Yesterday I was invited by Volkswagen South Africa to experience the new Golf GTI, first showcased at last years Festival of Motoring and later went on sale around December 2025, the new GTI has a lot more advancements than the previous model which was launched in 2024. For starters, we are now getting the full European spec in terms of engine performance where as the previous model had a down tuned version of the engine, after various tests locally it was found that the fuel quality locally has proven to be suitable for these cars hence the change in mind for bringing us this new GTI, albeit a bit later than the rest of the world.
This translates to the engine producing 195kW and 370Nm of torque, making this one of the most powerful GTI's to hit the streets of Mzanzi (that is stock). So what else is changed in the car? Well there is new alloy wheels that make the car look amazing, 19-inch Queenstown rims are the only choice available on the new GTI and the design pays homage to the Mk5 GTI rims. The headlamps and tail lights receive new Matrix LED' signature designs and the VW badge in the front is now illuminated. Stepping inside, the first thing you would notice especially if you driven the Mk8 GTI is that the steering wheel now has actual buttons and not the haptic touch ones used previously, the infotainment screen has grown with it now measures 10.3-inches but the cars we drove came with the optional 12.9-inch screen with a redesigned interface and VW's MIB4 operating system.
All GTI's come standard with a range stuff, like premium sports seats with integrated head restraints and the GTI logo embossed in it. The driver side seat is electronically adjustable with the front passenger having to do it manually. The climate control still is accessed via the screen and does get a bit cumbersome especially when driving. The screen is angled at the driver so as the front passenger, trying to access the screen can get a bit tricky. The new GTI also has a range of safety features like travel assist, side assist with rear traffic alert, adaptive cruise control, front assist with emergency braking which we tested voluntarily, PDC and reverse camera, proactive passenger protection system and driver alert system to detect when you need to pull over and have a stretch of the legs.
On the road, the GTI remains true to its heart as a performance hatchback, it gives you the thrill that you'd associate with the car and more. The new engine performances speaks for itself and you can feel it when you are on the road, the cornering and braking is very responsive and even though the Vrrrpha is not as loud as we are used to, it still sounds amazing when you're in the car. Driving on both the highway and side roads really gave me some insight into how well balanced the car is and while being a performance car, it still has that practicality to it.
Staring price for the GTI is R908,000 with not much additional extras you can get, I will give me full review on it after having it on test.
No comments:
Post a Comment