The Volkswagen Golf GTI is one of the most popular and arguably one of the most fun to drive hot hatches on the market. With nimble handling, an engine that is rich in torque, and practical cargo room, the GTI gives entry-level sport sedans a good run for the money. I was impressed that this car drives and handles much like a budget Audi A3 or A4, as the GTI really does a good job at blending the secure ride quality, agile handling, quick acceleration that you would typically associate with a German sport sedan.
The GTI’s interior looks much nicer in person than it does in pictures, in my opinion. The flat bottom steering wheel with the metal accents is very Audi-like, and the red stitching throughout the interior lets you know that you’re driving something a little more focused than your typical Golf. The seats feel comfortable and they really hug you in place, and while I would prefer leather seats in a car like this, I think the plaid cloth design really differentiates this car from most of the competition. The seats have really good bolstering while still providing great back and thigh support. The heated seat function works really well too, although I do wish the car remembered to leave the heated seats on when you restart it. The infotainment is also a little bit plain and the graphics are kind of chunky, but I appreciated the G meter and the lap timer.
Setting off in the GTI, first thing you notice is that the steering is very hefty and responsive. It has that “on rails” feeling that you would typically only find in an Audi or a BMW product. Initial turn-in is very sharp, although still very manageable and natural. The steering feels playful and kind of encourages you to toss the GTI around. I was expecting it to be lighter and more numb like the MK6 Jetta that I drove, but the steering in the GTI feels like it came out of an A3 or an A4. It’s perfectly weighted, it gives you really good feedback for a modern car, and you get a precise image of where the front tires are pointing. The steering gives you great solidity when you’re pushing your way through a corner, and it remains the perfect amount of pull and resistance when rounding the apex of the corner and exiting back into a straightaway. It has great stability and assuredness on center as well, making it easy to point this car in a perfect straight line. Despite the fact that the steering feels quick, playful, and responsive, it’s also a very refined steering rack. The steering wheel never tracks with pavement indents or sloppy road surfaces, and the turning response feels smooth and quick. Overall, the GTI has probably my favorite steering feel out of all the cars I’ve driven around this price point.
I should mention that I left the steering in “sport” mode for most of my drive. In comfort mode, the steering definitely loosens up, and it doesn’t have the same level of accuracy and predictability as it does in sport mode. I do like the fact that you can change the steering response, as most cars that I’ve driven with adjustable steering modes barely change the feedback at all. In the GTI, you can definitely feel the difference, which is impressive considering that there are more expensive cars still can’t quite get this right.
The 2.0T in the GTI makes 210 horsepower and 258 lb. ft. of torque. I’d say that this engine feels about like 210 horsepower. Where this engine really shines is that peak 258 lb. ft. torque figure coming in at only 1,500 RPM. The GTI takes off when you put your foot down from a dead stop. It lets you know right away that you’re driving something fast and agile. The power comes on smoothly and the torque band feels evenly distributed. The wheels don’t spin unless you activate launch control, and torque steer is kept to a minimum. I think the torque does drop off somewhat quickly once you reach the higher revs, but the power band still feels linear and refined in the upper half of the tachometer. Still though, I preferred to keep the revs below 3,000, as that is where this engine feels the most powerful. It’s a very burly sounding 4 cylinder, almost reminds me of a diesel engine, and it revs quick. There is some slight turbo lag at the very beginning, but the torque comes on smoothly and robustly once you get past that initial feeling of delay.
The DSG also does a really good job at helping the engine feel playful and exhilarating. It has very quick and refined shifts, as you would expect from a Volkswagen dual clutch. There is a very slight delay when you first put your foot down, which somewhat highlights the sensation of turbo lag, but this DCT definitely engages itself much more naturally off the line acceleration compared to the Mercedes Benz-designed dual clutch in the Infiniti QX30 that I drove. You have to finesse the throttle a little bit to achieve a smoother clutch engagement, but for the most part, this DCT feels very manageable and easy to operate.
Something to note about the DCT in the GTI, is that it tends to shift early in the rev range when the transmission isn’t in sport mode. It’s not a big deal, as the 2.0T engine makes most of its power in the lower part of the tachometer, and this car still gets up and goes with smoothness and agility despite the shifts being a little early. I just would have liked the transmission to feel a little more eager outside of its sport setting. It just feels slightly too tailored back in normal mode, and slightly too high strung in sport mode. I think a happy medium between sport and regular mode would have been nice. I was also wishing that this transmission was a little quicker to downshift. There are times when it feels like you’re going deep into the throttle and the transmission just wants to ride out overdrive gear. Again, this engine makes good torque in just about any gear, so it’s not quite as big of a deal, but I think downshifts could have been a little more responsive. When you put the transmission into sport mode, it does give you those laser responsive downshifts, the transmission upshifts notably higher in the rev range while you’re accelerating, and the throttle response feels a little sharper and more precise. I just wish those attributes were a little more prominent in regular mode, because I don’t always like my revs hanging out at 3,500 RPM when I’m just cruising through a residential neighborhood. The paddle shifters respond really well to downshifts, but the response when requesting an upshift is delayed by about a second. Still though, the paddle shifters are more responsive compared to most modern cars that are equipped with paddles, and they give you a pretty good feeling of control.
Handling of the GTI is excellent. The front-wheel drive architecture does become apparent occasionally, but for the most part, this car handles like it’s on rails. There’s a really good feeling of rigidity hiding underneath the chassis, making this car feel strong and muscular when tackling those harder corners. The body lean is there, but it’s kept to a respected minimum. I also think the GTI definitely feels heavier compared to your standard Golf, as it doesn’t roll quite as fast and you do feel just a little more weight shifting around through turns, but the additional feeling of curb weight gives you some extra solidity out on the road and it doesn’t compromise the handling at all. The steering feels great in the corners as it provides an accurate image of what the chassis is doing.
It’s easy to see why the GTI is often modified with performance tires and engine upgrades, because I think the stock version is just a little bit tame for a performance hot hatch. You can really feel that this chassis can handle way more than its actual numbers and performance specifications suggest. The GTI that I drove was equipped with winter tires, and I could tell that they didn’t do this car much justice. I was feeling a good amount of sidewall flex from the tires, and the handling didn’t feel quite as confidence inspiring as it should have, despite the chassis maintaining an excellent level of rigidity. I think performance tires would really do wonders in how this car handles. I also found that even though the engine is quick and peppy, this car would feel out of this world if it had an extra 30-50 horsepower or so. The GTI is definitely fast in its stock form, but I think a slight tune could really give this car more of that “balls to the wall” type of power.
Ride quality in the GTI is super impressive. The plush ride was probably the thing that surprised me the most about driving this car. I knew the GTI was going to be quick and handle well, but I thought the ride quality would have been sacrificed. However, this car rides just as well as any premium German sedan that I’ve been in. The suspension does an amazing job at isolating you from bumps and potholes, and at no point did I think that this car could have had any smoother of a ride. The GTI gently glides down the road like no other car in this segment or at this price point. The body stays flat and stable, the chassis never gets jittery or clumsy, and the car points straight as an arrow over any road surface you’re likely to encounter. It’s a very motionless, solid, and stable experience.
Road noise in the GTI is slightly loud, but never intrusive. You definitely hear some wind at highway speeds, but I didn’t hear any tire noise or chatter from the brake pedal. Overall, about average in terms of noise, and you don’t hear any types of noises associated with cost cutting.
As for throttle response, I think the GTI performs well on that end. It is a little more tame than I was expecting, and there is a pretty long travel before the accelerator hits the floor, but the response at the beginning of the pedal is decent. The throttle won’t really give you that laser sharp response when accelerating or requesting downshifts, but I think it is still a fairly crisp, predictable, and communicative throttle layout.
As for the brakes, they feel like most VW products. Definitely a little unusual if you aren’t used to driving VWs. The brake pedal has a very light resistance, some dead travel at the beginning, and then about a quarter to half way into the pedal travel, the brakes bite down sharply. You have to finesse the brake pedal and get used to driving the car first to achieve a smoother and more refined stop. I also noticed that it takes about half a second for the brake pedal to return to its stationary position upon releasing it, at which point the brakes seem to release a little too suddenly, making this car feel slightly jumpy when you go to accelerate. These are all things that I could get used to, but the GTI did have somewhat of an unusual braking characteristic when I first started driving it. Stopping power feels smooth and confidence inspiring regardless.
Visibility in the GTI is good. I do think that the MK6 Jetta gives you a little more clarity, as the GTI has a longer dashboard and the front hood is on the more bulgy side, but this car still gives you crystal clear sight lines despite that. You get thin A pillars and a great view out of the back window as well. I do wish that the side mirrors were bigger though, as it just seemed like cars would get lost in my blind spot more frequently compared to other cars that I’ve driven.
As I mentioned above, I loved the interior and the seat comfort of the GTI. The steering wheel and gauge cluster feel nice and close, giving you somewhat of a sportier and more “driver focused” seating position. The seats are great at hugging you in place as well, without feeling too tight or aggressively bolstered. Material quality on all the main touch points is fine, as the steering wheel is wrapped in silky smooth premium leather, and all the buttons feel solid. The doors have that typical bank vault characteristic when shutting them, the door locks have a nice satisfying “chunk” when they activate, and everything in the interior is simple to use. The GTI just feels more modern and expensive than I was expecting it to be on the inside. I do wish the infotainment was a little more detailed, as the graphics and font look dated, and the whole layout is somewhat deadpan. Other than that, though, the GTI’s interior makes a solid impression of quality.
And that about covers it. The GTI is a great hot hatch that gives you really good performance for the money. You feel like you’re driving something more expensive than you actually are when you get this car out on the road. The engine is quick, peppy, and has a good amount of character to it. There are situations when the engine could feel a little quicker, and the DSG could feel more eager give you a lower gear in certain driving stations, but for the most part this car has a very refined, athletic, and playful response. I loved the steering feel, the ride quality, and just the overall performance. The GTI turned out to be much more sophisticated than I was expecting without sacrificing handling and acceleration. If you’re in the market for a hot hatch, I would definitely put the GTI on your list. It’s a very good value if you want something like an Audi A3 but don’t want to spend the extra money to get that four ring emblem.