- Doors and Seats
5 doors, 5 seats
- Engine
2.0T, 4 cyl.
- Engine Power
180kW, 370Nm
- Fuel
Petrol (95) 7L/100KM
- Manufacturer
FWD
- Transmission
Auto (DCT)
- Warranty
5 Yr, Unltd KMs
- Ancap Safety
5/5 star (2019)
2021 Volkswagen Golf GTI review
Does the latest generation of this iconic hot hatch step up enough to justify an almost $6000 price rise? Glenn Butler finds out.
- A more mature offering than before
- Interior is a huge leap forward
- Does the performance and commuter thing with equal aplomb
- Price increase is steep
- Can’t match the pace of some rivals
- Road noise from the tyres
Introduction
When it comes to car reviews, the question is usually ‘how good is the new Volkswagen Golf GTI?’. We’ll still seek to answer that below, but this time around there’s a second question: Does the new Golf GTI justify one of the biggest price increases in this hot hatch icon’s history?
As we revealed in February 2021, the 2021 Volkswagen Mk8 Golf GTI starts at $53,100 plus on-road costs, $5910 more than the model it replaces. On paper that’s a worry, because the Mk8 GTI is mechanically very similar to the $47,190 model it replaces. The engine is the same 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder unit making the same 180kW and 370Nm. The transmission is the same seven-speed dual-clutch auto. Dimensionally, there are no significant increases to footprint or body size, therefore space inside hasn't changed much either.
In fact, the only measurement to increase is the one that shouldn't. The Mk8 Golf GTI carries 32kg more mass and tips the scales at 1409kg.
As a result, Volkswagen’s 0-100km/h claim has increased to 6.4sec (from 6.2sec), and fuel consumption has jumped to 7.0 litres per 100km compared to the outgoing model’s 6.5L/100km.
But as we know from our international first drive in August last year, and our first local drive in June this year, the Mk8 Golf is more advanced than the model it replaces, particularly in autonomous driving tech.
Which adds another question to the list: Are buyers of a driver’s car willing to pay more to drive less?
From the outside, the styling changes are obvious enough that it won't be mistaken for the previous model. The Mk8 GTI looks sporty and classy, it sits lower than the standard Golf, and wears 18-inch alloys wrapped in Bridgestone Potenzas. The reprofiled LED lights now have a highlight strip across the front, and there’s a deeper front bumper with integrated DRLs.
Key details | 2021 Volkswagen Golf GTI |
Price (MSRP) | $53,100 plus on-road costs |
Colour of test car | Kings Red Metallic |
Options | Sound and Vision package ($1500), Luxury package ($3800), metallic paint ($300) |
Price as tested | $58,700 plus on-road costs |
Rivals | Ford Focus ST | Hyundai i30 N DCT |
Inside
The interior has changed even more than the exterior on the eighth-generation Golf GTI, as you’ll discover the moment you slide into the cabin. But, on first impression, it looks like Volkswagen has removed content from the Golf GTI, not added $5910 worth of features and equipment.
Gone are most of the buttons, replaced with an all-powerful 10-inch touchscreen mounted centrally on the dashboard. More on that in the Infotainment and Connectivity section.
As for the rest of the cabin, it’s a touch low-key – infotainment graphics and instrument cluster graphics aside. The surfaces and shapes speak to the quality of the cabin overall, but the use of hard plastics in less obvious areas and the distinct visual lack of ‘stuff’ make for a spartan environment. Is this a bad thing? I suppose you could say it’s just like a modern smartphone when the screen’s off.
Up the front, the Golf GTI has two of the coolest-looking sports buckets I’ve seen in a while. The seats are comfortable, electrically adjustable, and provide good lateral support against corners.
Room in the second row is adequate for a car of this overall footprint, and there are air vents, door pockets, and a fold-down centre armrest to make occupants feel a little bit special. The back seat also has its own climate-control temperature setting.
The boot has 374L with the rear seats occupied and expands to 1230L when they’re folded forward. Under the boot floor is a space-saver spare wheel.
Get a great deal today
Interested in this car? Provide your details and we'll connect you to a member of the Drive team.
Our test car comes with the $1500 Sound and Vision package that includes a Harman Kardon 480W premium sound system with nine speakers, and a head-up display projecting speed, navigation instructions and driver-assistance messages onto the windscreen ahead of the driver.
It is also fitted with the $3800 Luxury package that adds Vienna leather front and back, heated and ventilated front seats, electric driver’s seat with memory, a heated steering wheel and a panoramic sunroof.
Lastly, the test car’s Kings Red premium metallic is a $300 option. All other colours are no-cost. All up, our test car’s price is $58,700.
Using Volkswagen's online configurator to factor in dealer delivery and on-road costs for Australia's two most populous states brings the driveaway price to $65,175 (Victoria) or $64,742 (NSW).
2021 Volkswagen Golf GTI | |
Seats | Five |
Boot volume | 374L / 1230L |
Length | 4287mm |
Width | 1789mm |
Height | 1463mm |
Wheelbase | 2631mm |
Infotainment and Connectivity
Let’s talk about the Innovision Cockpit, which is what Volkswagen calls the 10-inch central touchscreen and instrument binnacle screen combo. First launched on the Touareg large SUV, it’s standard on the Golf GTI, and is basically your conduit to everything the GTI has.
This touchscreen controls all the secondary systems. We’re talking satellite navigation, phone connectivity, in-car entertainment, driving dynamics… Even the tri-zone climate control. The graphics are modern, the menus intuitively laid out, and the screen quick to respond. It’s a great system, although I found the related touch-sliders (for adjusting temperature and stereo volume) hard to use accurately, and would have liked a fan control slider or dial to make access to fan settings a subconscious affair.
That said, all these adjustments can also be done without touching anything. The VW Golf GTI has a clever voice-activation system that allows you to control pretty much all the secondary systems. “Hello Volkswagen, increase the air-con fan” got the desired result, if a bit slowly, and surprisingly “Hello Volkswagen, my butt is cold” turned on the seat heater. Interestingly, when my passenger tried the “Hello Volkswagen” trick, the car ignored him every time.
As for old-school buttons, those are limited to operating the windows and mirrors. The rest are capacitive sensors that electrically respond to your touch. This means VW can do away with dozens of individual mechanical buttons and have one sensor with different ‘zones’.
There are four sensor banks. One each on the horizontal spokes of the steering wheel to interact with cruise control, sound system, phone and trip computer. A third next to the driver’s door for the headlights and demisters, and a fourth just under the touchscreen that grants access to the Park Assist menu, climate control, vision assist and adjustable driving dynamics – which VW calls Vehicle Dynamics Management (VDM). More on that below.
Lastly, the Golf GTI comes with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which proved a lot more reliable than other wireless AA systems I’ve used recently. There are also two USB-C ports up front and two in the rear.
Safety and Technology
Because the structure of the Volkswagen Golf GTI has not changed significantly, the Mk8 carries over the previous generation’s five-star ANCAP safety rating, but was restested to more modern standards with the model's European launch, thus carrying a 2019 date stamp. The Golf scored highly for adult occupant protection (95 per cent) and child occupant protection (89 per cent) and scored relatively well for vulnerable road user protection (76 per cent) and safety assist systems (80 per cent).
As for active safety, well, how long have you got? Luckily for us, Volkswagen has rolled all the car’s driver assist systems into one IQ.Drive package. In short, it has all the driver assist systems of its rivals, and a couple more. One of the new features of the IQ.Drive package is Travel Assist. This is a semi-autonomous system that combines the existing features of adaptive cruise control and lane-keep assist to control steering, accelerator and brake to maintain vehicle position when engaged.
There are active safety sensitivity settings in the central touchscreen, along with a handy visualisation to help understand what each active safety feature does.
2021 Volkswagen Golf GTI | |
ANCAP rating | Five stars (tested 2019) |
Safety report | Link |
Value for Money
There are some Australians who will pay anything for the latest and greatest – and we all know who these people are because they’re carrying an iPhone 13 before everyone else. To them, this MK8 Golf GTI is worth the considerable price rise. To the rest of us, it’s just not enough of a step forward to justify the decision with your head despite the heightened dynamics and new gizmos and gadgets.
Then there’s the competition. Without options, this Golf GTI is $4100 more expensive than the Hyundai I30 N DCT ($49,000), and it cannot come close to matching the i30 N’s performance. But it is a more premium and refined machine with more driver technology. Which is more important to you?
At a glance | 2021 Volkswagen Golf GTI |
Warranty | Five years / unlimited km |
Service intervals | 12 months / 15,000km |
Servicing costs | $1752(3yrs), $3366 (5yrs) |
Fuel cons. (claimed) | 7.0L/100km |
Fuel cons. (on test) | 11.9L/100km |
Fuel type | 95RON petrol |
Fuel tank size | 50L |
Driving
Despite the fact that this Golf carries over the engine, transmission and suspension (but for minor changes), the Mk8 Golf is a markedly better hot hatch because every one of its mechanical systems has been improved.
You’d be forgiven for initially thinking the Golf GTI doesn’t have much bark, because it drives maturely and with refinement. But spend some time behind the wheel, and it becomes obvious that this is an incrementally faster, sharper and sportier hatch than the one it replaces.
The steering is well weighted, full of feel, and communicates exactly how much grip is available up the front. Get greedy with the throttle mid-corner and you will feel the beginnings of torque steer before the XDS electronic differential quickly takes things in hand and spreads the torque across the front axle, maximising traction.
The proven turbocharged 2.0-litre now feels more eager to rev and works well in tandem with the updated seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. On the move, throttle response is quick without being overly sharp, and the transmission is smooth and decisive with its gear selection. Low-speed parking manoeuvres have traditionally been a weakness for Volkswagen’s DSGs, but we found nothing to complain about this time around.
The Vehicle Dynamics Management (VDM) system now more cohesively ties together accelerator, gearbox, steering and suspension systems to deliver a better driving experience. This system has four settings – Eco, Comfort, Sport and Individual – that adjust drivetrain, steering and suspension to suit economical or sporty driving as the driver desires.
As a result, the GTI rides and handles better. This is a hot hatch, but even so, the Dynamic Chassis Control (DCC) adaptive dampers provide a high level of comfort and compliance on the softer of its 15 settings. Move the slider closer to the other end and the ride firms appreciably to provide a firm platform from which to attack your favourite road – yet still has the compliance to handle ruts and bumps without shock.
The DCC’s composure across the spectrum is, for me, one of the most tangible improvements. The new seven-speed DSG is another, and the XDS diff is a third, especially in how it pulls the GTI more aggressively out of tighter corners.
When you combine these three, the result is a very impressive hot hatch that has a newfound maturity to handle the disparate demands of sedate commuting and scorching the back roads. The only blots on this involved the road noise from the 18-inch Bridgestone tyres and the brakes that were quite sharp in response to initial pedal pressure. We’d like to experience that on a second GTI before calling it a problem.
Key details | 2021 Volkswagen Golf GTI |
Engine | 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol |
Power | 180kW @ 5000rpm |
Torque | 370Nm @ 1600-4300rpm |
Drive type | Front-wheel drive |
Transmission | Seven-speed dual-clutch automatic (DSG) |
Power to weight ratio | 127.8kW/t |
Weight | 1409kg |
Tow rating | 1600kg braked, 720kg unbraked |
Turning circle | 10.9m |
Conclusion
In my road-testing notes, I commented on the Golf GTI’s lack of theatre in areas like exhaust bark and engine sound, especially during gear changes and throttle overrun. But in hindsight, I think this is a deliberate decision by Volkswagen to make the Golf GTI a more mature and more refined offering than its more raucous rivals.
Perhaps it’s also an indication there are more aggressive Golfs to come which will fulfil this desire.
Don’t take that to mean the Golf GTI is hobbled or being held back. It’s a highly capable driver’s car and a GTI worthy of that badge.
For me, the improved dynamics, interior and technology go a long way towards justifying the $5910 price increase. But $60K on-road is a lot for a Golf GTI, even if you forgo the $5300 worth of extras our test car has.
Buying a Golf GTI is not really a decision for the head, because the improvements don't account for the price rise. Instead, this is about what your heart desires. It's an irrational and emotional choice, but rest assured you'll enjoy the rewards every time you drive it.