All-New Golf GTI and Golf R Headline VW's 2022 Lineup With Wireless CarPlay on Many Trims

[StuBeck]

Yep. MK7 GTI driver here. The MK8 interior is a complete step backwards. Cheap materials abound and the infotainment system is sluggish. There are NO physical buttons, everything is touch with haptic feedback. VW in their infinite wisdom also chose not to illuminate the volume sliders on the dash so it’s impossible to see what you’re doing at night.

Other than the cluster of an interior, the MK8 will be a better performer than the MK7 in every way.

I'm interested in how longer term reviews are of it. My wife's Outback has a distinct lack of physical buttons for the infotainment, and the wheel buttons are similar haptic feedback. I prefer buttons, but its not as terrible as many make it seem. Some of the improvements in chassis and other add-ons my SE doesn't have interest me, but I love the interior of my car...if it really is that bad, I may just go to a MK7.5 R if prices decrease once the MK8 R is out.

Its also slightly confusing that my 17 MK7 GTI is a GTI, where now they're going back to the Golf GTI name.

 

[jonnysods]

Every generation people make the same comment. ?

Yes and no - I've loved all the iterations of the Golf for decades, and I love design changes and refinements. What I love about them is they generally retain that unique VW look, even though they get more and more modern. I currently own a 2018 model.

You have to admit that looking at the front of this, it does very closely resemble other cars.

 

[Razorpit]

You must be joking. I took a look at a 2013 GTI when I bought my '12 WRX new and it was an absolute piece of crap compared to the latter in every department but the interior. Yes, interior was a nice one as Germans are good at it. At around the same price of around $26-27K the WRX would run laps around the GTI on any race. Subaru had a more powerful engine, awd standard, larger interior, etc. I couldn't believe anyone would pay the same amount of money for a piece of crap Golf with a weak sauce 200hp engine when you can buy much better cars. And I was right too, Subarus sold like hot cakes back then while I barely saw any GTIs.

That said I am a VW owner. I own a '72 Super Beetle. And I'm amazed how a company that used to get so many things right can do such an awful job on current cars. The Bug is still my city car and I used it all the time. It's a useful car 50 years later! Every time I see a new generation VW I just want to puke. Everything after Mk3 just looks like awfully designed and built trash and is loaded with a ton of absolutely useless electronics. That's sad.

I always saw the GTi as a different type of performance car. When you are designing a vehicle you can only spend so much in R&D and equipment. For their budget Subaru emphasized performance over overall refinement. VW wanted a hot hatch with refined elements to it. They are different, but I wouldn't say either is "junk".

A little off topic, but I drive a black, 96 GTI VR6. The last of a dying breed. But I love the thing. No digital screens in this car--manual everything. So much fun to drive! People actually stop me on the streets all the time and ask about it. Hoping to keep it until my son is old enough to drive, but by then, who knows what will be powering vehicles.

I had a Ginster Yellow '97. It was a driver's edition that technically wasn't a driver's edition. I miss that car. Traded it in on a '04 Passat, 5-speed manual, 4-Motion. I'm really kicking myself for selling that one 12 years later. Guy flew in from across the country to buy it and drive it home.

Yes and no - I've loved all the iterations of the Golf for decades, and I love design changes and refinements. What I love about them is they generally retain that unique VW look, even though they get more and more modern. I currently own a 2018 model.

You have to admit that looking at the front of this, it does very closely resemble other cars.

Yes, fronts are starting to look alike again. I don't hate it, but it isn't my favorite look over 8 generations.

 

[Zmmyt]

I drove my first 7 series when I was 17. What do you mean by that? LOL. Sorry, I don't get it.

Very bad rep here in the uk. Think they own the road.

 

[Steve121178]

You must be joking. I took a look at a 2013 GTI when I bought my '12 WRX new and it was an absolute piece of crap compared to the latter in every department but the interior. Yes, interior was a nice one as Germans are good at it. At around the same price of around $26-27K the WRX would run laps around the GTI on any race. Subaru had a more powerful engine, awd standard, larger interior, etc. I couldn't believe anyone would pay the same amount of money for a piece of crap Golf with a weak sauce 200hp engine when you can buy much better cars. And I was right too, Subarus sold like hot cakes back then while I barely saw any GTIs.

That said I am a VW owner. I own a '72 Super Beetle. And I'm amazed how a company that used to get so many things right can do such an awful job on current cars. The Bug is still my city car and I used it all the time. It's a useful car 50 years later! Every time I see a new generation VW I just want to puke. Everything after Mk3 just looks like awfully designed and built trash and is loaded with a ton of absolutely useless electronics. That's sad.

People don't buy a Golf to do laps around the streets. They buy a Golf as its a practical all rounder.

Your WRX wasn't even a good car in 2012 and it's definitely not a good option now.

 

[BaracksPhallusPalace]

I don’t know about that in terms of not being reliable. I think they are, but I think they’re also very costly to fix without the warranty. It’s also fair to say, every model year has different tendencies posing problems, and some issues are more prominent depending which model year that was. Just because your 2017 GTI was overheating, doesn’t mean it was a widespread issue that was happening to the majority of GTI‘s.

I Remember when I purchased a Taurus SHO, [which is a TwinTurbo 3.5 L V6], I had others telling me that the turbos would fail, the timing chain will fail at XYZ miles, and guess what? Never happened to me on two of those cars now that I’ve owned.

I have a 2007 GTI and aside from its ravenous thirst for oil, it's been a pretty reliable car. It's also been fairly easy to work on, and I've done a lot of my own maintenance on it. The only thing that was a major pain was doing the timing belt, I had to drop the passenger side of the motor to get the cover off.

 

[sideshowuniqueuser]

You must be joking. I took a look at a 2013 GTI when I bought my '12 WRX new and it was an absolute piece of crap compared to the latter in every department but the interior. Yes, interior was a nice one as Germans are good at it. At around the same price of around $26-27K the WRX would run laps around the GTI on any race. Subaru had a more powerful engine, awd standard, larger interior, etc. I couldn't believe anyone would pay the same amount of money for a piece of crap Golf with a weak sauce 200hp engine when you can buy much better cars. And I was right too, Subarus sold like hot cakes back then while I barely saw any GTIs.

That said I am a VW owner. I own a '72 Super Beetle. And I'm amazed how a company that used to get so many things right can do such an awful job on current cars. The Bug is still my city car and I used it all the time. It's a useful car 50 years later! Every time I see a new generation VW I just want to puke. Everything after Mk3 just looks like awfully designed and built trash and is loaded with a ton of absolutely useless electronics. That's sad.

Yep, if all you want is SPEED for your buck, then there are a lot of better buys than a Golf GTI/R. I said all round car and the Golfs excel. I test drove a brand new WRX before I bought my mk7 GTI brand new, and although I liked it in many ways, I preferred the golf. And at least here in Australia, the WRX only come as sedans these days, so it wasn't even in the race for me. I need a hatch to fit my surfboards and other toys. Regardless, I still prefer the Golfs for their all round features, balancing performance, comfort, quality, and utility. The WRX appeals more to the younger, rev head buyer. The Golf appeals more to the older, more refined, buyer. Also here in Oz, WRX are pure cop magnets, you can't drive them hard without drawing heat. Whereas the Golf, partly because it looks so unassuming, basically a sleeper, and partly because the cops know that they aren't really a young rev head's car, the cops don't hunt them, and within reason, with judgement, I get away with driving like a maniac when I want to. I'm not at all knocking the WRX, they are great cars too, but for me, the Golf is the best bang for buck for an all round performance car.

 

[Razorpit]

Yep, if all you want is SPEED for your buck, then there are a lot of better buys than a Golf GTI/R. I said all round car and the Golfs excel. I test drove a brand new WRX before I bought my mk7 GTI brand new, and although I liked it in many ways, I preferred the golf. And at least here in Australia, the WRX only come as sedans these days, so it wasn't even in the race for me. I need a hatch to fit my surfboards and other toys. Regardless, I still prefer the Golfs for their all round features, balancing performance, comfort, quality, and utility. The WRX appeals more to the younger, rev head buyer. The Golf appeals more to the older, more refined, buyer. Also here in Oz, WRX are pure cop magnets, you can't drive them hard without drawing heat. Whereas the Golf, partly because it looks so unassuming, basically a sleeper, and partly because the cops know that they aren't really a young rev head's car, the cops don't hunt them, and within reason, with judgement, I get away with driving like a maniac when I want to. I'm not at all knocking the WRX, they are great cars too, but for me, the Golf is the best bang for buck for an all round performance car.

Spot on. James Bond drove a DB5, not because it was the fastest car available. ?

 

[jsalda]

From a non-infotainment review perspective, the new Golf GTI is a sad replacement for the previous version. Bean counters have cheapened it everywhere they can, pissing off long-time GTI enthusiasts.

The New VW Golf GTI Just Isn’t As Good As Its Predecessor, And We Can Blame Cost Cutting | Carscoops

According to Jason Camisa, the Mk8 Golf GTI just isn't as good as the car that preceded it

www.carscoops.com

So glad I bought one last year, nothing can replace analog gauges and dials.

On the point of CarPlay, wireless is convenient, but CarPlay is buggy enough for me that I don't want to introduce one more thing to go wrong.

 

[jsalda]

Yep, if all you want is SPEED for your buck, then there are a lot of better buys than a Golf GTI/R. I said all round car and the Golfs excel. I test drove a brand new WRX before I bought my mk7 GTI brand new, and although I liked it in many ways, I preferred the golf. And at least here in Australia, the WRX only come as sedans these days, so it wasn't even in the race for me. I need a hatch to fit my surfboards and other toys. Regardless, I still prefer the Golfs for their all round features, balancing performance, comfort, quality, and utility. The WRX appeals more to the younger, rev head buyer. The Golf appeals more to the older, more refined, buyer. Also here in Oz, WRX are pure cop magnets, you can't drive them hard without drawing heat. Whereas the Golf, partly because it looks so unassuming, basically a sleeper, and partly because the cops know that they aren't really a young rev head's car, the cops don't hunt them, and within reason, with judgement, I get away with driving like a maniac when I want to. I'm not at all knocking the WRX, they are great cars too, but for me, the Golf is the best bang for buck for an all round performance car.

My best friend has had just about every type of sports car out there (+900hp Z3 Roadster as a current toy). He recently purchased a WRX and when he was in town and drove my '20 GTi, he said he enjoyed it more and, if it wasn't for a horrible experience with VW years ago, would trade the WRX in for a GTi. VW definitely has the driving experience down for these cars.

 

[Lyoha]

Yep. MK7 GTI driver here. The MK8 interior is a complete step backwards. Cheap materials abound and the infotainment system is sluggish. There are NO physical buttons, everything is touch with haptic feedback. VW in their infinite wisdom also chose not to illuminate the volume sliders on the dash so it’s impossible to see what you’re doing at night.

Other than the cluster of an interior, the MK8 will be a better performer than the MK7 in every way.

Another MK7 GTI driver here. I hate the MK8 interior and will stick with my MK7. I'll give up wireless CarPlay for a functional interior even if Wireless CarPlay is nice.

 

[840quadra]

You must be joking. I took a look at a 2013 GTI when I bought my '12 WRX new and it was an absolute piece of crap compared to the latter in every department but the interior. Yes, interior was a nice one as Germans are good at it. At around the same price of around $26-27K the WRX would run laps around the GTI on any race. Subaru had a more powerful engine, awd standard, larger interior, etc. I couldn't believe anyone would pay the same amount of money for a piece of crap Golf with a weak sauce 200hp engine when you can buy much better cars. And I was right too, Subarus sold like hot cakes back then while I barely saw any GTIs.

Opinions aside, your assertion that the WRX has a larger interior is generally not correct. They are (near as makes no difference) the same size inside, with the slide edge going to the GTI

GTI 5-Door interior

WRX 5 door interior

Looking at reviews and performance data at the time, the WRX sure is the giant killer with regards to 0-60, but outside of that the weak sauce GTI actually does a good job for having over 60hp disadvantage to the WRX. The FSI engine is more responsive (throttle response) and provides a much flatter torque curve than the WRX which makes it easier to drive, but perhaps a bit less fun than the Peaky WRX. My style, I prefer the flat torque curve, as in traffic it makes it much easier to jab into a gap than in a car that I need to downshift or wait for boost. YMMV.

Note 5-60 times (this is the WRX)

GTI

(All image sources Car & Driver)



I am not really in either camp, as while I do drive all German cars, I don't think they are superior to anything else, I just prefer their driving dynamics and material selections for my personal taste. I would never insult a WRX driver by calling their car Junk. I respect that other people like different aspects of a given car, Regardless of what competition it has.