Volkswagen Golf GTI 2017 Review

Especially when Volkswagen has many other things to spend its money on… and yes folks, that is a reference to the billions the German giant has paid into ‘dieselgate’ compensation.

Golf GTI is the grand overlord of the hot hatch class. It’s far from the most powerful, even though this latest upgrade bumps the EA888 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine’s power from 162kW to 169Nm, matching the old ‘Performance’ variant. Torque remains unchanged at 350Nm.

In either six-speed manual or dual-clutch DSG form, the GTI accelerates from 0-100km/h in 6.4 seconds, 0.1sec faster than the GTI 7.0.

Fuel consumption claims are 6.6L/100km for the manual and 6.7L/100km for the DSG. Those figures are 0.4L/100km and 0.1L/100km worse – yes worse – than the old GTI 7.0.

Volkswagen Group Australia says the deterioration in fuel consumption can be attributed to the power up-tick and radar gubbins for the now-standard ‘front assist with city brake’ – or autonomous emergency braking.

Other changes to the GTI include new bumpers, a radiator grille, LED headlights and tail-lights and a new infotainment system with 8.0-inch touch screen.

There are lots of new features touted for GTI, including the above-mentioned AEB, but most of them are optional. The 12.3-inch TFT Active Info Display and 9.2-inch infotainment screen with gesture control come as part of the $2300 infotainment package; active cruise control, blind spot monitoring and more are bundled into a $1600 driver assistance package and a pano sunroof and leather trim are highlights of the $3900 luxury package.

Speaking of trim, naturally, the GTI is standard with tartan cloth.

Standard safety equipment continues to include autonomous emergency braking, seven airbags, a reversing camera and a five-star ANCAP rating.

It’s good buying, undercutting more powerful hot hatches like the Peugeot 308 GTi and the new Honda Civic Type R by thousands of dollars.

Golf GTI’s most direct rival is probably the $38,990 Ford Focus ST, which has more power and torque, but is manual-only.

The all-wheel drive Subaru WRX sedan is also close on price and performance, although it doesn’t fit the ‘hot hatch’ definition.

But, when you feel like a bit of fun, it convincingly changes character - the engine is flexible and responsive and, should you opt for the DSG, you get the thrill of lickety-split manual changes via the steering wheel-mounted paddles.

With the assistance of an electronic diff lock, the front-wheel drive chassis is a safe-as-houses handler which progressively transmits what it feels about your inputs with feet and hands. You can also dial steering wheel and damper firmness up and down to suit your preferences.

So why wouldn’t you buy it? It’s not the hottest hot hatch going around, but you can pay more to get more - the hotter Golf R is there if you need it.

And personally, there’s one more reason; ‘dieselgate’. The betrayal of buyer trust by Volkswagen as it cheated on diesel emissions for years was literally breath-taking. Volkswagen has some work to do to regain the trust of many people.

Other hot Golfs are the $47,990 limited edition 180kW Performance Edition 1 three-door and the all-wheel drive 213kW R from $52,990.

A sub-$50,000 Golf R Grid Edition is expected before the end of 2017 and a sub-$40K Golf GTI original three-door in early 2018. The Golf GTE petrol-electric hybrid is also on the radar.

Volkswagen Group Australia backs the GTI with a three-year unlimited warranty, while service intervals are 12 months/15,000km. As my colleague Feann Torr has previously noted, a five-year warranty would be a great move by Volkswagen.

The good news is the GTI is not only cheaper than those cars, it’s also still great fun to drive.

It consistently does well in motoring.com.au road testing and has twice, in different forms, participated in Australia’s Best Driver’s Car.

As we’ve already said, that’s no bad thing really.