Volkswagen Golf loses stick but keeps hot hatch credentials

Globe and Mail

08-05-2025

Volkswagen's venerable Golf hatchback is nearly 50 years old this year, but its refresh for the 2025 GTI and R versions is thoroughly on trend.
The biggest news is what's missing – the cars are no longer available with a manual transmission, falling in line with a lack of demand and the global shift toward automatics. To make up for it, the new Golf R has more horsepower. Its less brawny twin, the GTI, makes do with a minor refresh of looks and trim levels.
Some drivers may see the end of the manual GTI and R as a loss, but it provided a huge boost for Volkswagen Canada in 2024. According to Volkswagen Group Canada Inc.'s manager of public relations Thomas Tetzlaff, the company ordered as many of the cars as they could, anticipating a surge in demand for the last of the six-speeds.
The gamble paid off and sales of the 2024 Golf R surged more than 200 per cent compared to 2023, while the GTI saw a 37-per-cent jump. That translates to more than 4,000 Golf Rs and 3,700 GTIs sold in Canada. That surge in sales made the 'OG hot hatch' – as Tetzlaff characterized the Golfs – the best-selling sportscar in Canada last year.
It will surely be a challenge to sell that many of the 2025s. Although there are likely numerous Golf lovers who were unable to get a manual in 2024, it remains to be seen if the updates for 2025 will be enough to entice them.
However, Patrick Danielson, Volkswagen Canada's director of product planning and brand strategy, is confident the new models will bring the company 'another strong year.'
The GTI and Golf R are fraternal twins – they are both handsome hatchbacks, looking alike but not identical – and their different personalities shine through when you spend time with them. At a brief media introduction in West Virginia, the disparities between the two were quickly apparent.
The Golf R is the show-off of the pair. It's more capable and faster than the GTI. That's not new. In fact, this refresh is more of a tiny tweak. 'It's a classic case of not fixing what isn't broken,' Danielson said.
For 2025, the R makes 328 horsepower, 13 more than the previous model, owing to remapped software in its carryover two-litre turbo four-cylinder engine. Everything else in the drivetrain remains the same, including the seven-speed DSG dual-clutch gearbox, rear-wheel torque vectoring that can put all of the car's rear axle power to one wheel, electronic differential lock and adaptive damping, along with seven drive modes including a track mode that lets the driver set the level of stability control.
There's a Black edition, inspired by feedback from enthusiasts, and available European cloth seats and Akrapovic titanium exhaust. Beyond that, it has a new headlight design, lighter wheels and other cosmetic updates to the front lighting and bumper.
Volkswagen brought in championship rallycross and road racing driver Tanner Foust to demonstrate the R's capabilities on the track. The venue was Summit Point Raceway's Jefferson Circuit, a bumpy 2.7-kilometre road course with 14 corners and significant elevation changes.
Foust was encouraging as a track instructor, urging me to 'go faster' at every turn and practically reaching over to push down on my right knee as I drove the Golf R. I had never driven the track before and this illustrated his confidence in the car's ability to correct my failings behind the wheel. 'You can go much faster than you think,' he said.
When he took the wheel for a couple of hot laps around the circuit Foust proved it. In keeping with his rallycross background, he kept the car sideways, drifting, for as much of the course as he could. He drove mostly one-handed, gesticulating with the other to emphasize his explanations of the car's braking, rear-axle torque vectoring and all-wheel-drive capabilities and how all this works together to improve corner exit speeds.
It was a revelation. As the most powerful Golf Volkswagen has put on the road, the Golf R is a pocket race car. And it's a bargain compared to other cars with similar characteristics. It starts at $50,995, while the Black Edition is $53,595. Compare that to an Acura Integra Type S, which at $57,100 is only front-wheel drive and has 320 horsepower. It does have a manual transmission, however.
The GTI is the quieter twin. Not much has changed in the refresh, although Volkswagen did listen to feedback about its controls, returning to push-buttons on the steering wheel from widely disliked touch-sensitive controls. Like the R, the GTI sports new design elements, including a standard lightbar and lighted VW logo, new paint colours and wheels.
For 2025, Volkswagen has pared down the GTI offering to two models, eliminating the unpopular entry-level trim. The GTI now starts at $36,495, and the top trim Autobahn starts at $40,495.
On the track and on the road, the GTI is milder and more discreet than its twin. Its two-litre turbo powerplant makes 241 horsepower and peak torque of 273 lb-ft. With less power and minus the extras such as all-wheel drive and torque vectoring found on the R, the GTI is still sporty and fun to wheel, albeit with reserve.
Both cars have had a tech upgrade with a new 12.9-inch freestanding touchscreen and operating system. Danielson called the faster and more powerful system a 'step change' for the GTI and R, although in practice the system was uncooperative when I was using it with an Android phone.
So how do you pick which Golf twin to park in your garage? If your pocketbook holds sway in making the decision, the GTI is your car. It is $14,000 less expensive. But if it's your heart and soul in charge, pick the Golf R. It will reward you every day with its extra power, better handling and outgoing personality.
The cars are built in Wolfsburg, Germany. Freight for all models is $2,050.
The writer was a guest of the automaker. Content was not subject to approval.
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