VW Golf 8 GTI revealed
The new Golf 8 GTI has been revealed and Volkswagen says it will be more powerful than previous generations. The hot hatch also comes with a sporty redesign that looks great.
GTI’s new design
With lower LED headlights and a crossbar that connects the two, the Golf 8 GTI looks like it is upset about something. That’s not the only thing that is lower, the whole suspension has been dropped by 15 millimetres. Just below the grumpy headlights is one very big honeycomb grill that has daytime running LEDs on either side behind it. This GTI also comes with new 17-inch alloy wheels that will get 18 and 19-inch options.
Both outside and inside also feature red highlights reminding us all that it is a GTI we are driving.
It has the Golf 8’s interior
It is mostly the same as the new regular Golf 8 with only a few differences. This means that all the fancy technology Golf used is here too, including the lack of physical buttons too. Some new additions to the GTI are a new sporty steering wheel and seats with a plaid finish. There are also very cool mood lights with customizable colour.
It’s more powerful than before
The standard GTI will come with a 2 litre 4 cylinder turbo petrol engine that has 245hp. It’s front-wheel drive as expected and you get the choice of a 6-speed manual gearbox or a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic. The brakes are bigger than before and they too remind you that this is a GTI.
There is an upgraded sports suspension in this Golf 8 GTI and you get the option to pay a bit more and get adaptive dampers to smoothen your ride no matter the road. You can also get driver assistance called ‘IQ Drive’ that is really only useful at high speeds. The cruise control that comes standard will do just fine for regular drives.
If you are in the market for diesel, there is a GTD option that has a 2-litre turbo diesel engine that gives 200hp. Instead of red trims, this version has silver. Volkswagen has gone to lengths to make this the most powerful and clean diesel engine ever given to one of their cars.
The last option is an electric hybrid called the GTE that has blue trims. It makes use of a 1.4-litre petrol engine that with the 116hp electric motor gets to the same 245hp of the regular GTI. It even makes use of satellite navigation data to switch between electric and petrol to be efficient with power.
Maybe we won’t get a GTE
Volkswagen only has plans for their electric cars in South Africa to be completely launched in 2022. We have yet to hear about the GTE launching in South Africa, but I really hope it does.
Source & Images: CARmag | carwow | Jalopnik
