Volkswagen Golf GTI engines & performance

It burbles through the GTI’s twin tailpipes, and if you try hard enough you can elicit some pops on the overrun. That’s as it should be: a reward for driving it spiritedly, rather than just a way to annoy people in towns. Inevitably, there’s some digital augmentation through the speakers (you can make it more or less pronounced via the drive mode settings), but it enhances rather than changes the engine’s natural character and doesn’t sound overbearing or fake.

We may lament the lack of a manual gearbox when it comes to engagement, but the combined effect of the 19bhp uplift for the updated GTI and the DSG’s rapid changes and launch control is that the 0-60mph sprint took 0.9sec less than it did in the manual pre-facelift car we timed in 2021. Where that car struggled to find traction off the line, the new version simply takes off with no drama and keeps ripping through the gears until it runs out of road. Indeed, it out-drags the Ford Focus ST we tested in 2019 (and which hasn’t had any powertrain upgrades since) in every metric and is hot on the heels of the mighty Honda Civic Type R.

And that's just the standard GTI: the Clubsport has an extra 34bhp and a more sporting tune to give it richer performance and added reserves. An optional Akrapovič sports exhaust can be ordered as part of the optional Race Package, bringing a harder and more determined exhaust note, with pops and crackles on the overrun to further heighten the driving experience.

Braking performance is strong, too. The brakes suffered no notable fade in repeated stops from 80mph, and wet conditions added only about 10m to the overall stopping distance from 70mph. Pedal feel is good, with a bit of sneeze room at the top of the pedal’s movement and predictable response thereafter.