Volkswagen Golf GTI Review 2023

If you want the fastest and most hardcore hot hatchback that shouts the loudest about its pace, and will give you a huge adrenaline rush on a circuit, then the Volkswagen Golf GTI probably won't be your bag. But then it's never really been about that. 

The Golf GTI will be right for you if you want it to make the twisty way home more enjoyable, but you also want a car that'll excel at the boring commutes, take your family on holiday in comfort and refinement and even deliver decent miles-per-gallon. It's the king of the real-world, not the race track. 

We reckon the flagship VW Golf GTI Clubsport is well worth the extra money. It's very nearly as good as the standard GTI at the daily grind, but that slightly sharper feel and healthy performance boost means it'll put a bigger smile on your face, even without the manual gearbox option.

If you're on a budget, comfort matters above all else or you simply must have a manual car, then the regular GTI is still a good buy. But it isn't very exciting when all's said and done, feeling much like a Golf R-Line with more power. 

There's a pretty wide variety of alternatives to the VW Golf GTI on sale, with both mainstream and premium badges on the bonnet. 

The GTI's closest competitors are the Renault Megane R.S, the Honda Civic Type R, the Ford Focus ST and the Hyundai i30 N - all of which offer variations of the same theme. Then there's the Golf GTI's platform-sharing bedfellows, the Cupra Leon and the Skoda Octavia vRS. 

But the Volkswagen badge has, in recent years, signified a slightly more upmarket image, meaning there is also close rivalry in the form of the BMW 128ti, a similarly sporty front-wheel drive hot hatch. The Mercedes-AMG A35 and Audi S3 are also similar, but compete more closely with the Golf R thanks to their extra power and four-wheel drive. 

Judged by the general standards of the mainstream hot hatch class the Golf GTI's interior is pretty classy and solid, with a decent mix of materials and a general feeling that it won't fall apart after a few years of hard use. 

It's that bit nicer than the GTI's cheaper siblings from SEAT and Skoda, with neat touches such as ambient lighting adding to the sense of polish. But when you start to poke and prod around a bit more, you realise that it really isn't that much of a step up from those cars, with some hard, scratchy plastics dotted about the place and (on our text example) the odd trim rattle. We're not a huge fan of the fingerprint-magnet gloss black trim, either. 

None of this would be a big issue if this wasn't a VW Golf. In the previous generation car it really did feel like a premium product, significantly better than mainstream rivals and showing up some posher ones, too. The new car just doesn't set the standard in that respect any more. It's fine, but not outstanding. 

Ah yes, the infotainment. In the old Golf GTI it was hardly a highlight, but it did what it was supposed to do and was flanked by lots of physical buttons, logically placed, to make rudimentary tasks a doddle. 

Not so any more. Just like the regular Golf, you get a 10-inch navigation and media system mounted in the driver's line of sight, and paired with a digital driver's display. The GTI gets a few uniquely racy graphics in certain menus, but other than that it's the same. 

That means a reasonably responsive screen and decent graphics, plus a good level of customisation for the digital dials. But the compliments stop there. For starters, there are no physical shortcut buttons for anything bar four fiddly touch buttons in the middle of the dash to take you to certain menus. The touch buttons are a frustrating theme, because you never really know if you've actually pushed it and sometimes it requires a second stab. 

What's more, the touch 'sliders' below the screen for the temperature, fan speed and volume aren't even backlit at night and are frustrating to use (what on earth was wrong with a simple volume knob!?), while the same applies with the annoying touch sensitive steering wheel buttons that you find yourself accidentally glancing while you're driving.

There's more. The touchscreen menus are over-complicated, with a ridiculous fifteen different settings for the adaptive dampers, and things like the stability control (which you need to turn off to activate launch control) buried within several sub-menus. Yes, you can create a 'hot key' for it if you use it regularly, but why isn't it easily accessed in the first place? 

It's not as if the voice control is flawless. Yes, it'll work quite well sometimes, but other times it won't, and you can forget using it if you have loud passengers or fighting kids. 

Whether you're small, tall, chunky or slim, you'd be hard pushed to find complaint with the space on offer in the front of the VW Golf GTI. The driver's seat goes nice and low, while the area around the well-placed pedals is nice and roomy.

Those seats aren't electric as standard, but you do get an easy lumbar support adjuster on the side. Comfortable yet supportive, our only gripe is that the integrated headrests means the view from the back seats out the windscreen is hindered. What's more, there's decent cabin storage for oddments including bin under the adjustable armrest - you can lock that armrest in place for the perfect elbow rest, too. 

Moving to the back, even six footers will find a decent amount of leg- and headroom. It's worth noting that both the Cupra Leon and Skoda Octavia vRS have slightly longer wheelbases (the distance between the front and rear wheels) which give more generous legroom still. The Civic Type R also has more room, but the GTI is hardly cramped. 

The rear doors also open nice and wide for easy access, the windows are pretty large to reduce any feeling of claustrophobia, and the ISOFIX mounting points for child seats are easy to access. The middle seat isn't all that usable unless you're in a bind, however. 

The Golf GTI's boot is ever so slightly smaller than the standard Golf's at 374-litre (seven litres less), but not enough to make any real difference. As it is it's a decent shape with a wide opening and height adjustable boot floor, but the actual capacity is merely average - a Focus ST and Civic Type R's boot will carry a good deal more. Of course the Skoda Octavia vRS huge load space trumps all of those, though. 

In terms of exterior dimensions, the VW Golf GTI is actually pretty compact for the class. It's 4,258mm long, 1,789mm wide and 1,458mm tall, making it shorter than the majority of its rivals. 

There's only one engine offered in the Volkswagen Golf GTI: the familiar EA888 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo that's taken out of the old model with some tweaks. But there are two states of tune. 

VW doesn't bother with a 'Performance Pack' any more like it did with the Mk7 GTI, so go for the standard car and you get 245PS and 370Nm of torque. Mated to the six-speed manual gearbox that's enough for 0-62mph in 6.4 seconds and a 155mph top speed, while the acceleration time falls by one tenth if you plump for the seven-speed DSG automatic. 

By objective merits it's pretty fast, but because the Golf is so refined it doesn't feel truly rapid, more satisfyingly brisk. This is particularly apparent with the DSG gearbox which slurs changes smoothly, whereas the break in acceleration between changes with the manual adds a little more of a sense of speed. 

It's that reason why we recommend stepping up to the GTI Clubsport if you can afford it, with an extra 55PS (up to a nicely round 300PS), along with 30Nm more torque, it'll take the 0-62mph time down to 5.6 seconds. That figure only tells half the story, though. Were it not for the lack of four-wheel drive hampering its getaway, the GTI Clubsport feels pretty much as rapid in-gear as the Golf R, with a decent soundtrack to boot. 

On a warm and dry road you really don't miss the lack of rear driven wheels. But it's worth noting that the Clubsport struggles to get its extra power down onto the road in the lower gears when it's cold and wet. If the traffic light grand prix is your favourite activity, get the Golf R. 

You'll struggle to find a quieter, calmer hot hatchback than the Golf GTI. On the base 18-inch wheels road noise is pretty well insulated, while wind noise is low at speed and the engine note is anything but intrusive if you're cruising along. You might even forget you're in the hot Golf altogether. 

Upgrading to the 19-inch wheels does introduce a bit of road roar over less-than-perfect surfaces. It's far from a deal breaker, just something to be aware of. Decide for yourself if the visual impact of those wheels is worth it. 

The Volkswagen Golf GTI comes with the same array of active safety kit as the regular Golf. That means standard adaptive cruise control, Front Assist, automatic emergency braking and lane keep assist. You also get 'Car2X' tech which can wirelessly communicate with infrastructure and other vehicles - that'll get cleverer as time goes on. 

What's more, there's automatic headlights on every model, plus a driver fatigue monitor and traffic-sign recognition. You'll need to pay extra for the more advanced 'Proactive passenger protection system', though, while side seat airbags and a curtain airbag are also on the options list. 

Regardless, the Golf received a maximum five-star safety rating from Euro NCAP with strong protection for adult and child occupants. The only reason the GTI would be any less safe is because you may be travelling faster if you do have a crash. 

Volkswagen scraped into our top 10 brands in the latest HonestJohn.co.uk Satisfaction Index. Owners find the cars dependable and well-made, with over 88% of owners saying they're satisfied overall. 

We've no reason to believe the Golf GTI will be any less reliable than the normal model. The engine is well-proven and has been used by the VW Group for years, while engineers have had a couple of decades to perfect the DSG gearbox, too. Only the infotainment is a cause for concern, with some niggly gremlins that are reduced by regular software updates. 

Being the hot Golf, it's no surprise that the GTI is more expensive to insure than the standard car. However it actually sits in slightly lower insurance groups than most of its key rivals. 

The cheapest GTI to insure is the standard one, unsurprisingly, which sits in group 28. The Clubsport is in group 29, while the pricier, limited-run Clubsport Edition 45 sits in group 31. 

All VW Golf GTIs cost the same to tax whichever version you go for. Under 2022's road tax rates, it'll be £585 for the first year tax rate, falling to £165 for each year after that. 

However, it's a pity that the GTI Clubsport's list price is just £5 over the £40,000 threshold for the 'premium car' tax levy. That means you'll have to pay an additional rate of £355 per year on top of the standard rate for five years. 

The VW Golf GTI comes pretty well equipped as standard, with the full roster of infotainment tech, integrated sports seats, 18in alloys, privacy glass, a drive mode selector, ambient lighting and LED matrix headlights with dynamic turn signals. You also get a heated steering wheel, auto lights and wipers and a suit of safety aids.

The GTI Clubsport offers basically the same level of standard kit. However, heated front seats are optional, as is the all-important Dynamic Chassis Control and leather upholstery. We're also disappointed to see a rear-view camera on the options list - really it should be standard at this price point.