Volkswagen (VW) continues the tradition of marking the Golf's anniversary with a new GTI Clubsport model. The latest iteration of the hot hatchback celebrates half a century of Golf history and showcases a revised GTI on steroids.
After many teasers on social media and five years since the Golf GTI Clubsport 45 was launched, VW finally pulled the wraps off the brand-new model. Besides adopting the brand's latest exterior design look that debuted with the ID.7 and Passat, the front-wheel-drive vehicle boasts a revised powerplant and some other goodies.
This tuned 2.0-liter four-pot should help the good-looking hatchback reach 62 mph (100 kph) from a standstill in 5.6 seconds. The "base" 2025 Golf GTI has an output of 262 hp, whereas the Clubsport version comes with 34 hp more. Thus, the new GTI Clubsport (that dropped the indication of how many birthdays the unit has accrued from its name) is the most powerful front-wheel-drive Golf ever made.
As we anticipated, the 2025 VW Golf GTI Clubsport puts out 296 hp or 300 ps. Torque is rated at 400 Nm or 295 lb-ft. The powerplant is mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, and there's an electronic front differential that makes sure power is sent to the right wheel when the driver is putting the pedal to the metal.
The new Clubsport's top speed is limited to 250 kph (155 mph), but it can be raised to 267 kph (166 mph) if the customer chooses the optional "Race" pack.
The vehicle comes with a special profile meant to prepare the hatchback for a track run. Exclusive for the Clubsport, the "Special" setting prepares the car to compensate for undulations similar to those found on the famous Nurburgring. That's unsurprising, considering that the official launch happened ahead of the 24 Hours of Nurburgring race.
Photo: VW
What feels like a slight letdown is the fact that the new Clubsport hasn't established (yet, at least) a new record on the Green Hell track for front-wheel-drive vehicles. That feat remains in Honda's portfolio. The Europe-only Civic Type R S stole it from Renault's Megane RS Trophy-R with a time of seven minutes and 44 seconds.
The Clubsport rides on 19-inch alloy wheels that have a new design as standard, but there are other similarly-sized but forged wheels available. VW takes pride in the latter option because the "Warmenau" rims weigh only eight kg (17.6 pounds) each.
Inside, the driver gets access to a new infotainment system, a leather-wrapped sport steering wheel, and ChatGPT. However, the cabin still has that familiar feel.
Sadly, reports say that the 2025 VW Golf GTI Clubsport isn't landing stateside. Enthusiasts will have to wait for the revised all-wheel-drive Golf R, which allegedly will debut with an output of over 320 hp.
Car shows on TV and his father's Fiat Tempra may have been Florin's early influences, but nowadays he favors different things, like the power of an F-150 Raptor. He'll never be able to ignore the shape of a Ferrari though, especially a yellow one. Full profile
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