2020 Volkswagen Golf GTI: official details

Better agility, heightened stability and improved aero ought to make the 245hp Mk8 the most compelling GTI yet

If there’s a staffer at Volkswagen capable of making us feel optimistic about the new Golf GTI, it’s pro racer Benny Leuchter. And if there’s a number to get us excited about its outright performance, it’s a quick laptime. When PH learned that a Leuchter-driven Mk8 Golf GTI had slashed 3.9 seconds from the Mk7 Performance’s best at Ehra, his assurance that the world's most famous hot hatch has taken a significant step forward suddenly seemed more solid. Because 3.9 seconds is a sizeable gap anywhere. On a test track of less than two miles it's substantial.

It’s all the more impressive because, as we’ve known since February, there is no difference in power between old and new. The entry-level Mk8 GTI gets the same 245hp as the second tier Mk7. Clearly, the new model's advantage is not EA888-related, but rather – as PH was told in a private conference video – attributable to a number of detailed chassis changes. Leuchter says the finished GTI has a “front that is very precise” and a “rear that is very agile”. We’re given footage of him getting very sideways to illustrate it. Which is nice.

To counter any claim that the Mk8 is more Mk7 evolution than revolution, VW chassis tuning boss Karsten Schebsdat uses his time in the video spotlight to emphasise the extent of the hardware alterations. To summarise several slides, the Mk8 GTI gets stiffer wishbone bushes, new springs and reconfigured bump stops, while the dampers and associated control software are all new. At the front, there’s the same aluminium subframe as the old Clubsport, with the effect said to contribute more feel, quicker steering response and better body control.

However, it’s the enhanced stiffness at the back which is arguably the biggest departure from the GTI norm. Schebsdat’s team has upped spring rates by 15 per cent on the rear axle in the pursuit of newfound agility (the front goes up by five per cent). That’s a significant hike for a base-level hot hatch. New geometry on the nose gives the eighth GTI higher toe-in under load for greater stability, too. Couple that to a standard-fit VAQ limited slip diff between the driven wheels (it was previously an option on the GTI) and upgrade from 18s to optional 19-inch rims – as many Brits will – there’s 235-width rubber to tread on. That the base GTI can also be specced with Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2s is a signal of real intent.

As before, cars come as standard with passive suspension or the option of Dynamic Chassis Control, while all get new brake booster settings for easier pressure modulation – something VW really nailed in the recent T-Roc R. Then there’s the freshly tuned progressive steering, which has initial quicker response and takes just 2.1 turns to go from lock-to-lock. Interestingly, VW relates part of the car’s better front-end stability to newfound aerodynamic performance. There’s less lift at the rear – thanks in part to the Mk8’s tapering roofline – keeping all four paws more evenly pressed into the tarmac at speed and improving composure. By contrast, the Mk7 GTI developed a slight forward rake as the miles per hour piled on.

Alongside the mechanical honing, VW makes much of the progress made with the Golf's software. The fact that Leuchter’s time at Ehra was set with the car’s ESP in Sport mode rather than fully off, speaks volumes. The brief for VW’s technicians (much like its engineers) was also about unlocking agility without dispensing with the GTI's famed predictability. Schebsdat reckons the subsequent performance improvements have come at no cost to comfort or usability either. Given the car's reputation as the most rounded hot hatch, repeat buyers will be keen for that claim to be proven accurate.

Elsewhere, a lot of attention has been focussed on the digitalisation in the cabin, with two 10-inch screens – one instrument cluster and another centrally-mounted on the dash – plus a head-up display on the kit list. The dash layout is unchanged from the regular Golf, but you get the usual GTI trimmings, including tartan seat fabric and sportier digital displays, to spruce it up. Where the exterior design may still split opinions, the cabin is probably a safer bet for all-round approval. It’s smart, even if, frustratingly, it has dispensed with cherished physical items like a volume knob.

All will be forgiven though if it delivers on the promises made by its engineering team. As ever, the thought of a practical, well-made five-door hatch that changes direction like something tuned for the track is a compelling one. Better still, with this being the entry-level GTI, it makes an interesting starting point for what will ultimately follow on. If earlier leaked (and so far accurate) internal slides are anything to go by, from here we'll jump straight from GTI to a 300hp TCR successor. Which, on this evidence, could be a fairly serious contender.

As for whether or not there will be a front-drive lap-record contender positioned above the pairing, we'll have to wait and see. Although, as we mentioned yesterday, 2021 is the GTI’s 45th year; it would be cruel and unusual if VW didn't produce something to celebrate the milestone. Granted, that might just mean some badges and tinsel. Or it could mean something properly special. Whatever the outcome, Volkswagen has apparently taken the multiple challenges to its longstanding hot hatch crown very seriously. We look forward to driving the result in the coming months.