New Volkswagen Golf GTI heads upmarket

The new 2021 Volkswagen Golf GTI will head dramatically upmarket when it finally arrives Down Under in May, with a starting price of $53,100 plus on-road costs and standard equipment list to match.

Like the mainstream Mark 8 Volkswagen Golf hatch range it will top, the new German hot hatch will be significantly more expensive than the model it replaces (from $47,190), and over $11K more than the base Golf GTI price in 2018 ($41,990), when the manual transmission was axed.

The $53K pricetag also positions the new Volkswagen Golf GTI well above traditional rivals like the Subaru WRX sedan ($40,990), Hyundai i30 N Performance ($41,400) and Ford Focus ST ($44,890), and just below the Renault Megane RS Trophy ($53,990) and Honda Type R ($54,990).

Volkswagen Group Australia announced pricing and specs for the four regular Golf 8 variants in December, including a higher starting price of $29,350 plus ORCs, ahead of their arrival in May.

They will be followed by the new Golf wagon in the third quarter of this year, before the next Golf R arrives in early 2022, followed by the wagon version.

Now, VGA has confirmed full details for the entire range including the 2021 Volkswagen Golf GTI, which officially goes on sale on May 24.

Like mainstream Golf 8 variants for Australia, the GTI will bring a carryover engine – in this case the fourth-generation EA888 180kW/370Nm 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder introduced for the MY19 GTI.

Official combined fuel consumption increases by half a litre per 100km to 7.0L/100km and the claimed 0-100km/h time is up by 0.1sec to 6.3 seconds.

All 2021 Volkswagen Golf GTIs will come standard with the latest DQ381 seven-speed wet dual-clutch DSG automatic transmission, now with shift-by-wire tech, a sports mode button and steering wheel shift paddles to replace the traditional gear shifter.

Also like every 2021 Volkswagen Golf models, the new GTI comes with a full suite of IQ.DRIVE drive-assist functions, allowing the car to accelerate, brake and steer itself.

These include front assist with pedestrian and cyclist monitoring (autonomous emergency braking), adaptive cruise control (ACC), lane assist and travel assist, plus oncoming vehicle braking when turning, side assist blind-spot monitoring, rear traffic alert, emergency assist, exit warning system and front/rear manoeuvre braking.

Other standard safety features include driver fatigue detection, rear-view camera (RVC), park assist, tyre pressure loss indicator, eight airbags, multi-collision braking and front/rear parking sensors.

The long list of standard cabin technologies for the 2021 Volkswagen Golf GTI is headlined by the impressive Innovision Cockpit, which debuted in the latest Volkswagen Touareg and is also standard in the new Golf Life and Golf R-Line. It combines the Digital Cockpit Pro virtual instrument cluster with a 10-inch Discover Pro touch-screen infotainment array.

According to Volkswagen: “In standard form the GTI is the most impressively equipped sporting hatchback for any price comparable or approaching it. With options the GTI compares to luxury brand vehicles priced at considerably greater sums."

Volkswagen Group Australia managing director Michael Bartsch said: “The art that continues to elude the GTI’s imagined competitors is a car that is as civilised in daily deployment as you choose, but which can be an accomplished sports car when you wish.

“It is these virtues, coupled with a classic rather than kitsch design and the latest in on-board technology, that will ensure the GTI and, next year, the Golf R Mark 8, continue to outsell rivals by a great margin.”

Just two options packs will be available, taking the new GTI even further upmarket. The Sound & Vision package ($1500) adds a head-up display and 480W nine-speaker premium Harman Kardon sound system with 12-channel amplifier.

Meantime for $3800 the Luxury package adds Vienna leather-appointed upholstery, heated and ventilated front seats, an electrically operated driver’s seat with memory, heated steering wheel and a panoramic electric sunroof.

The 2021 Volkswagen Golf GTI will be available in Pure White, Moonstone Grey Premium, Dolphin Grey Metallic, Atlantic Blue Metallic, Deep Black Pearl Effect and, for $300, Kings Red Premium Metallic (pictured here).

A pre-purchased Care Plan will limit the price of scheduled servicing over three years to $1450, and over five years to $2300 (saving the cost of the first service).

Unique Golf GTI extras, as we’ve covered previously, include 18-inch Richmond alloy wheels, red brake callipers and a GTI-specific lower front bumper with black honeycomb air intake, unique LED fog lights and front spoiler.

There’s also a specific rear spoiler, rear diffuser, side sills and (chromed) exhaust outlets, and for the first time the red GTI grille strip has a parallel LED crossbar that links the LED performance headlights with the VW badge on the grille to form a distinctive light signature.

Inside, unique GTI features include a GTI-badged central tacho flanked by customisable round instruments showing boost pressure, power output and the like, plus stainless-steel pedals, ambient lighting, black headlining, honeycomb highlights on the dash and doors, a red illuminated start/stop button, new flat-bottom steering wheel and new sports seats with tartan-style fabric trim, red stitching and integrated head restraints.

Meantime, mainstream 2021 Volkswagen Golf variants continue to be powered by a 110kW/250Nm 1.4-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder, which VW claims remains “by far the most responsive petrol engine among its immediate competitor set [and] also the most fuel efficient”.

In the entry-level Golf it’s matched with a six-speed manual gearbox and consumes 5.8L/100km of premium unleaded, while all other variants come with an eight-speed Aisin torque-converter auto and consume 5.8L/100km.

The standard 2021 Golf rides on Norfolk 16x7.0-inch alloys with 205/55 R16 tyres, the Golf Life on Ventura 17x7.5-inch alloys with 225/45 R17s and the Golf R-Line on 18x7.5-inch alloys with 225/40 R18s.

Golf R-Lines ride on firmer and 15mm-lower suspension than base Golf and Golf Life, and come with the progressive steering rack from the Golf GTI.

Non-GTI Golfs are available in standard Pure White paint or four optional ($600) metallic hues – Reflex Silver, Dolphin Grey, Atlantic Blue, Pomelo Yellow Premium Metallic – or Deep Black Pearlescent. The cost is $300 in the Golf R-Line, which replaces Reflex Silver with Moonstone Grey Premium ($900).

The entry Golf comes with standard cloth seats and decorative inlays, the Golf Life with Comfort seats or the option of Comfort sports seats in microfleece cloth and brushed inlays, and the R-Line with Sports seats and carbon grey inlays.

Options packs include a $1500 Sound & Vision package (Life and R-Line), a $2000 Comfort & Style package (Life) and a $1800 panoramic glass sunroof (R-Line).

Service costs for regular Golf models have been set at $1100 over three years and $1900 over five years.

Based on VW’s latest MQB platform, the new Volkswagen Golf 8 retains a MacPherson strut front and independent rear suspension layout, and was awarded a five-star ANCAP safety rating in 2019.

How much does the 2021 Volkswagen Golf cost?
Manual – $29,350
Auto – $31,950
Life auto – $34,250
R-Line auto – $37,450
GTI auto – $53,100
* Prices exclude on-road costs