2018 Volkswagen Golf GTI First Test: The Balanced Hot Hatch

As one of the original hot hatches, the Volkswagen Golf GTI is the gold standard in the sport compact segment, combining practicality and excellent driving dynamics in one package. For 2018, the entire Golf lineup gets a significant refresh, and the spunky GTI gets a much-needed infusion of tech. Sadly, we don’t get the power increase found in European-spec GTIs, and the Digital Cockpit option is exclusive to the e-Golf and Golf R. Does that mean we lose out and our GTI is less fun? Oh gosh, no.

Under the hood is the same 2.0-liter turbo-four with 220 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque paired to a six-speed manual or Volkswagen’s six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. At the track, the manual-equipped GTI was the slower of our two testers, hitting 60 mph in 6.2 seconds before finishing the quarter mile in 14.7 seconds at 98.6 mph. The dual-clutch-equipped car hit 60 mph in 6.0 seconds and finished the quarter mile in 14.5 seconds at 98.4 mph. Road test editor Chris Walton liked that the dual-clutch shifted smoothly; however, in manual mode, the transmission auto upshifts at redline. During acceleration tests, Walton found that the electronic nannies aren’t fully defeatable; he had to trick the traction control system in the manual-equipped car to get a solid acceleration run. He also noted that there’s no reason to rev the GTI near redline because there’s not much grunt up there.

Braking performance was inconsistent due to both GTIs wearing Pirelli Cinturato P7 rubber, all-season tires more suited for duty in a family sedan than in a hot hatch. The heavier dual-clutch-equipped model stopped from 60 mph in 129 feet, and the manual-equipped car did the same deed in 124 feet. Walton noted that both GTIs had a firm pedal with good bite; however, the all-season tires squealed too much, and the rear end had a tendency to get light.

On the figure-eight course, the manual car finished its run in 26.0 seconds with a 0.70 g average. The dual-clutch-equipped car was a smidge quicker at 26.1 seconds with a 0.69 g average. On the skidpad, the manual-equipped GTI generated an average lateral acceleration of 0.90 g, and the dual-clutch model generated a slightly higher 0.91 g. Testing director and figure-eight guru Kim Reynolds enjoyed both cars and liked that the electronic safety systems weren’t very intrusive. But he did find they didn’t completely deactivate after pressing the off button. Reynolds loved the smooth shifter on the manual-equipped car but enjoyed the dual-clutch because it kept your hands on the steering wheel, putting the paddle shifters right at your fingertips.

With all performance testing done, we hit the winding roads around Los Angeles to have some fun. One of the highlights of the 2018 Golf GTI is its agile handling, which makes it fun to drive, especially when combined with its playful steering. The steering is especially helpful on a tight road such as Highway 39 in the San Gabriel Mountains. As with most electronic power steering systems, it’s slightly numb at times, but it provides enough feedback to keep you connected with the car. Head over to the fast, sweeping turns of the Angeles Forest Highway just off the Angeles Crest Highway, and the GTI is just at home as you take sweeping turns at higher speeds. If there’s a chink in the GTI’s armor, it’s the Pirelli Cinturato P7 all-season tires, which are definitely not suited for hot hatch duty. During more enthusiastic drives, we noticed the chassis overwhelming the tires, which caused it to squeal for dear life, further proving that our two testers were outfitted with the wrong rubber.

During your commute, the GTI won’t beat you up. Despite the performance-minded suspension setup, the car’s ride is comfortable even in its most aggressive setting. It dispatches bumps easily and keeps road imperfections out of the passenger cabin even with the standard 18-inch alloy wheels, but the ride is definitely on the stiff side.

Volkswagen’s 2.0-liter turbo-four is still an excellent engine with plenty of low- and midrange torque. Although the U.S.-spec GTI is down on power compared to the Euro-spec model, it’s still a punchy engine with accessible power everywhere. On SE and Autobahn models, a limited-slip differential helps put the power down efficiently, minimizing one-wheel peels, especially during enthusiastic driving.

The standard six-speed manual offers smooth, precise throws and is a joy to use. Its gates are clearly defined, and it’s nearly impossible to miss a shift when you’re hustling the car on your favorite winding road. The clutch is friendly, and it’s easy to find where it catches, making this hot hatch a great choice if you do have to commute in traffic and don’t want an automatic transmission.

What if you don’t want to shift yourself? The six-speed dual-clutch transmission with lightning-quick shifts in both automatic and manual modes is also an excellent choice. However, there’s a delay between putting your foot down on the accelerator and the transmission responding to your inputs, and it’s most apparent from a standstill.

Both GTIs were put through Real MPG’s battery of tests, and we received some pretty interesting results. The dual-clutch-equipped GTI yielded 23.7/34.0 mpg city/highway, which is right in line with its EPA rating of 24/32 mpg. However, the manual-equipped car, which is EPA-rated at 25/33 mpg, blew past its official numbers, yielding a result of 29.3/40.1 mpg—that’s 4.3 mpg and 7.1 mpg higher, respectively, proving that fun cars don’t have to be gas-guzzlers.

Regardless of the transmission choice, the GTI comes with a drive-mode selector with Eco, Comfort, Normal, Sport, and Custom modes. Forget about the Eco and Comfort modes as there’s not really much difference between them, the steering is too light, and throttle response is dull. Normal and Sport modes are much more in line with the GTI’s character. If you want to tailor everything, go into Custom mode and personalize the engine, suspension, exhaust, and steering exactly how you want them. You do need to get the Autobahn trim if you want to change suspension and dampers settings; the adaptive damping system comes only on that model. You also lose Comfort mode on the S and SE trims because they don’t come with the adaptive dampers.

Because it’s a hatch, the 2018 Volkswagen Golf GTI is very practical. There’s a two-level load floor in the cargo area, which helps when you have to carry bulky items. The standard 60/40 split-folding rear seats allow you to expand the 17.3-cubic-foot cargo area to a generous 53.7 cubic feet, giving the Golf GTI crossoverlike flexibility. In case you need to carry long items but have passengers, the GTI is one of a few hatchbacks with a ski pass-through. The GTI offers plenty of room for four passengers; five will fit on short trips, but whoever is relegated to the center position won’t have that much room because of a large drivetrain hump.

Volkswagen’s new multimedia system is one of the most user-friendly interfaces. It offers quick responses to inputs, clear graphics, and a logical layout. However, the use of touch-sensitive buttons means it’s distracting to use on the move, forcing you to take your eyes off the road so that you don’t accidentally press something else. Luckily, the voice command system is intuitive and allows you to change the music playing, make phone calls, and input navigation directions, negating the need to use the buttons while driving. The navigation unit features clear maps that are easy to read, but the plain graphics could use a little more color. Because our testers were both Autobahn models, they came equipped with the Fender premium audio system, which offers excellent sound quality and great tone and doesn’t have an overwhelming amount of bass even in its highest setting. Sadly, it’s only got one USB port, so if you’re using Android Auto or Apple CarPlay, no one else can charge portable devices.

Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are integrated beautifully and easily take over multimedia and navigation duties. With the recent addition of Google Assistant on Android Auto, you don’t need to hold the voice command button to access voice command. Just say, “OK Google,” and then tell it what you want to do. As with most integrations of Android Auto, you’ve got access to apps such as Google Maps, Waze, Spotify, Pandora, Google Play Music, and Stitcher. Voice to text functions allow you to send texts via voice commands simply by telling your Google Assistant to send a text to a specific person in your contact list and saying your message out loud.

SE and Autobahn models come with a host of driver-assistance features such as adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assist, lane departure warning, automatic emergency braking, pedestrian detection, forward collision warning, and blind-spot warning with rear cross-traffic alert. Most of the time, the systems worked invisibly until the lane keeping got confused and thought the car was drifting to another lane even though the turn signals were on. Regardless of the transmission choice, the Autobahn models come with an automated parking system, which works well in parallel parking but takes forever with backing into a parking spot and gets a little too close to vehicles next to you.

Where things start to get iffy is price. Our manual tester is $35,920, and the dual-clutch-equipped model is $37,020. It doesn’t cost much more to get a decently equipped Subaru WRX STI or Volkswagen’s own Golf R. Also, it doesn’t help that the Honda Civic Type R is less expensive, provided you can find a dealer willing to sell it to you at sticker price or lower. There’s also the 2019 Hyundai Veloster N arriving in late 2018, and that’s likely going to start much lower than our two test vehicles.

Is the Golf GTI still worth the attention of driving enthusiasts? Definitely, as long as you stick to the SE trim—the Autobahn trim offers a Fender audio system, onboard navigation, and leather upholstery. On the other side of the spectrum, the base S grade loses out of the limited-slip differential, larger brake pads, and the 8.0-inch touchscreen. Otherwise, the Golf GTI is a well-rounded package, a multitalented hot hatch that’s fun to drive yet practical. Not many cars can match its ability to multitask, and for that it remains an excellent choice for those looking for a sporty car that can do it all including family duty.