REVIEW | VW Golf GTI Mk8.5 (2024)
The new 2024 VW Golf GTI is a mid-life upgrade to the Mk8. The latest Mk8.5 Golf GTI has more power, styling upgrades, and some key changes to interior tech, but with a price tag of over £40,000 (with options), is the new GTI now at risk of pricing itself out of the market?
The Mk8.5 - What's new?
I recently experienced every iteration of the VW Golf GTI on a 1300-mile road trip from the VW UK headquarters in Milton Keynes to the VW factory in Wolfsburg, Germany. On the drive, I experienced first-hand the Mk1, Mk3, Mk4, Mk5, Mk6, and Mk7 and was able to be one of the first in the world to drive the brand-new Mk8.5, which I ended up taking home with me for a few days after the trip.
The mid-life update to the Mk8 (which VW calls the Mk8.5) has been updated with a few tweaks to the styling and a smidge more power. The front and rear bumpers have been refreshed to accentuate design lines and house new lighting units–VW's new IQ-LED Matrix headlamps. The new units illuminate up to 500m ahead. Also, on the front of the car is a new 10-spot fog lamp design. The rear also has a refreshed design for the taillights and a new rear bumper.
Inside the car, the upgrades continue with a new, larger touch screen (12.9 inches) and an improved user experience thanks to upgraded software. ChatCPT is now installed as standard to help make prompts more natural, and can be used to operate climate control, navigation, or the occasional trivia question without the need to touch a single button.
The buttons are back!
The other noticeable change to the interior is the return of buttons on the steering wheel. For the past few years, VW models have almost all exclusively featured haptic buttons on their wheels. Following some customer and press criticism, for the 8.5, VW has reverted back to physical buttons, which were last seen on the Mk7. I was one of the many who moaned about the haptic buttons following involuntary radio station changes and volume or voice prompt activations by simply turning the wheel and brushing palms and fingers in the wrong places.
Price increase and optional extras
When the Mk8 launched in 2020, prices for the model started at £33,460, but now, with the upgrades, the price starts at just £100 short of £39,000 before options. Assuming you might be tempted to select a few optional extras, including an upgraded Harmon Kardon sound system, leather seats, a panoramic sunroof and some sportier wheels, the retail price is far more likely to start north of £43,000. Go wild with the configurator, tick all the options, and you'll get dangerously close to £50,000. Whilst this figure might seem daft for a Golf, it's merely representative of current market values with other hot hatches, including the Honda Civic Type-R listing with retail prices likely to make you look twice.
However, in my opinion, there is no need to spend more than £40,000 on the new GTI because, as a standard car, it's a pretty special thing.
Market-leading entry-level spec
As standard, before any unnecessary expensive bells or whistles are added to the new Golf GTI, it's a lovely thing, and it drives brilliantly. VW has carried forward the lightweight aluminium subframes and vehicle dynamics management system (introduced for the Mk8). The software, matched with some premium hardware, results in a hatchback that turns into and powers out of corners like a car worth three times its price.
Interior comforts and luxuries are also excellent as standard and include heated front sports seats with adjustable lumbar, 3-zone climate control, adaptive cruise control, advanced driver attention and drowsiness monitor, auto emergency braking system with pedestrian and cyclist monitoring, lane assist, park assist with front and rear sensors, and a rearview camera to highlight just a small selection.
Standard hardware for chassis and dynamics includes an electronic differential, adaptive chassis control, sports suspension, a front stabiliser bar, 18" Alloy Wheels, upgraded sports brakes, and a sports exhaust system.
Driving Dynamics
On the subject of driving dynamics for the new GTI, a battle of pros vs. cons is at play. For the vast majority of buyers using their new GTI as a daily driver, most will be exceptionally happy, but anyone who's enjoyed throwing an Mk7.5 Clubsport around on a track day might feel that the new car is a little dialled down as opposed to dialled in. The steering isn't quite as sharp as the predecessors, and the safety and driver assist systems seem to be doing more than is necessary to keep everything in check, which can sometimes get in the way of a spirited drive. The other point that might upset a few is that the 6-speed manual gearbox is no longer an option in the UK. I won't put that on my negative list because the DSG gearbox is superb, but I'm sure it will be a turn-off for a few.
The 2.0L engine, with its 20HP boost, offers a very usable amount of power without nearing the realms of silliness. Those wanting a Golf to keep up with BMW M cars will opt for the R, but honestly, 261HP and a 0-62mph sprint in 5.9 seconds are more than enough for a hatchback. Whilst in Germany, on a safe and de-restricted section of the autobahn, I attempted to reach the 155mph limiter; however, beyond 140, the car didn't feel at home, so I decided to take VW's word for it and enjoy humming along at an entirely reasonable 130mph whilst still enjoying a conversation with Henry in the passenger seat.
The GTI sits 15mm lower than the standard Golf, but the ride is reassuringly compliant. Over bumps and through undulations, the ride doesn't ever feel unnecessarily firm. If the optional Dynamic Chassis Control option is ticked, fine-tuned adjustments can be made to suit individual preferences and driving styles.
Whilst the steering isn't quite as sharp as in older cars, it's not worthy of complaint. As in many new performance cars, electronic assistance (some may say interference) does come at the cost of some mild numbing to the feel, but you can tune into it and adapt accordingly. The steering rack is quick and responsive enough for the road, and on a familiar section of twists and turns, it can reward a genuinely fantastic experience.
For stopping power, I couldn't find anything to moan about. At 1430kg, the car feels neither light nor excessively heavy, and the brakes are suited accordingly with a good pedal feel.
Technological Annoyances
Whilst plenty of technology is constantly working away behind the scenes, it's not always welcome. The Assisted Cruise Control monitors road signs and adjusts speeds accordingly, but as is frequently seen in other new cars, the front-facing cameras don't always read the right signs at the correct times. On both motorways in the UK and Autobahns in Germany, I experienced the brakes being involuntarily applied after passing a truck - due to the car interpreting the truck's speed limit warning as the speed limit of the road. Whilst frustrating when it happens, you soon learn to expect it and override it, and the system, on the whole, is very impressive, with radar cruise being especially good in start-stop traffic - just as long as you're out of sport mode, as the auto braking and accelerating it can feel a tad aggressive.
The other big annoyance is VW's virtual assistant. When I wanted it to listen to me, it wouldn't, and when I didn't want it to listen, it did. I opted to turn off the 'always listening' function and instead use the voice control button on the steering wheel to command a prompt.
Two cars for the price of one: a true 'Hot Hatch.'
My personal definition of what makes a hot hatch great is its ability to do it all and transform from a sedate daily driver that you would happily transport your granny in, to a fun and fast performance car for the times you want to take it to the track. This is where the GTI just clinches it over the competition. The Civic Type-R might be the best FWD drive car I've ever driven, but that's in conclusion to it being a fun performance car. The one thing the Honda isn't as good at is the sedate stuff due to an inherently stiff ride and deficient soundproofing levels, to the point where tyre noise drowned out the stereo sound. The GTI is exceptionally quiet in comparison, even on the roughest and loudest road surfaces.
The practicalities continue in terms of usability with plenty of legroom for 4 adults, a large boot (381 litres) and folding rear seats for all eventualities.
Is this the final petrol-powered Golf GTI?
Not quite... but almost. In May 2024, the big boss of VW, Thomas Shäfer, gave a speech in which he reassured VW fans that both the Golf and the Golf GTI would live on through the Mk9 and beyond. What he wasn't overly explicit on, however, was how the Mk9 would be powered. We've since learned that the Mk9 will indeed be an EV, and I’m 99.9% sure that the GTI will be too. But the party isn't over just yet. We can still expect a Clubsport or possibly Clubsport S variant of the Mk8.5 to arrive, which will likely surface within the next 12 months. That will almost certainly retain a petrol-powered drivetrain, and we can only hope that if it is to be the last ever internal combustion-engined Golf GTI, it will be exceptionally sporty and track-focused.
So, back to the Mk8.5 - should you buy one?
If you're a fan of the VW Golf and you've always aspired to own a GTI, then yes, absolutely. Even with a couple of options ticked, the new GTI offers a fantastic package at a fair and comparable price to the competition.
Whilst it may not be as raw and spikey as the Mk7, it is arguably a far better car for day-to-day use and the occasional squeeze to keep the heart rate high.
words: John Marcar
photographs: Henry Faulkner-Smith
