Volkswagen Golf GTI 2019 Review

The Volkswagen Golf GTI has undergone significant change, adopting a decidedly upmarket approach that omits its manual transmission and the availability of a three-door variant.

With the current 169kW/350Nm model no longer available due to emissions regulations, the manufacturer’s Australian arm has made the former 'Performance Edition' standard Golf GTI fare for 2019 – at a price.

The Australian-delivered GTI now boasts 180kW of power and 370Nm of torque (up from 169kW/350Nm) from a familiar 2.0-litre turbo-four.

A newer seven-speed wet-clutch DSG automatic is also standard fitment, along with an electro-mechanical front differential and ventilated front and rear disc brakes borrowed from the Golf R.

The changes don’t come cheap, but they do coincide with more standard equipment across the range.

Pricing for the 2019 Volkswagen Golf GTI is now set firmly at $45,490 plus on-road costs. That’s an $8000 increase on the previous three-door, manual entry model.

For that, the GTI now scores a host of previously optional driver assist systems, including front assist with city emergency brake and pedestrian monitoring, adaptive cruise control, lane assist with adaptive lane guidance, traffic jam assist and a blind-spot monitor with rear traffic alert and LED headlights with light assist.

The interior also gets the Active Info Display digital instrument panel with unique GTI functions and outside there are power-folding mirrors.

The MY19 Volkswagen Golf GTI will also offer two option packs. The $2300 sound and style package offers 19-inch Brescia alloy wheels (pictured), a 9.2-inch satellite-navigation system, gesture control, voice control and Dynaudio 400W sound system.

The $3900 luxury package offers leather upholstery, heated front seats, power driver’s seat with memory, exterior mirrors with memory function and a panoramic power glass sunroof.

Metallic/pearl effect paint is a $500 option and Volkswagen is currently offering a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty on models sold before the end of the year.

Capped-price servicing is available, averaging out at $535 per 15,000km/12-month interval.

While the blueprint has narrowed incrementally for the updated VW Golf GTI, it remains an inherently fun and practical hot hatch.

There is healthy and satisfying power on offer from the 2.0-litre turbo-four that materialises early in the rev range and continues through to its 6500rpm cut-out.

The corresponding DSG gearbox is swift in its inputs, complementing the rorty turbo-four but lending it an at-times elastic feel.

A couple of criticisms of the auto now bubble to surface given the omission of a manual variant: there is no way to manually hold gears, even when using the manual gate and paddle shifters (the auto will always override), and the signature blat or belch between upshifts has curiously disappeared.

Despite that, power is driven cleanly through the front wheels during road driving. Only on a damp circuit are the limitations of the front-drive system easily exploited when pushed, amounting to occasional understeer and mild torque steer.

However, the Golf’s swift electronic suite always intervenes to ensure it doesn’t feel out of its depth.

All told, the performance additions coincide with a hastened 0-100km/h time of 6.2 seconds (down 0.2 seconds), and an improved fuel consumption rating of 6.5L/100km, a figure we managed to beat in real-world driving.

As ever, the GTI’s controls feel well-weighted and precise, allowing it to adeptly balance the duties of a daily driver together with the dynamic roundedness of a backroad blaster. The refinement of the driving experience is particularly redeeming, especially on long-range trips.

The 2019 Volkswagen Golf GTI is available is available in Aussie showrooms now, along with updated variants of the regular Golf range including a new Golf R.

It arrives more than a year before the unveil of the all-new Mk8 Volkswagen Golf, the GTI version of which is also set to go without a manual transmission.

The price and new positioning of the Golf GTI may narrow its core demographic slightly.

However, the practical layout of the cabin and user-friendly nature of the driving experience ensures it remains the consummate everyday sports car.

The technology, feel and refinement of the cabin are particularly pleasing, especially with its digital instrument cluster and large colour screen.

There is a real familiarity to the controls, while serene cabin acoustics, rear seat air vents and a 380-litre boot make the GTI suitable for weekends away.

Even if the pricier Honda Civic Type R and Ford Focus RS are the hot hatch kings, and it’s been usurped by the Hyundai i30 N as the best all-round hot hatch, the Volkswagen Golf GTI remains a high-quality, high-tech, high-refinement hot hatch.

However, you cannot help but feel the former benchmark in this segment has lost some of its core appeal and exclusivity with the absence of a manual transmission and three-door variant — especially at a time when most of its competitors remain manual-only and none of them offer just two doors.

The changes come against a backdrop of falling demand for manual transmissions and increasing demand for five-door practicality. So in essence, the changes are what the people are asking for.

Change is scary but, as ever, there is a lot to like about this iconic German hot hatch.

How much is the 2019 Volkswagen Golf GTI?
Price: $45,490 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 180kW/370Nm
Transmission: Seven-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel: 6.5L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 150g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star ANCAP