MOTOR-ZOOM
- The Clubsport version of the latest Golf GTI Mk8.5 makes 296bhp, compared to 262bhp for the regular GTI
- 0-62mph drops from 5.9 to 5.6 seconds; top speed is 267Kmh with the optional Race package.
- No manual transmission option, DCC adaptive dampers, and 19-inch wheels are options rather than standard
Volkswagen may have dropped the manual transmission option for the GTI after 2024, but at least it hasnโt sent the Clubsport badge to the landfill either. The GTI is back for VW fans who find the standard GTI a bit soft for 2025, and with a top speed of 160mph, itโs also the fastest front-wheel-drive Golf yet.
Engine EA888 evo4 2.0-litre turbocharged The latest GTI now offers 262bhp, which is upped here with the Clubsport to 296bhp and 400Nm (290lb-ft) of torque, and the 0-62mph time has been reduced to just 5.6 seconds.
Thereโs no doubt that the Clubsport feels quicker, but the gap has certainly narrowed โ thereโs still a big gap between the Clubsport and its most obvious front-wheel-drive rival, the Honda Civic Type R, which has 326bhp, reaches 62mph in 5.4 seconds and has a top speed of 170mph (275km/h).
Both the GTI and Clubsport come with VWโs seven-speed dual-clutch transmission only, and this time thereโs no mention in the press wrap of how different the springs, dampers, and anti-roll bars are between the two cars.
Previously the Clubsport was noticeably tighter (at the expense of some ride comfort) and we imagine the new one will be too.
Clubsport buyers will still have to shell out more for the DCC adaptive dampers, just as GTI buyers do, and in Germany at least, both the 19-inch Queenstown wheels seen in these photos that are also available on the base GTI and the sexy 19-inch forged wheels seen in last weekโs teaser images that are 20 percent lighter, are on the options list.
But even if Clubsport buyers donโt spend a ton of money on the big wheels, there are a few other design details that help their cars stand out from the GTI crowd, including a more aggressive lower bumper design with small, arrow-shaped body-color sections, and a much larger, two-tiered rear wing above the rear window.
Clubsport also gets a gloss black finish, rather than the usual black plastic diffuser, the option of an Akrapovic exhaust that comes with the Race package, and a subtle graphic set that runs along the base of the doors. Interior differences are limited to the standard ArtVelours fabric sports seats, plus an additional โspecialโ driving mode thatโs meant to be honed at the Nurburgring โ although youโll need the optional dampers to get the most out of them.
Whichever GTI you go for, however, youโll get proper physical steering wheel buttons rather than the terribly touchy versions fitted to the Mk8, illuminated sliders to match the newly illuminated grille badge, a large 12.9-inch touchscreen featuring VWโs much-improved operating system, and a ChatGPT-powered voice assistant on European cars.
