2025 Volkswagen GTI review: overstuffed

Progress has robbed the GTI some of its past magic

2025 Volkswagen GTI review by The Road Beat

Words and pictures: Mitchell Weitzman

In the quest for insatiable speed, the venerable Volkswagen GTI has lost some of its intangible mojo that made past iterations pure enthusiast dynamite. From the humble original to the revolutionary MKV model nearly 20 years ago, the GTI has been a hot hatch mainstay, embodying the highly practical, approachable, and highly attainable performance car. Yet, in the pursuit of progress, corporate overreach has invaded the sanctity of this icon. Even though the refreshed MK8.5 remains an insanely capable performance prospect, its priceless charm is evaporating.

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There’s no ignoring that the GTI is a huge offender when it comes to sheer speed. With 241-horsepower claimed on paper and a walloping 273 lb-ft, its turbocharged four-cylinder hits with minimal lag, shoving you into your seat with the force of what must be at least 300 horsepower. Zero to 60 mph is dispatched in just 5.2 seconds, thanks to the launch control-enabled dual-clutch transmission that changes gear like an automatic machine gun.

For “just a GTI,” this latest version punches so far above its weight class, it can keep up with Ford Mustangs and dust any new Mazda Miata. It also rarely feels any bit slower than the top-tier Golf R. My old Nissan 370Z with its burly V6 also wouldn’t stand a chance in the real world because the GTI just makes power simply everywhere, from down low and carries a stampede right up to the redline.

Grip is colossal, thanks to its dialed chassis and sticky Michelin tires. The real admiration lies in how the front end bites relentlessly despite the front-wheel-drive layout. Torque steer? Largely absent, even with the big power on tap—a combo that historically was a recipe for disaster when sending serious power to just the front wheels. Modern engineering, and some electronic wizardry, renders those fears inconsequential.

The front axle’s composure isn’t just for straight lines but shines most notably through the turns. Even when loaded laterally while transmitting all its boosted horsepower, it stays unflappable and right on line. Tuck the GTI’s nose hard into a corner—be it a long carousel like a freeway on-ramp or Turn 6 at Sonoma—and you can keep squeezing the throttle toward your apex and exit with minimal understeer. There’s also a degree of adjustability when you lift off, invoking some helpful rotation. It’s forgiving, too, allowing multiple steering tweaks to carve your perfect line or when dodging potholes on your favorite backroad.

Three pedals will almost always trump two, but the GTI’s dual-clutch automated manual is a defining feature that brought these hallmark transmissions to the masses in cars like the MKV and Audi TT. The face those affordable cars had dual-clutch automated manuals before any supercar shows testament to how far ahead VW and Audi were when designing this industry standard. As time and tech have marched on, the shifts are as instant as you’d want from a car like the GTI, with up- and downshifts snapping off with more precision and speed than a torque converter. With seven gears and the small four-cylinder engine, the overall MPG hit a remarkable 29 after a week of mixed driving, too.

Being a refresh to the MK8.5 now, refreshed styling does sharpen the GTI’s look with sleeker LEDs, but it’s more evolution than revolution—still handsome, just not anything to be that excited over.

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So where does the GTI miss the mark? A lot of the above, actually, plus a few other problematic areas that rob this marvelous hot hatch of the very character it built its legacy on.

By chasing numbers and the odds-defying levels of grip, what has been sacrificed is civility. Between the road noise and blatantly stiff ride quality on normal California roads, it's not the happy and comfy everyday car they once were. Instead, it's just too angry for its own good, and that hurts the daily driving ability, but it also doesn't go far enough because it's still way behind the intensity and adrenaline-inducing daze of the next stup up: the Honda Civic Type R. This might be a sharper and harder GTI than ever, but it's lost the identity and playfulness that made it an icon while still being considerably behind cars like the Type R and Elantra N for outright driving satisfaction.

While the interior may have at least (thankfully) ditched the troublesome haptic controls on the steering wheel, but they linger elsewhere for volume and temperature adjustments just below the center display. These are solutions to nonexistent problems, making simple tasks increasingly frustrating over time. The mash of buttons below the screen for climate and driving modes is a puzzle, particularly the climate switch, lazily labeled “clima” (an example of Euro-chic branding fail). You can adjust temperature and fan speed via the screen, but you must first press “clima” below —an inconveniently unthoughtful order of operations.

The rest of the center display is a mess of boardroom planning by folks who never touch the programs they create. The user experience is awful, with a labyrinth of screens and buried menus that require LSAT-level studying to learn and navigate through for even basic vehicle functions.

Center console storage is a disaster, emitting an awful noise when opening, and in order to close it, you must raise it all the way up first. How about a simple latch with a clutch? It also just feels bad in operation. This crappy console belongs in a tin-can rental car from when John Kerry was a presidential candidate - just inexcusable in a car costing this much money and in this year when quality standards have moved well past.

I had high hopes for the seats since they look the part with their big bolsters, but I actually found the front ones uncomfortable; The angle of the back and head restraint seems designed for contortionists. To keep it from pushing your head too far forward, you must recline significantly—a bizarre exercise in ergonomics, or the lack thereof. These seats would also be a nightmare at a track day with a helmet, as the forward tilt shoves your head forward, rendering the bolstering useless and your neck sore The SE seats are at least a combination of soft ultrasuede with some stitching accents, and the thumping Harman Kardon stereo adds a premium touch, but it’s not enough to save the haphazard experience.

Seats might be a godsend for others, and maybe some aren't as particular as me for UX and other maladies, but where latest GTI disappoints is in its practice and experience as a performance vehicle. Because with all that speed and capability, you would hope for a sense of fun and emotion, and it's vacant from the GTI. Adding a loud exhaust hasn't helped either, which sounds artificial and just like a cheap tuner prop from a Fast & The Furious movie, farting its way obnoxiously through the gears with each upshift with an exaggerated and pointless pop that becomes lowkey embarrassing.

The seats might be a godsend for some and their particular (peculiar) shape, and maybe others aren’t as picky about digital UX or these maladies, but where the latest GTI truly disappoints is in its performance experience - and not because it lacks performance. See, with all that speed and capability, you’d hope for some fun and emotion, but it’s sadly AWOL. The obnoxiously loud exhaust doesn’t help with its poor four-cylinder noises, but detracts further by sounding excessively artificial—like a cheap tuner prop from a Fast & Furious movie. And with that dual-clutch transmission, it then farts its way through the gears with exaggerated, pointless pops that become low-key embarrassing.

The dual-clutch gearbox itself might be a superlative example for shift speed and outright operation, but it’s so objectively good it’s dull. You’d think something so snappy would at least have decent paddle shifters, but these plastic, short-travel ones belong on a Corolla. It's almost a paradox that the same transmission that revolutionized the MKV GTI for its unique placement and ability now just blends in with so many others, detracting from the experience rather than adding to it. The little shifter for selecting park and drive also looks and feels lame in operation, too. And why don’t aggressive downshifts bring much engine braking? That’s useful for spirited driving and controlling the chassis.

Add these ingredients together, and while the GTI can deliver supercar-baiting pace, it’s a bit soulless and, frankly, boring. The sound isn’t good, the steering feels artificially heavy with muted feedback, and the sharp handling comes with a harsh, bouncy ride on Northern California roads. Instead of being a fun little car that’s a blast to abuse, it’s too clinical for its own good. Rival newcomer vehicles like the Hyundai Elantra N are simply more engaging on backroads.

Sure , call me a cynic

It’s a pity Volkswagen didn’t send a manual transmission GTI to test, as that added interaction could inject some secret sauce back into the GTI. But wait—what’s that? A manual GTI would’ve been impossible because they no longer offer their hot hatch hero with a stick shift full stop. From past experience with VW manuals in cars like the Jetta GLI, their DIY operation is admittedly less satisfying than what Honda, Mazda, or even Hyundai offers, but even a less-than-perfect manual would make for a more fun and exciting GTI. It might also hopefully avoid the excessive pre-programmed flatulence on upshifts. In reality, though, the Jetta GLI is the more fun car to drive daily with its exploitable chassis, much like the GTI was meant to be historically.

The other issue? The GTI SE as-tested starts a hair under $39,000 with destination factored in, and can easily crest $40K with options, either of which is considerably more than an Elantra N—the objectively and subjectively superior performance. If you go up to the Autobahn-spec GTI, you'll be spending even more for just few extra luxury cover-ups of what is obviously not a luxury car to begin with. At the other end, you’re not far from a Honda Civic Type R, which cranks the aggression up several notches, boasts perhaps the best manual ever, and delivers unmatched intensity and engagement.

VW has landed the GTI in an unfortunate no man's land, being too hardcore yet not hardcore enough, sitting in a strange middle ground that misses the mark as a complete package. The Jetta GLI now is the preferred of the two because it's actually now more fun thanks to its softer personality that makes it more fun on public roads. So, slow the GTI down, soften it up to make it usable and exploitable again, make the manual simply mandatory, and the GTI could again be what it ought to be. Once the people’s hot hatch, the GTI has traded its joyful soul for sterile speed, leaving enthusiasts longing for the magic of old.

2025 Volkswagen Golf GTI SE review

As-tested price: Est. $39,000

Pros: Outstanding performance in all directions

Cons: No more manual; UX; Too harsh on normal roads

2025 Volkswagen Golf GTI SE Basic specifications and figures