2025 Volkswagen Golf GTI First Drive Review: Automatically Appealing

The eighth-generation Volkswagen Golf GTI has fundamentally remained an excellent hot hatchback. But it introduced a few little hitches that made it hard for us and enthusiasts to rank it quite as high as its predecessor. Much of the blame went to the car’s new interior. It abandoned many of the high-quality physical buttons and knobs for touch buttons that were harder to both use and see. The infotainment system was also slow and awkward to use.

For 2025, though, VW has gone in and changed many of those user interface issues. In our brief time with the car, we felt a big improvement in the car’s usability. Meanwhile, VW left nearly everything else about the car alone, meaning that it’s just as good as ever. It did drop the manual transmission, but even then, the GTI remains one of the most fun cars on the market. Combined with attractive pricing and comfort, it’s also one of the best cars you can get in any segment.

First Drive events provide our initial impressions of a vehicle in a restricted environment under certain time constraints. Keep an eye on DrivingOnRoad for our comprehensive Test Drive review which will follow soon.

What’s Changed For 2025?

The biggest change for the GTI is the removal of the manual transmission. All GTIs now come with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic as standard. Besides that, VW made other minor changes that are hard to tell at a glance. The front grilles have been enlarged. The red stripe in the grille now extends into the headlights, and the front badge lights up along with a strip placed right below the red stripe. The Autobahn trim gets 19-inch wheels that echo the design introduced on the fifth-generation GTI.

Functionally, the GTI gets a much larger 12.9-inch infotainment screen running VW’s newest operating system. The touch buttons under the screen are illuminated now, and the buttons on the steering wheel have reverted to traditional buttons, rather than touch-sensitive ones. VW also includes standard wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, navigation, and trials of satellite radio, Wi-Fi, and ChatGPT voice-activated assistance.

Design: As Good As Ever

You might not notice that VW made any changes to the 2025 GTI’s exterior. Even though the front bumper has changed, and details on the lights and grille have been tweaked, the basic design has hardly changed. It didn’t need to, though. Even a few years in, the eighth-generation GTI is still extremely handsome. It’s still generally lean and clean, and the detailing is excellent.

Close examination reveals various shut lines and angles that all match up perfectly, and the way the fog lights are integrated into the front grille mesh is still cool. The fifth-generation-inspired wheels on the Autobahn are beautiful, and definitely a selling point of the high-end trim. Plus, despite the sleeker, if somewhat bulky, nose, the car is still very subtle. One could also argue it’s a little boring, but those buyers would probably be more inclined to pick up a Civic Type R.

Interior: A Step In The Right Direction

More has changed in the GTI’s interior, mainly with the infotainment system, which we’ll talk about more below. Other than the infotainment, though, not much else has changed. The same basic seats are on offer across all three trims, just with different upholstery and either standard manual adjustment, or 12-way power adjustment. The latter is only available as an option on the SE or as standard on the Autobahn. The seats are all heated, too. The S is the only one with the GTI’s signature plaid cloth, while the SE gets seats like the limited-edition Clubsport 380 from last year. Opting for power adjustment, also adds leather.

The seats are extremely comfortable in all forms, and they provide plenty of lateral support while still being soft enough to accommodate body types from thin to thick. Space is adequate for the front occupants, with shoulder room a little tight considering the GTI’s relatively small size. The rear seats also work for short trips, but a lack of legroom would make them uncomfortable for adults after about an hour or so. Being a hatchback, the GTI is quite practical. Cargo space behind the rear seats is 19.9 cubic feet, and that expands to 34.5 with the seats folded.

Infotainment: Finally Good

The enormous 12.9-inch screen is a significant improvement in visibility and real estate, but the operating system is a bigger upgrade. This latest system from VW actually works pretty well. It runs quickly, and is customizable with a variety of shortcuts – we particularly like that it’s easy to jump back and forth between the car’s interface and the CarPlay and Android Auto interface. The 10.25-inch instrument cluster display is unchanged, but is also highly customizable and is easily legible.

The touch buttons in the center stack are still annoying and hardly worth using, though, even with the back lighting. Thankfully, the conventional buttons on the steering wheel are a major improvement over the old touch units. Audio comes from either the base model’s seven-speaker sound system, or the SE’s and Autobahn’s Harman Kardon nine-speaker system.

Powertrain & Driving: Catchy Description

With the exception of only offering the dual-clutch transmission now, nothing has changed mechanically with the GTI. Frankly, VW didn’t need to change anything. Even though 241 horsepower and 273 pound-feet of torque aren’t top of the segment, the GTI is still plenty quick. It honestly feels peppier than the numbers suggest thanks to good throttle response and a wide torque band. The lack of a manual isn’t even that disappointing, because VW’s dual-clutch transmission is so good. It’s not as quick as newer transmissions, but it’s no slouch. It happily goes from lazy and frugal in Eco and Comfort modes to more playful in Sport mode. Also, with the standard mechanical limited-slip differential and electronic XDS controls, it’s easy to get that power down.

The chassis is perhaps the best part of the GTI, though. We had the opportunity to drive it on highways, country roads and on track, and few cars nail the balance between comfort and sportiness as well as this hatchback. That applies both to the standard passive shocks and springs, as well as the adaptive DCC suspension. That system is optional on the SE, and standard on the Autobahn. It allows for more adjustment between being soft and firm, and that can come in handy on rough pavement. But the standard system is tuned somewhere between the two, and we wouldn’t feel the need to opt for DCC.

Steering is extremely precise and responsive, while avoiding feeling darty. More feel would be nice, and it feels a little too light in Comfort mode. Sport mode feels like the right spot, and the Custom mode allows you to combine your preferred suspension, steering, and powertrain settings. The chassis is just as eager. Turn-in is quick, and it’s easy to keep it balanced and neutral with throttle adjustments. A little less throttle brings the back around, and a little more straightens it out. And it won’t do anything suddenly, or on its own. It feels simple, light, faithful, and friendly.

Verdict & Pricing: Better And Better

The 2025 GTI S starts at $32,445, and with the $1,225 destination charge, it comes in at $33,670. The SE starts at $37,420, and the Autobahn goes for $40,880. The base model is a sweet deal, as it manages to undercut both the Hyundai Elantra N and Subaru WRX. They offer a bit more power, along with perks such as an available manual transmission, and all-wheel drive in the case of the WRX. Neither of them are as comfortable or as refined as the GTI, though, and they lack the versatility of the VW’s hatchback. The Honda Civic Si is a bit cheaper, but it’s way down on power, and it’s quite a bit noisier inside. The high-end Autobahn, though, is tough to justify, since that price puts it in competition with vehicles such as the Toyota GR Corolla and Honda Civic Type R, which offer vastly more performance.

With the competition either vanishing or creeping up in price, the VW GTI is once again one of the best performance bargains on the market. Not only that, but it’s still the excellent all-around package that it’s always been. It’s even comfortable and refined enough that it should probably be on the list for people that are just looking for a really good, practical car. It still has some ergonomic issues, but many of them have been addressed with this latest model. If you need a car that simply does everything extremely well, you’ll have a hard time finding anything that fits the bill as well as the GTI.

And as a side note, if the lack of a manual really is a deal-breaker, then you can get almost everything that makes the GTI great in the Jetta GLI. It just lacks the hatchback.