VW Golf GTI
Clubsport 45
In this year’s review, I drive around in the newest version of the OG hot hatchback. The VW Golf GTI. But not just any GTI.
Back in the days when men had silly haircuts, Volkswagen created the world’s first hot hatchback as we know it today. The idea was rather simple. Take your normal Golf and smack a more powerful engine from an Audi in it. Et voilà. Born was the usable, small, fun daily. Exactly 45 years and seven generations later, the newest Golf GTI Clubsport carries on the GTI legacy. Clearly, I had high expectations as everyone always goes on about how great the GTI is. But did it match my expectations? You’ll see. Read the review. Why should I tell you now?
I’m not really into facts and figures but as you might want to learn something by reading this review, I’ll give you the main ones. The car is equipped with a 2.0l TSI 4-cylinder engine, producing 300HP and 400 NM of torque. I don’t know how many feet per half a kilogram that is but you’ll find out with your preferred search engine. It takes around 5.7s to go from standstill to 100 km/h and it will eventually reach 250km/h tops. The power is sent to the front wheels through a 7-Speed Automatic Gearbox (no Manual available sadly) and it weighs 1’463kg. So far so good.
On the outside, it looks quite juicy. The car I got, came in a spicy red called “Kings Red Metallic” and it was equipped with some fancy “Clubsport” bits like sporty black wheels with a red stripe and some fast-looking stickers on the side. It does resemble a chilly pepper from very very far away. Does it also drive like one? Spoiler: Not really.
When I first got into the car, everything felt pretty standard. Though I have to admit, that the interior is incredibly nice looking. Modern sleek lines which flow nicely through the cabin. Everything you touch is of decent quality and it all makes sense. Just as you’d expect from a German car. When starting the car you get greeted by a very subtle exhaust noise and not much else. Here too it feels pretty restrained and German. Put it in drive with the fancy gear selector and off you go. On your normal driving around town, it feels like a common Golf. Pretty boring then. Duller than I expected, as most hot hatchbacks I experienced, already feel more potent than their base model, even when being driven slowly. Not the Golf though. Weird accelerator feel and absolutely no punch when giving it some throttle. The steering however feels great at all speeds. Soft when slow and harder when fast. Perfectly balanced. Overall it’s pretty good at doing everyday driving stuff. It’s comfortable, there are lots of electronic helpers (one might find too many electronic helpers), and it’s equipped with everything you realistically need in any modern car.
The GTI however wasn’t only made for normal driving about as it’s a GTI. So I put it in Sport Mode and started to get a real feel for the car’s capabilities. And here too it feels a bit disappointing. When driving around on normal city roads or some motorways, not much changes. The steering stays the same and the pedal also doesn’t really become more aggressive. But as soon as you approach some lovely corners and a nice free flowing stretch of gorgeous forest road, the car turns into what I suppose is a true GTI.
To find out how good the GTI really is as a B road muncher, I took it to “zhe fazerland”. Once on smooth German Black Forest tarmac, I started to get into the higher rev ranges of the car, which make the engine and the powertrain feel a lot more composed and in tune with each other. Suddenly the car starts to come alive. The steering is precise and gives lovely feedback. The engine provides the right amount of power in every situation and the brakes give you the confidence to attack each corner a bit more aggressively. All of this is accompanied by the Akrapovic titanium exhaust, which sounds rather good even though it’s fitted with an OPF. But even better than the exhaust noise, is the induction noise that the engine makes. Alter Schwede! The raspy, tinny screams coming from the front of the car at 3-4k RPM are what made the car so special for me. It’s addictive because you just end up chasing that noise and trying to get in into that sweet spot whenever you can. Corner after corner I chased the noise as it put a huge smile on my face. But after a few decent pulls and turns the performance limits of the car were reached pretty quickly as the tires were meant for driving in colder more snowy conditions. Bummer. Nonetheless, I got a good impression of the car’s profound qualities and I can only imagine what it must feel like on the right set of rubber.
Overall verdict then. Is it any good? Yes. Obviously, the guys at VW know what they’re doing and the latest Golf continues to push the GTI brand forward. Would I have one though? No. Even though it’s pretty good to drive quick and the induction noise is incredible, It’s way too dull to drive normally. Nonetheless, it’s a great car worth considering if you want something that can do anything at any time.
Learn more about the Golf GTI Clubsport 45 on VW Switzerland.