I have a very distant, decade-old memory of driving the entry-level Mk7 Golf GTI when it had 220hp and a manual gearbox, and thinking that while it didn’t make for a deeply thrilling hot hatch – certainly not when compared to the competition at the time – it was a first-rate advert for all things Golf. By that I mean it was well made and nice to look at and thoughtfully laid out and fundamentally pleasing to drive. And though it didn’t seem hugely fast in an expressive or boastful way, you could still tear into it and make very fluid, mostly infallible headway. Not a car for the white-knuckle crowd, sure – but persuasively good for everyone else.

Since then, while keeping well clear of the R above it, Volkswagen has progressively bumped up the GTI’s output to keep pace with its rivals (even if it has rarely sought to overshadow any of them). Now, with the introduction of the updated Mk8 – the Mk8.5, to you and me – it has reached 265hp; hardly a novel number for the MQB-underpinned GTI broadly speaking (the Mk7 Clubsport delivered the same total back in 2016) but 20hp more than the base Mk8 came with and 45hp more than it had in 2013. Alongside the now standard seven-speed DSG, this is sufficient for its maker to claim a 5.9-second 0-62mph time for the Mk8.5. Previously you would’ve needed one of the more senior trim levels to crack the six-second mark. 

Be that as it may, the appearance of slightly more power is a sideshow in terms of the wider Golf facelift: the main thrust of the transition from Mk8 to 8.5 (minor exterior confetti aside) is the introduction of what VW calls its fourth-generation modular infotainment matrix (or MIB4). We’d all call it a 12.9-inch touchscreen with yet more functionality stuffed into it, including ChatGPT integration on the IDA voice assistant, which is apparently still not clever enough to know when you’re actually talking to it. Or rather it is still not great at distinguishing between legitimate commands and you arguing with your other half about where and when to go shopping. 

Its sporadic interjections are not the only tedious things about the new interior. The MIB4 system is undoubtedly an improvement over the UI that preceded it (no great achievement) but it still requires inordinate amounts of eyeballing to get to grips with – a problem ironically highlighted by its predilection for locking you out when it thinks you’re not paying enough attention to the road. I’ll spare you a retread of familiar gripes, but suffice it to say that the GTI’s issues with needlessly fiddly HVAC controls, too few physical buttons and frustrating haptic response have not been completely solved. Nor has the underlying issue of the dashboard and centre console being too plasticky and unappealing in the first place. 

One impeccable step in the right direction (i.e. backwards) is the return of proper, pushable switchgear on the steering wheel – although this bright spot does also serve to remind you how naff almost everything else is to press. Evidently, this usability issue (not dissimilar to other areas highlighted by owners) was deemed relatively easy and affordable to fix. Elsewhere, not so much. No doubt the Mk8.5 GTI is cleverer and computationally swifter than the Mk7 by a factor of about a billion – but I know which generation I’d rather be sitting in if you asked me to turn the blower down a fraction. Or the stereo up. 

Or, for that matter, change gear. The absence of a manual transmission will likely trouble many fewer people than a repeat appearance of the dreaded touch sliders (illuminated now, at least); although it’s hard not to lament the demise of the old golf ball gear knob. Hard not to resent it either. As you might expect, you don’t get a sense of the additional power when mooching about (the torque output is unchanged), and with the DSG doing is job adequately well, there’s precious little encouragement initially to delve deeper. This is partly a factor of heft-free steering feel in its default setting, but also the quality of the throttle response, which continues a running theme of fuel-saving mushiness under part load. 

Even the suspicion that the eighth-generation GTI is still fractionally too stiff for its own good at slow speeds doesn’t necessarily have you charging at corners. You tend to drive unthinkingly; the chief emotional response being exasperation at needing to turn off the VW’s ridiculously intrusive lane-keep assist, lest it steer you into a verge. Simmering frustration is not a good vibe for any hot hatch, least of all the one that’s supposed to blend into your life like Coffee-Mate. Happily, things do get better if you find the right road and take the time to recall where VW has located the drive mode selector (we know it’s on the new UI, VW – but FFS, just assign it to a steering wheel button). 

It deserves to be easier to find because while the Sport setting isn’t a comprehensive solution to any of the GTI’s shortcomings, it does make the car noticeably more determined to push on a bit. And though the steering never really comes alive in the way you’d hope, it’s accurate enough to take advantage of the peppier response and firmed-up suspension (assuming you’ve ticked the £720 Dynamic Chassis Control option). The latter smooths out nicely at speed and very rarely runs short of grip or the kind of wheel control that fosters confidence in the UK. The Golf still doesn’t possess the sort of gnarly front end you revel in – but you can lean on it all day long. This makes the additional power, when you finally encounter it, easy to exploit. 

This, in turn, earns the garden variety GTI a modestly higher position in the hot hatch pecking order, and makes it seem several notches more serious (and speedier) than the stock Mk7 ever did. Would it be better with a manual? Well, the Mk8 didn’t suddenly become a thrill machine with a clutch pedal in its footwell – although that won’t stop you yearning for one when its successor insists on automatically upshifting whether you want it to or not. Probably the more prominent question (one that VW likely asked itself) is would the model be better as a hybrid, and the answer to that is an emphatic ‘no’. Accordingly, the fact of the base GTI’s continued existence, in faster than ever format, for more than £10k cheaper than a Honda Civic Type R, is worth celebrating – and, given the chronic lack of competition, probably worth buying, too. It’s just a shame the Mk8.5 is still a subjectively less likeable Golf than the one VW was building ten years ago. 

Engine: 1,984cc, four-cyl turbo
Transmission: 7-speed DSG, front-wheel drive
Power (hp): 265@5,000-6,500rpm
Torque (lb ft): 272@1,600-4,500rpm
0-62mph: 5.9 seconds
Top speed: 155mph
Weight: 1,466kg (unladen)
MPG: 39.6 (WLTP)
CO2: 162g/km (WLTP)
Price: £38,900 (as tested, £43,330)