Volkswagen Golf GTI

Whenever someone says ‘Hot Hatch’, the Golf GTI is one of the first names that comes to mind It has been around for nearly half a century and has now entered the Indian market in its latest Mk8.5 avatar. 

I’ve driven the Golf GTI on Asia’s longest proving ground, and it delivers on the promise of being a performance-oriented model while also offering a nearly complete package. But, are there any compromises for daily usage? Does it justify its price? Should you buy one? We find the answers in this review.

Since its inception in 1976, the VW Golf GTI has been a sporty looking hatchback, and that stays intact in its latest version. It is easily recognizable and since it is being sold in a limited number, you’ll be noticed every time you take it out.

The face catches your attention with the sleek headlamps and daytime running lamps (DRLs), but what looks most attractive are the hexagonal shaped fog lamps placed in the bumper in an “X” formation and the illuminated Volkswagen logo. Next, its performance nature is highlighted by the slim red line under the bumper, red brake calipers, and the red GTI badging.

From the side, it looks like just another hatchback, but here you notice its low 136mm ground clearance and 18-inch silver alloy wheels. Unlike the front, the side profile is fairly simple with little to no cuts or creases. Here, you also realise that this is a big car. A hatchback in this country is usually considered small, but at 4289 mm, its length can easily rival the compact SUV segment.

The rear profile, compared to the front, looks old or out of place. The modern design elements with sharp lines and stylish lighting elements are missing at the back, and it feels like this design is incomplete. A few details that we did like were the animation customization in the LED tail lamps and the dual-exhaust tips which look great and do justice to the car's sporty character.

VW offers it in 4 shades: Moonstone Grey, Grenadilla Black Metallic, Kings Red Metallic, and Oryx White Mother Of Pearl Effect. Out of all these shades, the Moonstone Grey looks the most attractive.

Design & Quality

Due to its low stance, getting in and out of the Golf GTI requires some effort. You have to bend down while getting inside and you have to be careful to avoid hitting your head on the door frame. This can still be managed by young people, but ingress and egress will be difficult for the elderly.

Golf GTI’s cabin suits its performance nature and will be appealing to almost everyone. The design is driver focused which is evident by the tilted touchscreen and controls, all angled towards the driver. The dashboard has a flat design with multiple layers, and just like the exterior, the interiors also get red accents on the steering wheel.

You get soft touch padding on the top half of the dashboard and door armrest, along with alcantara leather on the doors. However, I feel the plastics on the doors and dashboard are rough and scratchy. It should have been better considering its segment. 

The entire centre console is finished in gloss black which looks nice, but it is extremely prone to dust and scratches. Also, VW has offered touch-based controls for AC and headlights, which might look good, but are very hard to use while driving.

Front Seats

With the Golf GTI, you get manual seat adjustment including height but the steering wheel has both tilt and telescopic adjustment, which makes it easy to find your ideal driving position. The adjustment for seat recline is done using a cool-looking circular dial, but it's placed too far back which makes the adjustment slow and slightly difficult.

The seats, however, have thick contours which hold you in place, and the fabric stitching with red insets and GTI badging looks sporty. But, anyone with a wider frame might have difficulty sitting here as the seats will be a little tight around the waist and upper back. 

Since you’re sitting low and close to the road, you get a very sporty driving position that offers good overall visibility.

Rear Seats

Just like the front, the rear seats also have thick side support, which hold you in place. But due to the design, the middle passenger sits upright which won’t be comfortable for longer journeys.

As far as space is concerned, legroom and knee room is enough for 6-footers, and the underthigh support is also good. Headroom might be less for someone over 6-foot, but for an average adult, it is enough.

Storage Options

All four doors get 1-litre bottle holders, there are two cupholders in the front, two in the rear centre console, there’s storage in the front centre armrest, it gets a big glovebox, and rear passengers get seat back pockets.

Charging Options

For charging options, the front passengers get a wireless phone charger, a 12V socket, and two type-C ports. Rear passengers get two type-C ports in the centre console. 

Overall, the Golf GTI’s cabin might not have the best space you expect in its price, but this car’s priority is not space or practicality. It gives you a sporty drive experience which is enhanced by its cabin’s design, while offering a  space that’s just about enough and practical for 4 people to sit comfortably.

Features

While the feature package of the Golf GTI is good, I feel it should have gotten more considering its price. Here are some of its daily use features:

It also gets a 12.9-inch touchscreen which has sporty graphics, an easy to use interface, and it runs smoothly. This screen supports wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, both work as intended. This setup is paired with a 7 speaker sound system which doesn’t give you a very surround sound experience, but the sound quality is good enough for your regular drives.

There’s a 10.25-inch digital driver’s display as well which has neat graphics and it displays your drive info in a clear manner. There are multiple themes to choose from all of which look great.

While there is no 360-degree camera, you do get a rear parking camera with a clear and crisp feed and no lag or frame drop.

The Golf GTI comes with safety features like 7 airbags, electronic stability control (ESC), a tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS), all-wheel disc brakes, auto headlamps, ISOFIX child seat anchors, a rearview camera, and an electronic parking brake with auto hold.

It also gets Level 2 ADAS features like adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist, high beam assist, and autonomous emergency braking. The ADAS setup in the Golf GTI uses both camera and radar, which allows it to work properly in low light conditions.

The Golf GTI’s 380-litre boot can accommodate multiple cabin sized suitcases, but since it's not deep, stacking suitcases is not easy.

You can put one large suitcase here with ease, but that does not leave much space for other smaller bags. To best utilize this space, we recommend you use smaller bags. The rear seats also get a 60:40 split if you need more space for additional luggage.

Due to the low boot lip, loading and unloading bags is very easy.

The Golf GTI comes with a 2-litre turbo-petrol engine which is paired with a 7-speed DSG.

As soon as you start the engine, you hear a roar, but due to high refinement levels, the vibrations are kept to a minimum. This engine delivers power quickly, it never disappoints, keeps you on your toes, and the exhaust note is a bliss.

City Performance

There is no shortage of power in the city. The Golf GTI accelerates quickly and there is no delay in power. You don’t need to think twice about overtakes as they can be done swiftly and at no point does it leave you wanting for more.

The DSG changes gears smoothly at slow speeds and it does that on time with no lag. You don’t have to wait for gears to be changed and it downshifts quickly when you need to overtake.

Since this car is made to perform and give you an exciting drive experience, fuel efficiency takes a hit. In the city, your fuel efficiency will be under 8 kmpl, and if you’re driving in a fun manner, it will get close to 5 kmpl.

Highway Performance

On the highways, you can unleash the power and just have fun with the car. The acceleration is so quick that it pushes you back in the seat. It takes just 5.9 seconds to get to 100 kmph, and even beyond that speed, the acceleration remains very strong.

There are different drive modes as well, where you not only get different throttle response, but also different exhaust notes. Overtakes are effortless and all other cars on the road will be far back in your rearview mirror. It also gets a launch control mode which ensures you experience the claimed 0-100kmph time in the real world. It lets you hold the revs, then dumps all the power to the wheels making the tyres screech at first, and then making you vanish into the distance.

The 7-speed DSG changes gears smoothly at high speeds but you do hear a thud for every gear change, that further adds to the exciting drive experience. Fuel efficiency, on the other hand, will be in the 4-6kmpl range for the most part, if you’re driving in a fun and exciting manner. It can go around 10-12 kmpl if you drive in a relaxed manner.

Ride Comfort

We drove the GTI on a high speed and handling tracks at NATRAX, so mostly the car was driven on smooth tarmac. However, we did get some time to drive it over a few rough patches. The Golf GTI managed to keep the body movement to a minimum on those patches, and passenger movement was also barely noticeable. 

At high speeds, it remained planted and as stable as a car can get. You do feel the cracks and undulations inside the cabin, but not enough to cause any discomfort.

Handling

On the handling front, there were no complaints. The Golf GTI felt like it was hugging the road during corners, and it even managed to pull off high speed corners with ease. The weight of the steering wheel also inspired confidence to take such sharp corners.

Do be mindful to switch off ADAS if you’re at the track or attempting high speed cornering. The corrective actions of the ADAS can cause a momentary loss of power steering as was observed in a few vehicles.

The Volkswagen Golf GTI is available only in a single fully loaded variant, and only comes with a single transmission option.

The Volkswagen Golf GTI proved itself as a true hot hatch which will appeal to an enthusiast the most. Its performance and handling never disappoints, and the overall drive experience never leaves you wanting for more. However, regardless of its price, do not expect it to be outstanding in terms of luxury or features.

This is for someone who is passionate enough to spend north of Rs 50 lakh on a hatchback, and it belongs in the garage of a person who understands its legacy, has the required skills to drive it like it should be driven, and wants a car that’s more than just a mode of transport.