Nice cars, the Golf GTIs Clubsports. Nicer to look at, nicer to drive, and nicer to be in than a regular GTI thanks to extra power. Throw in some subtle chassis upgrades and a set of snazzy seats, and it's no surprise they've been the fast Golf choice since their introduction for the Mk7. No more demanding to live with than a standard GTI, more interesting to drive than an R - win-win.
So there’s some cautious optimism around the 8.5, especially as the Mk8 Clubsport was a decent hot hatch undermined by a rubbish interior. To be unveiled ahead of the 24-hour race at the Nurburgring next Friday, its maker says the new uber Golf will boast the most power yet offered in a front-wheel drive GTI.
Knowing VW it probably won’t be a huge gain (because it couldn’t be more potent than an R), though somewhere in the region of 300hp seems about right - or maybe more slightly than that if the Mk8 is finally permitted to overshadow the old 310hp Clubsport S. Interestingly, the manufacturer is racing a Golf GTI Clubsport 24h at the Nordschleife next weekend, complete with 348hp. But they wouldn’t go that big for the road - would they?
There’ll be more than just power to entice Golf fans, too, as this GTI will get a ‘completely redesigned’ front end to mark it out from standard as well as new 19-inch Queenstown wheels said to evoke the old Detroit rims seen on the Mk5. There’s going to be a forged option wheel for the first time, too, which is pretty cool for a Golf GTI: the 19-inch Warmenau rims apparently weigh just eight kilos each. New lights and that refreshed interior - including ChatGPT, yes - bring the showroom zhush.
A Special drive mode designed for the Nordschleife that always sounded like nonsense (but actually worked quite well on a B road) is again going to be standard fit, though as per annoying tradition the DCC dampers it tweaks are optional. (Brilliant.) The diff lock will do its best to marshall the uprated output to the front tyres, and the Clubsport gets a ‘modified lateral dynamics setup’ for the onboard Vehicle Dynamics Manager.
So it’s going to be a big weekend for VW at the Nurburgring next weekend. As well as the reveal of the most powerful front-drive production Golf and a new race car, there’s going to be three Mk1s taking place in the 24-hour itself. Quite the way to mark a 50th birthday. Expect more on the Clubsport - including just what that power output is - on May 31st.
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