Volkswagen Golf GTi review: A near-perfect drive

There are times in this gig when you become completely infused with emotions that blend excitement and anticipation at the prospect of driving a particular car. 

It does not always have to be a performance car that ramps up the adrenal gland to the point where its main product is being pumped willy-nilly throughout your body, but it usually is.

One such occasion occurred recently when the new Volkswagen Golf GTi Clubsport hooved into view. This was a car I had been looking forward to for some time, being as it is an iteration of a nailed-on classic which has been with us for generations and which has spawned some siblings which are, in many ways, even better than the original.

We have had things like the GTE and the GTD as well as the normal GTi and these provided different options for those who wanted a non-petrol dash of excitement in their lives, but the one car which outshone them all was the wonderful Golf R, which received an extra 70 bhp over the normal GTi and full-time four-wheel drive.

The result was something which was capable of blowing supercars out of the water but for a fraction of the price, while also being endowed with the sort of practical everyday characteristics which you don’t get in, say, a Lamborghini Huracan. It was also the sort of car that competed at the very top end of the hot hatch segment, alongside such as the sadly with-us-no-more Ford Focus RS.

In between times, Volkswagen also produced a Clubsport S version of the last Mark VII Golf right at the very end of that car’s production life and it seemed to be something of a gift from the VW competition department to loyal – and perhaps even slightly bonkers – GTi fans.

That car was essentially a track special which had been shorn of all excess weight – including the rear seats – but which was still road legal. It was a fantastic thing to drive, especially as it exuded all the trappings of being a racing car while actually performing like one.

This new Mark 8 GTi Clubsport is a beast of an entirely different colour altogether, coming as it does with things like back seats and other weighty accoutrements which belie it’s ‘lightweight special’ heritage.

Effectively the new Clubsport is a Golf R (although a tad shy of the R’s 320 bhp, with just 300 on offer) which has been shorn of all-wheel drive and is now simply a red-hot front wheel drive hot hatch – albeit with a lot of mechanical and electronic aids designed to keep you between the ditches.

Although there is no exterior Clubsport badging to differentiate the car from its lesser GTi sibling, there are various design tweaks which single one out from the other.

There is a different grille which gives the car the appearance of being closer to the ground; there is also a larger rear spoiler, a different diffuser layout, unique decorative graphics and sill extensions.

The fact the car looks closer to the road is not a trick of the light because the Clubsport’s suspension is actually 10mm lower than the regular GTi, while it also boasts uprated rear shocks, bigger front brake discs and speed sensitive Servotronic steering. 

It also gets a slightly upgraded version of the XDS electronic front differential which adds greatly to the car’s ability to find maximum traction in any given circumstance.

It is thus possible to identify this car as a Clubsport despite the lack of badging and, once you’re behind the wheel, the difference between this and the regular GTi becomes immediately identifiable thanks to the mechanical add-ons on show here.

But, a word about the interior décor and the infotainment system before we go any further. The traditional tartan upholstery and the unique ‘golf ball’ gear knob have both got the bullet here. Instead you get some rather drab grey and red seat coverings and they have nothing like the charm and individuality of the GTi. That said, the front seats are wonderfully firm and supportive, they just don’t spark any visual pleasure.

The gear knob is gone because VW has built the Clubsport to come with only an automatic gearbox; there is no manual option. All you get now is a little toggle switch which is common across all auto Golfs.

The instrumentation has been lifted from the regular Golf, but given a Clubsport identity which gives you a rev. counter and speedo in a sort of ominous shade of red and you can also customise the other elements of the digital display.

Then there is the 10” infotainment system which is pretty much common across all Golf variants since the Mark VIII version was launched. This, unfortunately, does not mean it’s any good. Indeed the whole thing is very fiddly and desperately unwieldly to use and I would say that trying to get it to do stuff for you while on the move is likely to lead to distracting your attention from where it is supposed to be – on the road.

With hard-to-find heating and climate controls and ‘sliders’ instead of buttons, the whole system is an ergonomic nightmare and needs addressing across the whole Golf range. It is a very uncharacteristic slip-up from Wolfsburg.

Thankfully, that is most of the bad stuff covered, if of course you’re not minded by wasteful wheelspin in anything other than perfectly dry conditions. Some might argue that this actually makes the car more engaging to drive, but that’s sort of nonsensical really.

No, the trick here is to try and balance the power and torque with your right foot and that’s not something that is particularly easy in a car with an auto ‘box. There are four driving modes – eco, comfort, sport and individual, but in a car like this you can easily jettison the first two.

In the ‘individual’ setting you can tailor some things to your personal taste, which is fine, but I suspect most petrolheads would be satisfied to leave the car in ‘sport’ mode most of the time where they can truly enjoy the 300 bhp on offer as well as the 5.6 second 0-100 km/h time and the 155 km/h top speed, if they are brave enough.

Sure, in this setting the ride gets a little uneven and especially so on poor surfaces, but the grip levels are pretty astonishing for a front driver. The thing is, though, that the car is actually so refined and sure of itself in most circumstances that your biggest problem will be keeping it below any given speed limit.

The big question, however, is whether the Clubsport fills the gap between the regular GTi and the Golf R? Well, the answer is yes, but it is hard to if why anyone would wish for this sort of grunt without having the security that the 4WD Golf R offers.

Well, the reason they might chose the Clubsport over the R is simple: there is a thirteen thousand Euro gap between the two and for that reason the former is going to find many homes where it will be adored and loved for what it is.

And what it is, is a somewhat extreme take on traditional VW GTi values which provide an exceptional driving experience with everyday practicality. 

The new Clubsport might not be the pared down maniac it once was, but it still offers pretty much what any adrenaline junkie might be looking for. Which is why you should get excited just thinking about it.