RE: VW Golf GTI Clubsport 45 launched at £40k

RE: VW Golf GTI Clubsport 45 launched at £40k

Wednesday 28th April 2021

VW Golf GTI Clubsport 45 launched at £40k

On sale tomorrow, the 45 "adds a package of upgrades befitting of such a landmark model"



Though it's great to have the choice, it can be hard to keep track of the VW Golf range at the moment. There's a Performance Pack for the R, a Clubsport GTI already as well as both GTE and GTD. Therefore, it's probably best we do a brief recap of the Clubsport 45...

It celebrates 45 years of the Golf GTI, the anniversary specials now as much a part of the Golf tradition as any other model: the 30 was probably the best Mk5 GTI, and the last Clubsport 40 was really nice as well. If not quite as sublime as the Clubsport S, the unofficial (and brilliant) 40th birthday celebration in 2016.

Derived from the GTI Clubsport (and thus with the same 300hp), the 45 gets a standard Akrapovic exhaust, new badges, wheels and accents plus a delimit - meaning 166mph is possible. Dare it be said, the Tornado Red accents on this car work quite well. Otherwise, it's as you were for the (very good) £37,230 Clubsport.


Today it's been confirmed that the 45 will cost £39,980, or £2,750 more than the Clubsport. Given the Akrapovic alone costs more than £3k on an R (and isn't available on a standard Clubsport) it already makes a pretty good case for itself. The DCC dampers remain an optional extra, however; given how well suited the Nurburgring mode was to the GTI CS, that'll be a box well worth ticking. On sale tomorrow, the 45 slots in at the top of the range, with Clubsport, GTI DSG (£35,025) and GTI manual (£33,525) beneath it.

Lisa Hartley, VW UK Golf Product Manager, said of the new car: "The Clubsport 45 is a piece of Volkswagen heritage in motion - the latest chapter in the ongoing Golf GTI story, 45 years - and counting - in the making. It is no exaggeration to call the GTI an automotive icon." Certainly, you won't find us disagreeing with that. But we all know 50 is an awful lot more important than 45 - what might a special edition GTI look like come 2026?




Author
Discussion

robman23

Original Poster:

46 posts

186 months

Wednesday 28th April 2021
quotequote all
Why no 3 door model?

chazwozza

729 posts

187 months

Wednesday 28th April 2021
quotequote all
Hmm. Doesn't sit, or look, right to me. Bit fussy. Mk6 was the last of the good looking Golf. IMHO of course.

chazwozza

729 posts

187 months

Wednesday 28th April 2021
quotequote all
robman23 said:
Why no 3 door model?
They don't make them anymore I believe? Happy to be corrected.

Trikster

824 posts

203 months

Wednesday 28th April 2021
quotequote all
A bit 80s bedroom in that colour scheme for me......

sgtbash

702 posts

137 months

Wednesday 28th April 2021
quotequote all
This is getting silly with all these models!


MayNine

65 posts

62 months

Wednesday 28th April 2021
quotequote all
I know it's more to do with the ageing process and my perception of time, but it feels like these happen every few months rather than every five years.

Now I say that though, we must be overdue an MX-5 special edition at the moment.

Desiboy

36 posts

80 months

Wednesday 28th April 2021
quotequote all
Please, Lord, make it stop.

sdiggle

182 posts

91 months

Wednesday 28th April 2021
quotequote all
"The Clubsport 45 is a piece of Volkswagen heritage in motion.." rofl

usualdog1

72 posts

83 months

Wednesday 28th April 2021
quotequote all
Like the regular Clubsport, the graphics look a bit half-arsed and would it have killed them to put a 'Clubsport' badge on the boot?

Rankss

114 posts

57 months

Wednesday 28th April 2021
quotequote all
I'd rather have the DCC adaptive dampers, than the Akrapovic exhaust. Adding the DCC on would push it into the higher road tax. If you want the DCC then the std Clubsport makes more sense than this special edition. But can't get that exhaust as factory fit on the Clubsport.

Many editions...

Drive Blind

5,097 posts

178 months

Wednesday 28th April 2021
quotequote all
chazwozza said:
robman23 said:
Why no 3 door model?
They don't make them anymore I believe? Happy to be corrected.
Yup no more 3dr Golf with the mk8. Pretty sure it's the same with the latest A3 and the Leon.

Can't even get a 3dr Polo anymore. frown

ajap1979

8,014 posts

188 months

Wednesday 28th April 2021
quotequote all
Rankss said:
I'd rather have the DCC adaptive dampers, than the Akrapovic exhaust. Adding the DCC on would push it into the higher road tax…
Depends on what the list price is. If the VED is £895 like it is on the R, then you can subtract that from the £39980 OTR price, and you’d have room for DCC at £785. If I really wanted to keep it under £40k list I’d just have a very well specced regular Clubsport.

Court_S

12,983 posts

178 months

Wednesday 28th April 2021
quotequote all
chazwozza said:
robman23 said:
Why no 3 door model?
They don't make them anymore I believe? Happy to be corrected.
Because they sold about three last time there was a three door option and it’s not worth bothering with as a result.

I still find the Mk8 styling too fussy and I don’t like the red accents on the wheels.

BlueRSedFly

51 posts

146 months

Wednesday 28th April 2021
quotequote all
What would befit that model would be a manual gearbox, cannot fathom why there is no manual box option on the Clubsport, as it's marketed as an enthusiasts choice. It does look good though and will hold it's value better than the standard models and probably better than the R too

Maldini35

2,913 posts

189 months

Wednesday 28th April 2021
quotequote all
sdiggle said:
"The Clubsport 45 is a piece of Volkswagen heritage in motion.." rofl
Yes, I shuddered at that too.

Embarrassing.

The car looks a bit tacky but will probably be a good drive.

Surely the R is the one to have at this price?

xcesx

134 posts

153 months

Wednesday 28th April 2021
quotequote all
ajap1979 said:
Depends on what the list price is. If the VED is £895 like it is on the R, then you can subtract that from the £39980 OTR price, and you’d have room for DCC at £785. If I really wanted to keep it under £40k list I’d just have a very well specced regular Clubsport.
The VED extra tax thing puts me right off (have it on one car already that ends next year).

I struggled to keep the normal Clubsport under 40k on the configurator.










ian_md

2,890 posts

172 months

Wednesday 28th April 2021
quotequote all
Hopefully someone can help clear this up for me. The price OTR is £39,980, and if you add the optional DCC, does that tip you over the £40k threshold for the crazy tax for the next 5 years, effectively meaning DCC costs you roughly £1,500 more?

This is the breakdown of the cost; does the VED come off this? What about the 'Delivery Charge? Is there room for DCC without the tax hike?


Basic retail
£32,279.17

VAT (20%)
£6,455.83

Retail incl. VAT
£38,735.00

Delivery charge
£635.00

VED incl. VFRF
£610.00

OTR price
£39,980.00

FYI - I think given how great the exhaust sounds on this, it is the best of the GTI range; not sure if better all round than the R though.

moonigan

2,141 posts

242 months

Wednesday 28th April 2021
quotequote all
ian_md said:
Hopefully someone can help clear this up for me. The price OTR is £39,980, and if you add the optional DCC, does that tip you over the £40k threshold for the crazy tax for the next 5 years, effectively meaning DCC costs you roughly £1,500 more?

This is the breakdown of the cost; does the VED come off this? What about the 'Delivery Charge? Is there room for DCC without the tax hike?


Basic retail
£32,279.17

VAT (20%)
£6,455.83

Retail incl. VAT
£38,735.00

Delivery charge
£635.00

VED incl. VFRF
£610.00

OTR price
£39,980.00

FYI - I think given how great the exhaust sounds on this, it is the best of the GTI range; not sure if better all round than the R though.
I would expect anyone who keeps hold of the car will get the extra layout due to higher VED would get their money back as these anniversary editions always retain more value that the standard car.

xcesx

134 posts

153 months

Wednesday 28th April 2021
quotequote all
moonigan said:
ian_md said:
Hopefully someone can help clear this up for me. The price OTR is £39,980, and if you add the optional DCC, does that tip you over the £40k threshold for the crazy tax for the next 5 years, effectively meaning DCC costs you roughly £1,500 more?

This is the breakdown of the cost; does the VED come off this? What about the 'Delivery Charge? Is there room for DCC without the tax hike?


Basic retail
£32,279.17

VAT (20%)
£6,455.83

Retail incl. VAT
£38,735.00

Delivery charge
£635.00

VED incl. VFRF
£610.00

OTR price
£39,980.00

FYI - I think given how great the exhaust sounds on this, it is the best of the GTI range; not sure if better all round than the R though.
I would expect anyone who keeps hold of the car will get the extra layout due to higher VED would get their money back as these anniversary editions always retain more value that the standard car.
It confuses the hell out of me as well. Probably why it annoys me so much.

ajap1979

8,014 posts

188 months

Wednesday 28th April 2021
quotequote all
ian_md said:
Hopefully someone can help clear this up for me. The price OTR is £39,980, and if you add the optional DCC, does that tip you over the £40k threshold for the crazy tax for the next 5 years, effectively meaning DCC costs you roughly £1,500 more?

This is the breakdown of the cost; does the VED come off this? What about the 'Delivery Charge? Is there room for DCC without the tax hike?


Basic retail
£32,279.17

VAT (20%)
£6,455.83

Retail incl. VAT
£38,735.00

Delivery charge
£635.00

VED incl. VFRF
£610.00

OTR price
£39,980.00

FYI - I think given how great the exhaust sounds on this, it is the best of the GTI range; not sure if better all round than the R though.
List price includes the delivery fee. The only thing you deduct from the OTR cost is VED and the registration fee.