Volkswagen Golf 110TSI Style 2025 Review

This could be the first stumbling block.

The 2025 Volkswagen Golf 110TSI Style is $43,690 before on-road costs (ORCs), which is a significant amount of cash. It wasn’t too long ago those kinds of figures would get you into a bona fide hot hatch – like a Golf GTI. However, while the asking price of the freshly minted Style grade is high, there’s a reason for this – it comes with a shedload of gear.

The $38,690 (before ORCs) Life now forms the base camp of the line-up, while the $47,990 R-Line presents as the performance variant, without actually being the performance variant. Therefore, actually going fast is left up to the GTI, R and R Black Edition, ranging from $58,990 to $72,490.

Yet, it’s not like the Golf is in its own monetary territory, with top-spec versions of the popular Toyota Corolla, Mazda3 and Hyundai i30 straddling (or exceeding) the $40k threshold.

Clearly, everything is moving up the value food chain and not just the Euro VeeDub. Effectively, the Golf nestles in between the gap from the rivals listed to the more expensive Germans like the Audi A3, BMW 1 Series and Mercedes-Benz A-Class.

Where it does become more interesting is the fact the equivalent T-Roc 110TSI Style is $1700 cheaper for the must-have SUV body style. No wonder it’s VW’s second-highest selling model for 2025 behind the Amarok.

As the nomenclature suggests, being an 8.5 means this isn’t an entirely new generation. Hence, the 2025 Volkswagen Golf 110TSI Style doesn’t gain a revolutionary sense of, ahem, style.

Those familiar with the exterior aesthetic certainly won’t be put off – it remains a handsome, classless design. The front facia and headlights receive most attention in the makeover, but the fact the grille and VW badge are LED-lit might be polarising to some. Removing the fake exhaust tips at the rear is a positive move.

Given the Style represents a mid-spec variant, it’s nice to see it wearing attractive Catania 18-inch alloys while the headlights are full LED Plus units. There’s also LED daytime running lights and tail-lights, as well as a shark fin antenna, keyless entry with push-button start and dark tinted privacy glass.

Inside, while there’s no genuine cowhide the Black ArtVelours Eco microfleece with leatherette upholstery is a great consolation prize. It looks and feels upmarket. The Style designation also affords an ErgoActive 14-way electric driver’s seat with memory (manual for passenger), leather steering wheel, tri-zone climate control and 30-colour ambient lighting.

However, our test car isn’t standard. It comes with the $2000 Sound & Vision package, which includes an Area View 360-degree camera, head-up display and eight-speaker, 480W Harman Kardon premium audio. The $1900 panoramic sunroof and $800 Anemones Blue metallic paint round out the fully stacked Style.

And for those doing the sums, yep, this ‘modest’ hatchback is more than $50k to get it registered and parked up in your driveway – gulp.

The Golf is backed by VW’s five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty, which is good, but not outstanding. A year of roadside assistance is included and renews every 12 months if you service with a Volkswagen dealer.

Scheduled servicing is every 12 months or 15,000km (whichever comes first) and you can purchase car plans of three or five years at $1638 and $2990 respectively. On average and compared to the competition, that’s on the expensive side.

The 2025 Volkswagen Golf 110TSI Style is covered by a carry-over five-star ANCAP rating from the Mk 8.

Volkswagen’s IQ.DRIVE active safety suite is highlighted by autonomous emergency braking (AEB) with cyclist and pedestrian detection, active cruise control with stop/go functionality, blind spot monitoring, lane departure warning, lane keep assist, rear cross traffic alert and driver monitoring.

Park Assist is also standard fitment, as well as front and rear sensors and a reversing camera that pops out from the boot-mounted VW badge to keep it clean. Our test care also gains the optional surround view camera.

Traffic sign recognition is missing, which means there’s one less audible function to deactivate. If you want to turn off any of the systems it does have, they are quite easy to access via a shortcut menu. Yet, the general calibration of them all means you don’t really need to – not something that can be said of many contemporary vehicles.

Paying extra to step up into the 2025 Volkswagen Golf 110TSI Style affords the Discover infotainment upgrade that centres around the 12.9-inch infotainment touchscreen.

The display sits proudly within the dash and uses clean graphics with mostly logical menus and layouts – you can also customise shortcut screens, which is a nice touch. The operating system itself is snappy and even responsive to the proximity of touch.

Taking care of the instrument cluster is a 10.2 Digital Cockpit Pro display with customisable views, while the head-up display is ultra crisp and provides speed and navigation information.

Ticking off the other must-haves, the Golf Style gains wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Bluetooth, built-in sat-nav, DAB+ digital radio, USB-C ports and a cooled wireless charging pad. There’s also the IDA voice assistant as well as connected services via the GoConnect app.

Gearbox aside, which we’ll get to, the powertrain carries over unchanged for the non-performance oriented variants. Which means the 2025 Volkswagen Golf 110TSI continues with a 1.4-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine.

Rather unsurprisingly given the badging, it produces 110kW and 250Nm – not bad numbers for a rather diminutive capacity. Yet, in practice, the Style’s 1345kg kerb weight results in relatively swift progress for the segment and enough oomph for the daily commute and highway driving.

It’s all directed to the front wheels via an eight-speed torque-converter automatic, which replaced the dual-clutch gearbox for the Mk8 generation. The latter had generated a rather negative narrative for its lack of low-speed manners. The more traditional auto transmission vastly improves this and, for most buyers, the slightly slower gearchanges on the run won’t even register. So, it’s a win-win situation.

In Australia, we’re a bit shortchanged in terms of engine choice, with other markets gaining the newer 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol unit. For the moment, the Golf runs without hybrid, plug-in hybrid or full EV propulsion Down Under. However, this isn’t set to be the case in the future.

Naturally, the 2025 Volkswagen Golf 110TSI Style can’t match the likes of the Hyundai i30 or Toyota Corolla hybrids for frugality. Yet, at an official combined fuel consumption of 6.3L/100km, it isn’t exactly thirsty, either.

Over a week of driving, which included city, urban, country and highway, we achieved 7.0L/100km. While that is more than the claim, it did include some spirited road testing, so lowering that figure shouldn’t be a hard task.

The Golf does demand you fill its 50-litre tank with at least 95 RON premium unleaded, though.

It might sound like faint praise, but one of the 2025 Volkswagen Golf 110TSI Style’s greatest attributes is how innocuous it is to daily drive. There aren’t any fad operations that are hard to decipher and it just goes about its business in such an appeasing, well-behaved manner.

The driving position is excellent for a range of body types and the view out is clear, too, with the addition of the front quarter glasses and the big rear window. The 18-inch wheels (up from 17s on the Life) have a slight, and we mean slight, detrimental impact on the ride quality, but overall, it’s a very cosseting and confidence-inspiring experience.

Yet, that doesn’t mean it’s boring. In fact, the Golf, underpinned by Volkswagen’s ubiquitous MQB platform, holds its head high when the road starts to twist and turn. The soft nature never leaves the suspension (MacPherson struts front and multi-link rear), with some vertical movement and body roll, but it isn’t ever unruly thanks to sophisticated passive damping.

Another Volkswagen trait is satisfying steering. Yes, it’s light, but the feel is natural when you wind on lock and its textural enough to be engaged in the process. Again, the Golf doesn’t have to harness dynamic talent, so the fact it does is a welcome surprise and certainly adds to the sense of buying an upmarket product.

It might not instantly appear to be the case, but this is where the 0.5 in the generation progression is most evident. And the delights are in the detail with the 2025 Volkswagen Golf 110TSI Style.

Moreover, it’s the incremental improvements that prove the German marque listens to feedback.

So, what are we talking about? Well, the multi-function steering wheel gains physical buttons – although admittedly, the touch-sensitive controls were previously only used higher up the food chain anyway. Not only that, the temperature and volume controls below the infotainment screen have been improved and are now backlit – halleluiah.

Aside from that, the price premium comes to the fore in terms of built quality, the materials used and attention to detail. The door bins can not only swallow huge bottles, but they’re also lined in felt so you’re less likely to hear the items they consume rattle. In fact, all the storage areas are lined in the generally well-considered cabin – even the ambient lighting extends to the rear.

Gripes are few, but the piano-black accents are finger-print prone and will scratch easily, while if subjected to the wrong angle, parts of the centre console can reflect into your line of sight. And yes, the process is somewhat refined via the ‘Clima’ shortcut, but changing fan speed requires a few screen prods to access.

In terms of noise, vibration and harshness levels the 110TSI Style’s cabin cocoons at low speeds, but you can hear some tyre roar from the 225/40 R18 Bridgestone Turanza rubber on highways. 

Rear-seat headroom is good due to the tall roof, but legroom isn’t palatial – especially if an adult is sitting behind another adult. Fitting three abreast is also not going to happen, but toe room is good for sliding your feet under the pew in front. And something like a Toyota Corolla has a far tighter rear.

Amenity is right up there, though, with rear air vents as well as the tri-zone climate controls, 45W USB-C ports, map pockets, a fold-down centre armrest with ski port and cupholders as well as large, felt-lined door bins.

Cargo capacity is above average for the segment at 374 litres, which expands to 1230L with the 60/40-split folding rear seats stowed. There are bag hooks and ties, a 12-volt outlet and LED lighting, plus a space-saver spare wheel lives under the flat floor. There isn’t much of a lip to lift heavy items over, either.

There’s an undeniable vibe of pragmatic quality here. It also really makes you wonder what buyers see in a T-Roc they can’t get in the Golf apart from ride height. Ultimately, the Mk8.5 Golf is remarkably easy to live with and, surprisingly, endears itself quickly.

Not only is the Golf facing the brunt of the shift upwards to SUVs of all shapes and sizes, but how it gains propulsion is also set to shift.

This is likely the last of its kind before Volkswagen shifts away from internal combustion to a full EV (branded ID. Golf) on the Scalable Systems Platform (SSP) in a joint venture with Rivian.

In that sense, the 2025 Volkswagen Golf 110TSI Style is a bit of a landmark car. On the face of it the mid-spec hatchback might present as unremarkable, especially without brandishing a GTI or R badge on its rump, but it proves noteworthy. And it’s just as practical as VeeDub’s in-vogue small SUV.

Yes, the Golf isn’t cheap, but it’s worth paying extra.   

2025 Volkswagen Golf 110TSI Style at a glance:
Price: $43,690 (before on-road costs)
Available: Now
Powertrain: 1.4-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 110kW/250Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 6.3L/100km (ADR combined)
CO2: 143g/km (ADR combined)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2022)

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