Volkswagen Golf GTI Mk 8.5 2025 review

The really interesting part of this review is not that the 2025 Volkswagen Golf GTI is significantly better to both drive and live with – because it is, by the way – but how VW went about making the changes.

On the one hand, the German carmaker used its extensive experience developing hot hatches spanning back to arguably the original driver’s hatchback – the Golf GTI of 1979.

But rather than just settling for a mid-life enhancement to performance, it listened to consumer and media feedback and had a crack at ergonomics and function as well.

The result is a version of the iconic model that’s colloquially referred to as generation 8.5 but feels altogether more deserving of just 0.5 to describe its evolution of the breed.

The expression ‘greater than the sum of its parts’ was a clever (and accurate) marketing strap-line used to promote the E39 5 Series in the 1990s, but applies equally well to the 2025 Volkswagen Golf GTI 8.5 – not because the improvements were through radical rethinking, but through a subtle evolution of the status quo.

An ironic twist since BMW’s generational evolution of its own hot small model – the 135 – demonstrates how changing the recipe too drastically can result in a vehicle that’s unrecognisable from the celebrated original in virtually all but the boot badge.

For a 2025 update however, the Golf GTI retains all its main constituent parts but consistent incremental changes have had a brilliant effect.

It still has the ubiquitous EA888 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine at the front and it still drives the front wheels through a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic. It’s also still a five-door five-seat small hatchback that can be used as the one-car daily driver with athletic weekend potential under a sophisticated tracksuit.

Pricing is the main unknown at the time of writing however, and depending on which rivals you use for comparison, a likely figure of between $55,000 and $60,000 could look like either great value or a little steep. We’ll consider GTI 8.5 actual competitors later once Aussie pricing lobs. The current version is priced at just over $56,000, or $59,990 driveaway.

Updates include a completely rethought front-end arrangement with revised suspension that’s bolted to the same subframe as the factory made racer Golf TCR.

There’s also more muscle with the 2.0-litre gently squeezed for 15 more kilowatts taking peak power to 195kW, while torque remains the same at 370Nm but sticks around longer from 1600rpm to 4590rpm.

There are a few telltales on the outside for the trained eye including a cool illuminated VW badge, subtle facelift and handsome new-look 19-inch wheels that evoke a bit of fifth-gen style. The interior, too, has been tweaked – more on that below – but beyond all of this, the Golf GTI is much the same, a good thing given it’s an accomplished package in Mk8 form.

The Golf GTI has never tried to be a sledgehammer in the hot-hatch segment and instead, the most successful versions in eight generations (plus a few if you count the 0.5s) have approached performance with subtlety and balance.

That’s why the 8.5 stands out. It builds on the version introduced in 2021 with calculated changes that aim for holistic improvement rather than clumsy additions that could upset the balance, and it’s clear from the first lunge into a turn.

The front end revision has sharpened the entire experience with lightning steering response that sends signals back to the driver’s hands as fast as the nose obeys and there’s a mountain of grip.

Grip in both the resistance to lateral slip but also traction thanks to the TCR subframe which brings a little track-focused geometry and weight-reduction but also an electric locking differential that still allows a little bit of a squirm.

The GTI doesn’t torque steer as such but has a little shimmy with some tram-lining as its sticky rubber seeks out the greatest ‘mu’, or friction level, in the road surface below.

But the excellent front end poise perfectly pairs with the rear set up and the Golf’s lovely front-to-rear balance is a complete joy when pushing on in varying conditions and bends.

Braking is strong and confident and a heavy foot can be used to unsettle the rear but not to the point you’ll be looking the other way by mistake – it’s always within limits.

Outright cornering grip limits are impressive but a degree friendlier than the AWD hatchback bruisers including the Golf R, and the natural limits that come with front-wheel-drive traction create an accessible performance ceiling without spoiling the fun.

It all works very nicely with the 8.5 engine enhancements which, once again, aren’t stratospheric but scintillating without being scary. Acceleration will make you smile and the broader torque will keep you stuck to the tail of many more powerful vehicles.

The combined result is so wonderfully easy to appreciate without necessarily being able to put your finger on a main contributor, but just as impressive is how the enhancements have not come at a cost to comfort.

This is still a car you could use for dull daily duties without once being reminded of its weekend frivolous nature with a jarring ride, blurting exhaust note or squeezey rear seats or boot, for example.

Perhaps the one compromise we certainly would be willing to live with is a manual gearbox but that’s dead says Volkswagen.

That said, the seven-speed dual-clutch auto is an easy way to forget about the lack of manual with even more aggressive shifts for the 8.5 but the option to opt for silky smooth swaps as the DCT has always offered in the existing Mk 8 version.

It’s not as razor sharp or track-focused as the Honda Civic Type R, nor does it have the brutishness of the Hyundai i30 N, but it’s clear that the GTI is not trying to be either, instead offering something that’s understated and subtle without forfeiting sophistication.

Speaking of understated subtlety, the theme continues through the interior. While it’s not quite confirmed exactly what’ll be included in the price when it arrives in Australia but the car we sampled was specced in what we regard perfect driver’s trim.

Sports seats were upholstered in cool, nostalgic tartan cloth and featured heating for cool days blasting mountain roads but with weight-saving manual position adjustment – not heavy electric. Two-tone grey features as an optional upgrade.

There’s also a small sunroof which is perfect for letting in a little more light to the sporty dark interior but saves more weight over massive panoramic panels which position the extra mass high up and raise the centre of gravity.

Materials are soft-touch everywhere it matters but stops short of excessive and unnecessary stitching and fabric upholstery on the dashboard for example, while the weave-pattern trim panels are understated and not trying to be fake carbon-fibre.

A 12.9-inch screen has grown over the previous version and offers a less fiddly interface especially when it comes to phone pairing – which it’ll do with Android and Apple devices – and those controversial slider controls at the bottom now blink into life when the lights are switched on.

Chat GPT has been woven into European and UK media systems but it’s unlikely Australia will get the same and we’re not disappointed about that.

A new design steering wheel is still sporty and ergonomic but has fattened up a little – we hope it doesn’t continue and become the next BMW wheel plumping, which really had been on the pies until recently.

Packaging wise, there’s still plenty of space for rear passengers, a boot that can swallow up to 374 litres of stuff or 1230L for those infrequent Ikea trips.

There are no big changes or surprises in safety. Volkswagen has introduced an improved road sign recognition for the 8.5 but this is yet to be confirmed for Australia. Beyond that, it’s the same suite of safety systems that earned the Golf the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) full five-star rating when it was tested in 2022.

In verdict, the Mk 8 Volkswagen Golf GTI didn’t really need any sharpening, its ergonomics and interior were completely liveable and, if pleasing to your eye, the exterior design hasn’t aged a day. Constant progress, though, is essential in a unforgiving segment where latency can be fatal, and with just a few small refinements, the Mk 8.5 has leapt ahead.

A little extra power and broader torque combines with a sophisticated locking diff and wholly rethought front end for a genuinely surprising improvement to traction, handling, steering feel and fun.

Despite the extra muscle and athleticism, the pleasant ride has avoided harshness and actually gets better in the mid-life update, as has general functionality with a look at some small Mk 8 oversights.

The Mk 8.5 GTI is like a little shake of Worcestershire sauce in your best bolognaise recipe or a scratch of nutmeg in rice pudding – you won’t taste it in every mouthful but a relatively small addition lifts everything in unison.

Which leaves only the price. While the Hyundai i30 N continues to offer something more aggressive for less cash (with an update imminent), the Golf might look a little pricey, but at the other end of the spectrum there’s the Honda Civic Type R which is exceptionally sharp but commands a price that could be as much as $12,000 higher than the GTI.

Either way, the updated Golf GTI is an impressively well-rounded package that continues to punch hard in an arena of high achievers.