Well, it's finally here, folks. The 2021 Volkswagen Golf GTI has landed in Aussie
showrooms. It's much more expensive than before, it has a lot more standard equipment,
the familiar GTI underpinnings. This is an obvious move upmarket for many deem to be
the original hot hatch. You can no longer get the GTI with a manual transmission, and it's
a lot quieter than Golf GTI's of old as well because of tougher European sound regulations.
The question is, does the latest version of the GTI really resemble the blueprint?
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The GTI famously introduced and popularised the hot hatch genre with its introduction in 1976, and
has been a mainstay in Volkswagen's line-up ever since. For 2021, the GTI introduces base pricing
that is $11,000 higher than its predecessor just three years ago. But for that, there's
new styling, a completely over-hauled dashboard interface, and much more standard technology.
Styling changes to the GTI for 2021 are headlined by a new front end,
it's this really cool new LED lights that take full effect at night where you get an LED strip
that runs the entire width of the bonnet. It looks really cool. There's also five new fog
lights on either side that's encompassed into a new honeycomb grill and front end apron design.
Elsewhere, naturally for a GTI, there are side skirts along the side of the car,
new LED tail lights, and two bulbous exhaust outlets at the rear.
The GTI is complete with 18-inch alloy wheels shod with Goodyear rubber and red brake callipers,
while under the bonnet resides an unchanged EA888 engine matched solely to a seven speed wet dual
clutch automatic transmission. Whereas overseas markets get the option of a manual transmission,
Volkswagen says the take-up in Australia is simply too low, which is a great shame.
Now this is where the Golf GTI has taken the biggest step forward. There are a load of changes
inside the cabin, including a new 10.25-inch center touchscreen display that's matched to
a new virtual cockpit display as well. There's more odds and ends storage courtesy of this new
fly-by-wire gear shifter which liberates a little bit more space. But you also get some really nice
technical touches as well, four USB-C points across the cabin, three-zone climate control.
And while there is much more of a minimalist theme inside the cabin,
I've actually found it quite user-friendly. As with the regular Golf, it can appear a little
bit foreign at first. But I found that you are able to shortcut a lot of basic commands with
the touchscreen so you're not going through two or three-step processes to do something
like recirculated air conditioning. All in all, a really great place to be, and as with all Golfs,
there's a really good array of storage, space and comfort inside the cabin.
The standard GTI still gets Tartan seats made popular by the 1976 original,
and passenger amenity is strong across both rows. The use of materials and presentation
here is first class, and goes some way in justifying the GTI's higher purchase price.
Safety also takes a significant step forward in this MK8 generation with the full gamut of
expected standard equipment. But enough of all that, it's time to find out how the GTI drives.
The fundamentals of the GTI experience are largely the same as before. And that's no great surprise
given all the internals are carry over. What you're getting is quite a competent little hot
hatch, one that has no troubles dulling down its power, has a really nice usable two-litre engine,
and it's a really sporty premise as well. But the great thing about the Golf GTI is that it
does that without detracting from road comfort and refinement. It's still a car that you could
happily spend eight hours in doing interstate trips you can commute in,
and it's not in any way jarring or anything with the way that it controls itself over bumps.
Central to the all rounder theme is the GTI's engine,
which offers an official 6.3 seconds sprint to 100 k's an hour from rest,
but will also deliver a claimed fuel consumption rating of seven litres per 100 k's.
The EA888 engine is as relevant as ever. It works really well. The seven speed wet dual
clutch automatic transmission is also a willing accomplice. You get a little bit of glitch upon
taking off, but other than that, the changes are razor-sharp and swift. Complaints with the GTI,
well, it'd be really nice if there was a stand alone manual option with the dual clutch automatic
transmission. The old model used to be able to put it into a manual gate and it would hold
gears. Around the circuit here today, I have found that there's been occasions where
it will automatically shift up even though you've asked it not to. But the other complaint
is really the lack of noise. It'd be really nice if those European sound emissions didn't dictate
less sound form the car, so it does kind of take away from the theater of the Golf GTI.
Where the GTI makes a bigger impact is road manners. It is
still at the pointy end of the hot hatch brigade for road compliance,
comfort and refinement. It screams daily driver more than anything else.
With that in mind, it means that the GTI is a good performer on a circuit, but it's
not exactly gonna set the world on fire if you are a regular track time enthusiast. The
electronic differential at the front, at times, has trouble putting the power down. It really does
miss the involvement of a manual transmission. And when you really push it beyond sort of the
performance envelope, there are some limitations with this car's tires and everything else.
Civilised go fast manners have long been the GTI's calling card
so there's little surprise the brief carries though to this latest generation.
Volkswagen's evergreen hot hatch is sweetened with a five-year unlimited kilometer factory warranty,
and the option of upfront care plans that kept servicing costs to as little as $460 annually.
Now, while this is a much more expensive and decidedly more upmarket version of
the Golf GTI than what we've seen in the past, I think the important thing here
is that the fundamentals still resemble that original Golf GTI blueprint that was brought
to the table in 1976. In time, it'd be really nice to see something like a Golf GTI original,
or even the return of a manual transmission to bring down that entry point. I think
if your Volkswagen can do that, then they've got a real winner on their hands.