Can a Golf GTI be a true member of this long-running family if it has automatic transmission? You could also ask if the credentials can be authentic when the car is bigger and a fair bit heavier than GTIs of old. Let us also consider the issue of the cost, now close to forty thousand pounds. The answer is yes. In every way.

Having just returned a Gran Turismo (fuel) Injection to Volkswagen, I am still smiling after multiple memorable days and drives. The standard dual clutch transmission is excellent, even if there were times when a six-speed manual would have been better. In traffic though, the seven-speed self-shifter is ideal.

No more manual gearbox

Might a manual return? That seems unlikely. Not even for those many enthusiasts in the USA who buy the 'Volkswagen GTI’ and would love a stick shift.

VW of America has just ditched the DCT in AWD versions of the Taos, replacing it with an eight-speed epicyclic auto. This was supposedly due to complaints by some who bought the pre-facelift model. Supposedly they just could not get on with the dual clutch gearbox. True, Volkswagen Group DCTs did tend to be a bit jerky at times but this is far from the case with the new Golf.

I say new but the latest GTI is a revamp of generation eight, the most, shall we say controversial Golf in the half-century of the model. VW has addressed the big thing, which is the many controls which annoyed lots of people, and might have stopped them buying the car. The volume sliders remain but at least they are now backlit, the haptic buttons on the steering wheel are gone, and the touchscreen works way better. Even if it looks overloaded to some of us whichever mode you put it into.

Where is the word Golf?

A quick walk around the car is all that’s needed to realise this is the facelift. For my money, it does looks better. Even if it’s no Mark IV, the highpoint of Golf design - outside and inside - for me. I long for the Mark IX to be a retro take on the IV.

The GTI badge remains in the centre of the tailgate and still there is no 'Golf': how is that for confidence? Cupra does the same thing, though if you look carefully, on the Born at least, the model name is spelled out in tiny letters within each tail-lamp.

There are no changes to panel pressings, just the expected fresh bumper covers, tweaks to lighting and some new wheel designs: standard mid-cycle stuff. Aside from addressing most of the software and functions activation issues, the big news is mechanical. As the GTI has become ever heavier, so too power has had to rise and this has happened again. But Volkswagen has also worked wonders with efficiency so the economy trade-off is minimal.

Power from the 2.0-litre turbo is now 195 kW (265 PS), a 15 kW (20 PS) boost, with 370 Nm of torque. As always, drive is solely to the front axle, the 4MOTION-brand AWD system being mainly reserved for the (245 kW/333 PS and 420 Nm) R, along with a 2.0 TSI 4MOTION which is available in certain countries.

Clubsport ups the torque to 400 Nm

If you want even more go in your GTI, there is also a new Clubsport, its outputs having risen to 221 kW (300 PS) & 400 Nm. And yes, with torque to the front axle also delivered via a seven-speed DCT. The top-of the-tree R hatchback and estate are automatic-only too.

Things which might annoy some are mercifully few. Perhaps certain hard-feeling interior plastics could be on that very brief roster of offending items. The lovely felt-lined and generously commodious door pockets are still there though. Tartan seat facings also remain, the carpet looks long-lasting and the doors are nicely weighty.

Some - me included - will prefer the alternate alloy wheels (pictured: anyone else reminded of Renault Kadjar rims?), these having five shield-like shapes, matching the number of lighting elements on each side of the lower grille. A red stripe again features across the front of the car and for reasons unknown, four examples of GTI (front, back, sides).

Should we think less of Volkswagen for making a car which is less exciting to drive than the Mark VII? No, because this facelift also includes some dynamic tweaks which make the GTI more comfortable than the firm-riding original Mark VIII. The steering is as delightful as ever, the extra torque never causing traction loss either.

Conclusion

The Mark IX might be delayed, at least according to a report by Handelsblatt in August. That would instead mean SSP - an electric-native architecture which replaces MQB Evo - being introduced by the Audi A4 e-tron. And if Golf build really won't start until October 2029 as is speculated, this fantastic new and final IC-powered GTI will last until 2030. That's something worth celebrating.

The new Volkswagen Golf GTI is priced from GBP38,900 OTR.

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"Tech tweaks make VW Golf GTI great again" was originally created and published by Just Auto, a GlobalData owned brand.

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