Originally designed during a time of crisis at Volkwagen, the Golf GTI has become a celebrated family performance car.
It is rightly classified as the world’s most popular and successful hot hatchback, managing to blend equals parts family car, with a rewardingly dynamic driving experience.
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Many people have influenced the Golf GTi design over its eight generations of development.
The original version, from the mid-1970s, had iconic plaid material seats. A stroke of genius by designer Gunhild Liljequist. Her legacy remains relevant, even today, as all generations of Golf GTI have continued to offer the tartan seat fabric options.
Dedicated South African followers of the Golf GTi – and there are many – will be thrilled that the car is finally available here. After multiple delays, the Golf 8 GTI has arrived, and it promises much in the realm of digital interfacing and performance.
Powering this latest GTi is VW’s familiar 2-litre turbopetrol engine, boosting 188kW and 370Nm. Those numbers convert to rapid performance.
VW will only be offering South African customers the Golf 8 GTI with a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, delivering a benchmark 0-100kph acceleration time of only 6.4 seconds.
Instrumentation is comprehensively digitized, with screens that remain comfortably legible, even in harsh South African sunlight.
Inductive charging will keep your smartphone at peak capacity, without requiring those unsightly and annoying cables, whilst the infotainment offering is immense.
Golf 8 GTi customers can opt for the acoustic excellence of a Harmon Kardon sound system and wireless app connect device mirroring.
The latest interpretative algorithms, ensure that the Golf 8 GTI’s voice control functions are more intuitive and less frustrating to use.
Autonomous safety assistance systems include lane assist, adaptive cruise control, and emergency brake assist.
VW Golf 8 GTI price in South Africa
So what about price? The company is marketing the VW Golf 8 GTI at R699 300.
Feature image: Volkwagen
