The Volkswagen Golf GTI keeps things fresh and familiar
6Please watch: "Hyundai Motorsport World Rally Team Estonia has taken its second victory"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obcosEA6Zq4 --~--
The eighth-generation Volkswagen hot-hatch icon will get gobs of cabin tech and more power, but America's first examples are still over a year away.
Despite the coronavirus crisis ravaging auto industry timetables, Volkswagen says its next-generation Golf GTI and Golf R hot hatches remain on schedule. That's the good news. The bad news is, despite first breaking cover in late February, the eighth-generation GTI and its higher-performance sibling are still well over a year away from North American dealers. VW officials are targeting the third quarter of 2021 for them to launch as 2022 models, with today's Mk 7 GTI soldiering on in North America through the 2021 model year.
It's clear that the next-generation sport compact will not stray far from today's car in both mission and looks, but it will host a boatload of new features, including a massive cabin tech update. And while full specs remain TBD, VW officials held a video teleconference on Wednesday for media members, allowing us to learn quite a few things about the reborn icon.
For starters, all 2022 GTIs destined for North America will be built in Germany, unlike today's cars, which are assembled in Puebla, Mexico. These new models will carry not only higher performance, they'll also deliver significantly richer content levels (features, equipment). Perhaps unsurprisingly, then, despite the fact that US VW dealers will no longer offer a standard Golf as a price-leader hatchback, it sounds like the new GTI will come with a price increase. The question is, how much?
According to Hein Schafer, VW senior vice president of product marketing and strategy, "The most bare-naked car that we could get out of Wolfsburg has significantly more equipment than our base Mark 7 today. ... I don't want to put a number on the page, but I would probably guess that there's going to be less than a 10% increase from [Mark] 7 to 8."
If you're keeping track, today's base 2020 GTI S starts at $28,595 before $920 for destination charges. Ergo, any price increase will likely total less than a few thousand dollars.
MSRP increase or no, a performance bump is in the cards. The 2.0-liter turbo-four in today's GTI features 228 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque, enough for sub-6-second 0-to-60-mph dash and an electronically limited 155-mph top speed. The new car, which you can identify easily thanks to its slimmer, glowering headlamps and unexpectedly controversial 10-lens(!) LED foglamps, will offer 242 hp and 273 lb-ft of torque from its EA888 EVO4 engine.
Before delving too far into the performance of this front-wheel-drive hatchback, as its looks, the new GTI's underlying architecture and powertrains will be largely evolutionary, so let's start with the cabin, which will see the most dramatic changes.
For 2021, a comprehensively redesigned driver-focused dashboard will come standard with an 8.25-inch touchscreen, and an optional new 10-inch widescreen will be paired with the GTI's first application of VW's Digital Cockpit tech, here taking the form of a matching reconfigurable gauge cluster. In addition to more advanced infotainment, interior furnishings look like they should be a cut above rivals like the Honda Civic Si, Hyundai Veloster N, and Subaru WRX. If that feeling translates in person, VW will have done a good job maintaining a long-held GTI attribute.
A totally revamped center stack and console feature far fewer buttons than before, with a set of new touch sliders under the main screen. That's good news for aesthetes, but potentially bad news for ergonomics -- we'll have to wait until we get our hands on one to know for sure. If you've already been peeking at our gallery's interior photos, you'll see a new, nublike electronic gear selector for the optional seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox. Happily, a traditional six-speed manual transmission will once again be standard. If you're surprised about that last bit given the way the world seems to be moving to two pedals, don't be. VW officials tell Roadshow that roughly 40% of North American Mk 7 GTI models have row-your-own cog swapper. Way to go, enthusiasts!
Per GTI tradition, gloriously plaid seats are standard -- in a swish new pattern, no less. Impressively, heating elements for both the seats and redesigned steering wheel are standard. Ventilated seats will be a new-to-GTI option, albeit only on cars optioned with leather seating. Boo.
Courtesy: Chris Paukert & Volkswagen
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