New Volkswagen Golf GTI, GTE and GTD on sale now: prices and specs revealed
October 23, 2020 by
Order books for the new Volkswagen Golf GTI, GTE and GTD have opened in the UK. Read on for full details.
- VW GTI priced from £33,460
- GTE costs from £35,960
- GTD costs from £32,790
- Sportier styling than Golf
- Upgraded interior tech
- GTI gets 245hp engine
- GTD produces 200hp
- GTE uses 245hp hybrid
- On sale now
This is the all-new Mk8 VW Golf GTI – a faster hot-hatch version of the Mk8 Golf. It’s a German version of the recently unveiled Cupra Leon, and here are the top 10 things you need to know about it.
New Mk8 VW Golf GTI, GTE and GTD price and specs
The new VW Golf GTI is now on sale in the UK now. It costs from £33,460 for a six-speed manual model and £34,960 for a model with a seven-speed DSG automatic gearbox. As standard, both versions come with 18-inch alloy wheels, Matrix LED headlights, keyless start and three-zone climate control. Adaptive suspension is available as an option, but automatic emergency braking and an electronic limited-slip differential come as standard. The latter helps increase grip by limiting wheelspin when you accelerate out of corners.
The 245hp hybrid VW Golf GTE is also available to order, priced from £35,960. It comes with the same standard equipment as the VW Golf GTI but is only available with a seven-speed DSG automatic gearbox.
The GTD model has also gone on sale. It costs from £32,790 and comes with the same standard equipment as the Golf GT, including a seven-speed automatic gearbox, 18-inch alloy wheels, Matrix LED headlights, keyless entry and three-zone climate control.
New Mk8 VW Golf GTI design
The new VW Golf GTI looks like a regular Golf that’s been given a Sports Direct makeover. It gets some 17-inch alloy wheels, lowered suspension and a massive black grille with some cool LED daytime running lights. There are also lots of GTI badges about the place and a bunch of contrasting red stripes – just like the original Mk1 from the seventies.
New Mk8 VW Golf GTI interior
The new VW Golf GTI gets the same basic interior as the Mk8 Golf. And that’s a good thing. It’s all very minimalist and classy, with barely any buttons or fiddly details. You get a sportier steering wheel with some bright red bits, plenty of sporty contrasting stitching, and sports seats with chequered trim. You also get mood lighting with 30 customisable colours. Oh, and there’s even a snazzy start button that pulses red before you start the engine.
New Mk8 VW Golf GTI tech
The new VW Golf GTI comes with an 8-inch infotainment system and a 10-inch digital driver’s display as standard but you can pay extra to get a pair of 10-inch screens instead. Both displays come with special GTI-specific graphics and you can customise the driver’s display using buttons on the steering wheel. There’s also the option to use voice commands to control lots of the car’s features – just like in the standard Golf.
New Mk8 VW Golf GTI engines
The new VW Golf GTI gets a 2-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine with 245hp. That’s the same as the performance pack version of the old Golf GTI and means this new Golf GTI (with an automatic gearbox) will accelerate from zero to 60mph in 6.3 seconds. Not fast enough for you? VW is gearing up to launch the next VW Golf R later this year or early 2021. Click the button below to see our exclusive rendering showing what it could look like.
New Mk8 VW Golf GTI gearbox
The new VW Golf GTI comes with a six-speed manual gearbox as standard. But you can pay extra for a 7-speed DSG automatic. This gets the same shift-by wire controls as the standard Golf, so you use a tiny switch to change gear instead of a big mechanical lever. Or you can use the paddles on the steering wheel – whichever you prefer.
New Mk8 VW Golf GTD diesel
Fancy a hot hatch but spend most of your time on the motorway? Then you’ll want to check out the new Golf GTD. It looks pretty much identical to the GTI but gets silver stripes instead of red ones and twin exhausts on one side instead of two separate pipes.
Its 2-litre diesel engine produces 200hp. Even though that’s 45hp less than the GTI, it still makes it the most powerful diesel Golf ever. It also pumps out 400Nm of torque, so it should feel pretty rapid. VW says its 2 catalytic converters and dual AdBlue injectors also make the GTD’s engine one of the ‘cleanest diesel engines in the world’.
New Mk8 VW Golf GTE plug-in hybrid
There’s also a new hybrid GTE model. This swaps out the GTI’s red trim for some eco-friendly blue bits and hides its exhaust pipes behind the rear bumper. Its green credentials are more than just skin deep, though. Unlike the regular petrol GTI, you can drive for around 37 miles and cruise at up to 80mph on electric power only.
The 1.4-litre turbo petrol engine and 116hp electric motor work together to produce 245hp, too, so it’s just as punchy as the GTI. The onboard computer even uses sat-nav data to choose when to switch between the engine and the motor to help save charge for when you’re driving in town. Clever.
New Mk8 VW Golf GTI driving
Just like the old Golf GTI, the new Mk8 is front-wheel drive. Like the old GTI, it also gets independent suspension all-round – something not all Golfs get – which should help it feel agile through the corners. You can also pay extra to have it fitted with adaptive dampers. These let you stiffen everything up for hooning down country roads and soften the ride for cruising home on the motorway.
You can personalise these settings through the infotainment system, too. So you can fine-tune your favourite setup and save it for later. And if that’s not quite enough fun for you, expect VW to make some faster, more hardcore versions in the future – just like the old Golf GTI TCR.
New VW IQ.DRIVE
You can get the VW Golf GTE with an optional driver-assistance pack called IQ.DRIVE. This beefs-up the standard Golf’s adaptive cruise control so it can accelerate, brake and steer for you at up to 130mph. This might be a God-send if you spend hours cruising up and down the autobahn, but in the UK the normal adaptive cruise control will probably do you just fine.
If you can’t wait for the new VW Golf GTI, see how much you can save on the all-new Golf by visiting our VW Golf deals page or read our in-depth VW Golf review for more information.
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