petrol, rather than switching it to hybrid interim technology, in order to reduce its consumption and CO2 emissions.
The 2-litre, four-cylinder turbocharged engine used in the Golf GTI is called the EA888. In its current 242bhp format, which it has used since the GTI Mk8 launched in 2020, it’s good enough to propel the car from 0-62mph in 6.3 seconds and onto a top speed of 155mph.
The 296bhp Clubsport trims that acceleration benchmark to 5.6 seconds, so if the regular GTI gets a decent shot in the arm, it’s possible it could break the six-second barrier for 0-62mph. That would get it closer in performance to one of its key rivals, the latest Honda Civic Type R.
Sharper chassis to corral the added power
It’s not just extra power that the Golf GTI Mk8.5 will enjoy. The chassis it uses — called MQB — has been upgraded for all models, which should translate into sharper handling manners while also delivering better refinement for the GTI.
There’s also an improved Dynamic Chassis Control (DCC) adaptive suspension system available now, that would further hone the hot Golf’s talents in the corners.
Less clear is whether the Golf GTI manual will make the cut. Forthcoming tough Euro 7 emissions regulations made it seem as if the stick-shift GTI would be nonviable, and at the moment the GTI is only sold as a DSG automatic in the UK.
A recent US-market GTI 380 special edition was also marketed by Volkswagen as “the final year of manual production”, so it could well be that the Golf GTI Mk8.5 will be sold as a DSG only — bad news for fans of full driver involvement, who prefer manual ‘boxes.
No more wild stabs in the dark
Perhaps the best news is not that the GTI will receive more power and a sharper chassis, but that the infuriating in-car “human-machine interface” will be drastically overhauled.
The current infotainment set-up has been widely criticised for being too heavily dependent on the central touchscreen, while other ergonomic clunkers like haptic touchpad buttons on the steering wheel and climate control adjusters that remain unlit — and therefore invisible — at night are rare moments where Volkswagen has dropped the ball on interior common sense.
However, it would appear the Mk8.5 GTI will enjoy the much better 12.9in touchscreen seen in VW’s most recent product launches, as well as proper, physical buttons on the steering wheel and a generally higher-quality level of fit and finish in the cabin — something that has happened in the recently refreshed ID.3 EV.
And those climate control sliders? They’ll get backlighting this time around, remedying one of VW’s most egregious interior errors in years.
50 and out?
Beyond that, the Golf GTI Mk8.5 will likely have subtly enhanced exterior looks, probably relating to mild resculpting of both the bumpers and the lamp clusters.
And with its 50th birthday approaching in 2026, expect there to be one final special edition of the petrol-powered Golf GTI to mark the occasion. Volkswagen has produced Edition 25, 30, 35, 40 and 45 versions of preceding GTIs in the according years, with the last two of these based on the higher-power Clubsport model.
Related articles
- If you were interested in the plans for a final petrol VW Golf GTI, you might like to read that the Golf and GTI badges will live on in the electric era
- Volkswagen ID. GTI concept previews fast version of forthcoming ID.2 electric car
- Jeremy Clarkson reviews 2021 VW Golf GTI because he was bored by Tiguan
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