by Anthony Fongaro - photos by VW - 08/11/2023
In the world of the hot hatchback, one name comes to mind. The Volkswagen GTI. I have a personal tie to the story since I owned a 2008 and own a 2016. I’ve loved the GTI for its under-the-radar looks, ergonomic interiors, engines, and handling. Over the years, Volkswagen has been hooning its craft and has given us the eighth generation of the GTI. This time, the GTI is a four-door only with a few different trim levels. Although this was the entry-level S with the DSG automated manual transmission, it looked to be promising. Was it? Read on to find out.
What does a Volkswagen GTI look like? That’s right, a regular Golf with some distinctive features to help it stand out. We will start at the rear, where the GTI has had a few changes over the last generation. Now, the GTI logo is in the middle of the trunk, under the Volkswagen badge. Headlights are slimmer than before, along with a more racked rear windshield. I’m glad that Volkswagen doesn’t give the GTI any fake exhaust. Those two are real! Moving to the side, this GTI wore Reflex Silver Metallic paint along with 18-inch wheels. The rims have a curved-turbine look and I like it.
You’ll notice a body crease that starts at the taillights and moves all the way to the GTI badge. GTI is in silver with a red accent piece and a slight curve at the end of it. One tell-tale sign of a GTI is at the front. A little red strip connects the headlights, a little homage to its older brethren. These headlights, like the taillights, are more angular. Unfortunately, the design of the grille looks like a miss. It looks like the GTI is wearing a 3⁄4 goatee. I’m also not a fan of having lights integrated into the grille. Other than that, it’s an evolution of the previous gen. Let’s get inside.
Being an S model, you don’t get any fake leather. Nope, this comes with good old-fashioned manually adjusted plaid seats! They’re very comfortable and have red on the side. Looking ahead, a red and black steering wheel with a GTI logo houses capacitive buttons. If you’ve never used capacitive buttons on a steering wheel before they can get annoying when you have to slide or touch certain places. Don’t worry, you quickly get used to it. Even as the S model, Volkswagen gives you a digital screen that can house regular dials, trip information, and a racy-looking dial with a large rev counter.
To the right is the infotainment system, a constant miss for the latest batch of Volkswagen products. As an S model, you don’t have to fiddle around with their more complex system. Instead, there’s a small 8.25-inch screen. Ironically, it’s easier to use the climate control here than in more upscale versions. There isn’t a lot of customization and everything is through the screen. Volkswagen does give its vehicles shortcut capacitive buttons for functions such as driver assist, parking menu, drive modes, and clima, aka, climate. Not the worst system, but it isn’t intuitive. Heated seats and a heated steering wheel came with this GTI.
As a small hatchback, don’t be surprised that both the trunk and rear seats aren’t the biggest. Still, this is a GTI so this isn’t a surprise. What was a surprise was the fit-and-finish. Both myself and the owner of a 2019 Volkswagen GTI were disappointed on how cheap the materials felt. Similar to vehicles such as the new Audi A3, automatic GTIs have a little knob to operate it. While it frees up space, it doesn’t give you the sense that you’re in something sporty.
That changes when you look under the hood. GTIs come with a 2.0-liter engine producing 241 horsepower/180 kW and 273 lb-ft/370 Nm. You can row your own gears, or get this seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. As a front-wheel-drive-only car, the GTI gets from 0-60 MPH in 5.1 seconds. I could feel the difference between this generation and the previous generation. Volkswagen has improved the DSG gearbox and it’s more responsive than ever! I managed around 26-28 respectable MPG. Drive modes include eco (don’t use), normal, sport, and custom. I was mostly in custom with the engine/transmission in normal and everything else in sport.
A GTI needs to handle well, and boy does this handle well! GTIs come with a limited-slip differential and an XDS Cross Differential System? What does this mean to non-car people? Well, the GTI goes around corners flat and there is no body roll and virtually no under-steer.. Combine this setup with the engine and gearbox, and you get an amazingly fun little hot hat. When you just want to cruise, even the S trim comes with Volkswagen’s IQ. Drive safety features. These include adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist, emergency braking, rear traffic alert, and blind spot monitoring.
Prices have gone up for the GTI, and the entry-level model now costs around $31,000. Chuck in the optional DSG gearbox, and you’re looking at $32,000. Should you go for the S trim? For a few grand more, you can get the SE. That comes with keyless access, a Harmon Kardon sound system, and a sunroof. If you have money to burn, the Autobahn can set you back $40,000 but gets ventilated seats, adaptive dampers, and a few other goodies.
After driving and living with the GTI, I can say that this is still a great hot hatchback. It has all the practicality that you want with a comfortable interior. Yes, the technology is a little wonky and the fit-and-finish is a little subpar. The point of a GTI is to be an all-around car, and this 2023 did not disappoint. If you want the barebone model, look at the 2023 Volkswagen GTI S. It’s a fun car and keeps the spirit of GTIs of yonder.
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