I was a fan of the Mk7 Golf GTI. The right-thinking sort. It seemed to me neither the best thing since sliced bread, nor a shapeless blancmange. It was effortlessly middlebrow, which is precisely what the model's longstanding reputation demanded. Plainly it wasn't the best or fastest hot hatch you could buy, but it was a superbly liveable sort of car. Perhaps the nicest thing to say about it was that it got manifestly better over time. The lower-powered GTI felt suspiciously undercooked in 2012; the outgoing version, furnished with 245hp, was crisply rewarding. At no point did it seem worth a penny less than its reassuringly plump price tag.
The new one has been politely described as an evolutionary effort largely because it shares a great deal with its predecessor. But truthfully were it all-new down to the wheel nuts, Volkswagen would not seek to drastically alter the formula. In more than four decades it has become the John Lewis scatter cushion of cars: designed to be chucked anywhere, to pleasing effect. Thus its new appearance, so strikingly different on paper, fades to normality in little more than a nanosecond. It is vaguely better looking than the standard model and it is recognisably a fast Golf. Hole in one.
Inside, Volkswagen finds the bunker. Or it does for me at any rate. Objectively speaking, it's possible you might prefer the Mk8's preoccupation with its new touchscreen (which obviously reflects a growing trend toward digitalisation) but anything which makes you stare, wide-eyed and befuddled, at a display while the scenery rushes past, has failed in its primary responsibility. It is hardly alone in this regard, but it is particularly notable in the Golf because the Mk7 was a paragon of ergonomic virtue. I could turn the heater down with a duvet wrapped around my head. In its replacement (admittedly after dark) I gave up and opened the window.
Of course it is not actually that complicated (for the record, the Golf deploys its temperature controls on bizarrely hard-to-spot switchgear just below the screen) and clearly you would become quickly accustomed to its peccadilloes; the point is that there is a period of familiarisation where once there was instantaneous and hard-wired comprehension. That's a demerit. And it's possible that you might feel inclined to dish out another for the general ambience, too.
Structurally, the Mk8 is put together like a Pharaoh's tomb. The GTI's seats, now with integrated headrests, are good looking and nicely supportive. There is no question of its all-round integrity. But I defy you to drive it for an hour and relay much about its appearance other than perhaps to bemoan the presence of a lot of shiny black plastic. The Golf has never been a luminary of imaginative interior design, but I could draw you the Mk2 GTI's dashboard now, from memory. It has always been gratifyingly relevant. This one supplies precious little you'd think to look twice at. Except perhaps the diminutive drive mode button, which you need three goes to hit.
Happily, there is a sure-fire way of dispelling any lingering sense of disappointment: turn it on and drive it up the road. Aside from there not being a dimple-covered gear lever in the palm of your hand - and this particular GTI being left hand drive and German registered - the familiarity descends like a decade-old sweater. The shrewd driving position dictated by the carried-over MQB platform cannot be undone by aesthetic fumbling, just as Volkswagen's intuitive control surface weighting hasn't changed. Maybe I couldn't turn the temperature down, but I could've told you it was a Golf GTI within 12 feet.
It helps that much is fundamentally unchanged. The same 2.0-litre turbocharged EA888 unit continues to beaver away behind the same bulkhead, the same 245hp makes its way to the same front axle and the Mk8 is suspended on the same front MacPherson struts and multi-link rear. If you've owned a Mk7, as many Mk8 buyers will, the Golf GTI is going to seem refined and responsive and pleasingly drivable in much the same way it has for nearly a decade. And generally speaking that's a good thing.
Granted, anyone inclined to think that the last model needed the proverbial rocket inserting up its bottom isn't going to be clawing for a space on the wait list. Unsurprisingly, the GTI feels roughly as punchy as the previous model, which is to say very brisk indeed without ever troubling you for a more senior combination of adverb and adjective. Volkswagen has revised the fuel injection system to the benefit of low-rev responsiveness, but the EA888 is mostly as we left it: eager, obliging, efficient and decidedly underwhelming to listen to. The substantive differences are of the more detailed, deliberate sort, which require a good deal more driving to get to grips with.
Likely the first thing you will notice over time is that the Mk8 is firmer than the car it replaces. The spring rates have been revised, and there's a new, stiffer subframe underpinning their efforts. As Volkswagen intended, this makes the GTI seem more purposeful at slower speeds and, when considered alongside marginally quicker steering, progressively better at getting itself turned in when at pace. The outcome befits the stated level of tinkering: the Golf does not mimic the Civic Type R's supreme ground-hug and nor does it bridle at road furniture. Equipped with the adaptive dampers and 19-inch wheels, its compromise in 'Comfort' mode remains impressive: the GTI is the sort of car which can be driven very assertively without a passenger necessarily noticing the uptick in effort.
On the other hand, there are times when a passenger will certainly notice they are not in a standard Golf - and that wasn't necessarily true of the last car. The busier suspension has not corrupted the Golf's classy wheel control, but any town blighted with rain-induced potholes is going to point out the chassis's newfound tenacity. Personally, I didn't mind it. It speaks to an upgraded level of intent which comes to fruition on the nearest B-road, and that feels like an acceptable trade off. Although it does make you wonder where Volkswagen intends to take the more powerful Clubsport and Golf R which are due to follow.
Regardless, the more pertinent question is whether or not it has increased the fun you're likely to have. This is thornier and probably ought to wait for the right-hand drive and more time spent aboard (we were limited to 24 hours with this car). For now, there seems little question that the Mk8 has remedied some of the Mk7's more obvious shortcomings. The carried over e-diff has clearly benefitted from the installation of a new Vehicle Dynamic Manager (VDM) which better networks various components; Volkswagen says it allows for a more sophisticated response from the XDS system, and this rings true. Some of the ungainly scrabble the Mk7 was prone to has been smoothed away and the Mk8 seems more resistant to untidy, tight corner understeer.
Factor in the capacity to shoulder higher lateral loads in sweeping bends, and the new model presents itself as a more assertive prospect. The previous GTI delivered plenty of confidence when required, but didn't necessarily compel you to go looking for it. The leaner and slightly meaner Mk8 is more insistent in this respect; instead of adding negligible straight-line speed - the segment's go-to tactic - its maker has endeavoured to deliver an advantage in cornering tempo. The commensurate effect on the Golf's temperament becomes clearer with every passing mile: Volkswagen has built a better, swifter hot hatch. Whether or not it is a superior all-round car will take longer to gauge.
SPECIFICATION | 2021 VOLKSWAGEN GOLF GTI (MK8)
Engine: 1,984cc, four-cyl turbo
Transmission: 6-speed manual, front-wheel drive (7-speed DSG optional)
Power (hp): 245@5,000-6,500rpm
Torque (lb ft): 273@1,600-4,300rpm
0-62mph: 6.4 seconds (6.2)
Top speed: 155mph
Weight: 1,448kg (EU)
MPG: 37.2-38.2 (WLTP)
CO2: 168-174g/km (WLTP
Price: £33,460 (DSG £34,960)
1 / 11
