Volkswagen’s iconic Golf hatchback will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2024, and the automaker marked the occasion with the launch of a major update to the current eighth-generation model, which was unveiled late on Tuesday.
The updates cover the entire Golf range, but again the US will only receive the sporty Golf GTI and Golf R trims. They will appear as 2025 models, but the exact timing for their arrival at dealers has not yet been announced. Sales will start in other markets this spring.
2025 Volkswagen GTI
2025 Volkswagen GTI
2025 Volkswagen GTI
The 2025 Golf R is still testing, but VW only presented the 2025 Golf GTI on Tuesday. Like the rest of the Golf range, the updated GTI benefits from revised styling, expanded standard equipment, a new infotainment system and improved electronics driver assistance technology.
The exterior changes are limited to revised fascia designs at both ends. The wide look of the current GTI remains, but with a flatter design for the top of the mouth and a revised mesh pattern. At the rear, there’s a revised diffuser design and a new design for the exhaust tips, which feature chrome accents. The headlights have also been revised and equipped with matrix LED technology. In some markets the VW emblem on the front is also illuminated.
2025 Volkswagen GTI
2025 Volkswagen GTI
2025 Volkswagen GTI
Inside is a revised dashboard with a much larger infotainment screen. The Golf range currently has an 8.3-inch infotainment screen, but the screen in the updated model measures 10.4 inches as standard and a 12.9-inch version is available. A 10.2-inch screen serves as the digital instrument cluster and a head-up display is available. The touch sliders for the climate and volume controls in the current model have also been redesigned and are said to be easier to use, according to VW. They are also illuminated.
VW says it has also made the infotainment system easier to use. The infotainment screen, for example, features a configurable home page with a top bar that is also configurable. The driver can assign which functions are displayed in these areas. A lower bar at the bottom also provides access to the main functions, especially the climate settings and seat heating and cooling, plus a button to return to the home page. The advantage is that the top and bottom bars remain constantly displayed, giving the driver quick access to the most important functions regardless of which menu page is currently displayed in the main part of the screen.
VW has also improved the voice assistant, which now integrates the popular ChatGPT AI system. It means that the voice assistant can now also provide more specific information, including answers to general knowledge questions, in addition to controlling vehicle functions such as climate control, media and navigation. Other updates include a camera system with all-round vision and the ability to park remotely.
2025 Volkswagen GTI
The powertrain in the 2025 GTI is a 2.0-liter turbo-4, just like in the current model. For Europe, peak power increases by 15 hp to a total of 262 hp. The current GTI is rated at 241 horsepower in the US, and VW hasn’t said how much the updated version will offer when it arrives here.
The drive goes to the front wheels as standard via a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. A manual is no longer available. VW launched the special edition 2024 Golf GTI 380 last August to mark the end of the series.
There’s also no electric or electrified powertrain option in the updated Golf. Buyers looking for an electric Golf will have to wait until the next hatchback redesign. VW confirmed last September that the next Golf will be an electric car based on the Volkswagen Group’s upcoming modular SSP platform. It means that the Golf GTI and Golf R will likely also be electric vehicles in their next versions, so fans better prepare to say goodbye to the idea of a gasoline engine in those cars. They still have some time, because the SSP platform will not be ready until around 2028.