Most powerful Golf GTI now on sale - for £50k
German orders for new 325hp Edition 50 opened this week - expect a similarly vaunted price tag in UK next year
A new Golf GTI anniversary edition is always big news, with heritage stretching back decades and a few recent gems in the back catalogue - the Mk7 Clubsport Edition 40 being one of them. But with petrol-powered hot hatches nearing extinction, the Golf GTI hitting the big 5-0 and a very real possibility of the next one being battery-powered, the latest special GTI feels even more significant than most.
You’ll know plenty about the 325hp Edition 50 already, revealed back in the summer at N24 and boasting a 7:46 lap around the Nordschleife. What hadn’t been confirmed yet was a price; these limited cars always carry a premium, understandably, and with the upgrades over a Clubsport applied clearly a bit extra was in store for the 50. While we don’t yet have a UK RRP (we're told to expect that in the new year), in its home market, the latest GTI will cost from €54,540, or a whisker under £48,000 at current exchange rates. It carries a €4,720 (£4,150) premium over the standard Clubsport; add that to the UK Clubsport price of £44,220 and the 50 comes out at £48,370. Which probably won't be too wide of the mark when that UK price is announced.
But that’s not the end of the story, because to get the most from the new GTI, buyers will need the optional Performance Package. As with recent Golf Rs, the PP comprises a host of desirable bits that it’s hard to imagine buyers wanting to go without. For the 50, that means replacing the standard Queenstown wheels with forged ‘Warmenau’ rims, wrapping those in Bridgestone Potenza Race tyres, dropping the chassis five mil, adding an R-Performance exhaust and even dialling in two more degrees of negative camber on the front axle. An Edition 50 without the Performance Package is going to be like a cheeseburger without the cheese - everybody will get it, even if they have to pay for something that should just be included.
Those who want to add the extra goodies to a GTI in Germany will be asked for another €4,200 (€3,700), which brings the total to €58,740 - or £51,673, to be exact. Accordingly, there seems little chance of a Performance Packed 50 coming in at under £50,000 here. Although it’s not clear yet whether the upgrades will be bundled into the standard UK offering, or remain as an optional extra.
Another interesting addition to the configurator for the Edition 50 is the introduction of Dark Moss Green, uniquely available for this model and costing €860 (£750) in its home market. It’s been a long time since a Golf GTI has had a green paint option, and there remains lots of love for Lhasa and Oak on the classics, so expect it to be a popular box tick. There’s not much else of interest on the options list that can be seen for the moment, and those who have spent the money saving 30kg with the Performance Package will surely be reluctant to add weight back in.
For Germany, deliveries are expected in the first quarter of next year, so we’d expect UK arrivals to be close behind. We do love a Golf GTI, after all. Until then, there are the classifieds for distraction: there are the 25th, 30th, 35th and 40th Edition GTIs for sale right now - they won’t lap the Nordschleife in less than eight minutes, but then they won’t cost £50,000 either…
Horrible upside-down headlights.
Horrible rear lights.
Horrible GTI badge font.
Which is why in the not too distant future, I hope there’ll be a restomod shop that’ll take this car’s suspension, torsional enhancements and engine tweaks, and install them in a Mk7.5.
BTW, is the water pump unit thingy still effectively a consumable on Mk8s?
Hot hatch fanboy here, think it looks great. And i wouldn't be surprised if its £52k in the UK, bout the going rate for one rung down from hyper hot hatch, add in the exclusivity. Will be a weapon, always conservative with their power outputs
I have the civic so shouldn't throw stones while in my glass house, but makes that 600bhp Smart look good value
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