2025 Volkswagen Golf GTI Reviews, Pricing & Specs
Write a review$32,445 to $40,880
Original MSRP
7.8
of 10
expert review
avg user rating
(0 reviews)
Pros
Fun to drive
Improved technology
Impressive fuel economy
Cons
Price increase reduces overall value
Frustrated haptic slider controls remain
For the first time in nearly 50 years, the Volkswagen Golf GTI won’t be available with a manual transmission. Does it matter?
Rent a car while abroad, and there’s a decent chance the agent at the counter will ask if you’d like to upgrade to one equipped with an automatic transmission. Manual transmissions are just more common overseas, particularly in Europe. So, it’s interesting to learn that VW’s decision to drop the manual transmission from the 2025 Volkswagen Golf GTI was driven by a lack of demand in Germany, and despite increased demand in North America. The loss of the stick shift is a big deal —this is one of the first ever hot hatchbacks, after all — but it’s only the headline among a short list of notable changes the car receives for this model year.
Verdict: The 2025 Volkswagen Golf GTI is still one of the best hatchbacks you can buy today. With a terrific powertrain and everyday practicality, it’s an ideal choice for anyone looking for a useful car that’s also extremely fun to drive.
Volkswagen has made some cosmetic updates to the 2025 Golf GTI, but you’ll be hard-pressed to notice them, at least in daylight. The new car’s headlights and lower bumper have been revised, and there’s a new “GTI” emblem stuck on each front door. If you want a clearer sign, wait until the sun sets and you’ll clearly notice a new GTI thanks to its illuminated VW logo sitting in the centre of the grille, plus the newly standard light bar that spans the rest of the grille’s width.
Otherwise, the 2025 Volkswagen Golf GTI looks a lot like the 2024 Volkswagen Golf GTI. It still has a bank of five lights in the lower grille, it keeps the classic two-box silhouette, and the rear end is beautifully understated with just the VW and GTI logos, simple taillights, and a pair of chrome exhaust tips.
In Canada, Volkswagen sells the 2025 Golf GTI in two trim levels: the base GTI, and the GTI Autobahn. The base comes standard with 18-inch wheels, while the Autobahn trim receives 19-inch wheels boasting a new design reminiscent of the brand’s “horseshoe” wheels from the sixth-generation car.
For this review, we drove a GTI along a long and windy route. Luckily, despite its performance pedigree, the 2025 Volkswagen Golf GTI is also comfortable and surprisingly spacious. We had no problem fitting a driver, camera man (with a tripod!) and a third rear-seat passenger, not to mention a trunk full of gear. Our car also came with the newly available Artvelour seats that we found comfortable for the long road test, plus they did a good job of keeping our keisters in place once we took the GTI for a few laps on the track. Leather is available on the Autobahn trim for $1,200 extra.
We awarded the 2024 Volkswagen Golf GTI a nine out of 10 score in our test drive review’s performance category. And we’re happy to report very little has changed. The engine, a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder unit internally named the “EA888 Evo4” makes the same power and performs in the same manner this year as it did last year. Namely, it has 241 horsepower and an impressive 273 pound-feet of torque that work in harmony to make anyone driving the VW GTI feel like they were born to drive, and fast.
It’s a spectacular engine. The turbo four’s torque gives the GTI enough muscle to power out of corners aggressively, even if they’re heading uphill. The horsepower makes high-speed stretches a breeze, and when paired with the GTI’s excellent brakes, chassis and dampers, it manages to feel like a proper performance car rather than a simple economy car into which the skunkworks team stuffed a big engine. Power is routed to front-wheel drive (you’ll want the Volkswagen Golf R if you’re after all-wheel drive), and fuel economy comes in at an impressive Natural Resources Canada estimate of 9.9 litres per 100 kilometres city, 7.4 highway, and 8.8 combined.
There’s very little to complain about when driving a GTI. That said, we noticed the steering feel was less sharp in the GTI than what we experienced when evaluating the Honda Civic Si, let alone the pricier Honda Civic Type R. And, of course, there’s the question of the transmission. The Direct Shift Gearbox (DSG) is a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, which Volkswagen has been using in its GTI and VW Golf R cars for many years. It’s excellent, with quick and decisive shifts, but it won’t bring the same smiles to your face as the now departed six-speed manual transmission.
On paper, the decision to delete the six-speed manual makes sense. The DSG makes the GTI faster, and the manual didn’t sell well enough (in Europe) to make financial sense. However, we do not drive on paper, and for a passion-driven car like the Golf GTI, we’d have liked to see the manual stick around, if only for the enthusiast’s sake.
The Golf GTI isn’t just a sports car, it’s a hot hatchback. This segment is defined not just by the vehicle’s performance capabilities but also its ability to serve as a practical, everyday car.
The hatchback design gives the GTI a practicality edge over other performance-oriented, low-entry-point cars like the Honda Civic Si, Hyundai Elantra N, and Subaru WRX. With 563 litres behind the rear seat (977 with the seat folded), it bests all three of those competitors. However, it does fall short of those sedans with regards to rear seat legroom. No matter, we found the GTI plenty spacious in the back seat for six-foot-tall adults. Keep the maximum number of occupants back there to two, though. A large centre hump in the floor makes the middle seat nearly unusable for anyone but a small child.
Materials quality inside the GTI is good, although there are plenty of plastic components scattered around the cabin. We’d recommend keeping a cloth handy, too, as the piano black plastic surrounding the touchscreen and the gear shift housing is a magnet for fingerprints. Automatic climate control comes standard and the Autobahn trim upgrades it to three-zone. An auto-dimming rear-view mirror is also standard. The Autobahn trim receives a rail-to-rail sunroof by default, which is optional on the base model. The Autobahn adds heated rear outboard seats and a head-up display (HUD). The front seat adjustment controls are a little odd: the recline adjustment is powered, while the remaining controls are manual.
The 2025 Volkswagen Golf GTI comes impressively equipped with a suite of tech features capable of rivaling even the best in its class. Navigation, voice commands, SiriusXM satellite radio, wireless Android Auto and wireless Apple CarPlay, a ventilated 15W wireless charging pad, and keyless entry are all included as standard equipment, even on the base trim. Moving up to the Autobahn adds a premium Harman Kardon stereo and the aforementioned HUD.
Tech is managed primarily via a new 12.9-inch touchscreen display that looks brilliant. Graphics are crisp and bright, and the system responds with good speed. It’s not, however, the most intuitive system to use. It relies heavily on a customizable tile design rather than a classic, icon-filled home screen. However, we’re certain that with some time (and after spending the time to set up the tiles to your liking), the interface will become easier to use.
On the topic of ease-of-use, Volkswagen has removed the frustrating haptic-touch buttons from the GTI’s steering wheel and replaced them with physical buttons. Although these don’t look quite as snazzy, they’re much easier to use, and we never pressed one unintentionally — an issue that happened repeatedly in earlier versions of the Mk8 GTI.
The steering wheel is easy to use, but VW is sticking with the haptic touch sliders on the touchscreen infotainment system, which control the climate control’s temperature setting and the stereo volume. As they are in the ID.Buzz and ID.4 that both use the same interface, they’re now illuminated on the dash, but we’d rather they illuminate in the trash. It’s far too easy to activate them accidentally when touching another icon on the screen, and although the illumination makes them easier to see at night, it doesn’t help at all when glare from the sun renders them invisible against their piano-black background.
Volkswagen continues to offer an array of connected services packages, from remote access to vehicle insights.
Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) are bundled as standard equipment. This includes forward collision warning and automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go capability, and lane-keeping assist. In addition to this, Volkswagen also includes a semi-automated driving assist feature that leverages the lane-keeping and adaptive cruise control tech to help handle driving, although you’ll still need to be alert and involved.
If there’s some good news behind the company’s shift to an all-automatic-transmission GTI, it’s that it can now offer the semi-autonomous driving features to every driver. Previously, the manual-transmission cars didn’t get them. Additionally, Volkswagen has added road sign recognition as a standard feature. The base GTI now gets adaptive headlights.
The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has not yet crash-tested the 2025 Volkswagen GTI, but the 2024 model was evaluated by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). That body awarded it top marks in its crash testing but dinged it for headlights and left it off its list of Top Safety Picks.
Next to the competition, the 2025 VW Golf GTI still looks like a reasonably good value. With a starting price of $39,181 — including the $2,050 destination charge and other fees — it’s available for less than the Hyundai Elantra N and Honda Civic Si and fellow hot hatches, the Subaru WRX and the Toyota GR Corolla. But, of note, all of those competing options are still offered with manual transmissions. The Autobahn trim will cost at least $43,181, fees in. In either case, the engine is built in Hungary and the car is assembled in Wolfsburg, Germany.
These prices are justifiable given the Golf GTI’s performance, practical packaging, and pedigree. Volkswagen also offers a great four-year, 80,000-mile new vehicle limited warranty and five-year, 100,000-kilometre powertrain limited warranty. However, the 2025 Volkswagen Golf GTI’s price tag underscores the fact that, while the GTI used to represent inexpensive thrills, now it’s really just stumping for the “thrills” part.
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2025 Volkswagen Golf GTI Pricing
Trims & specs
Air Conditioning
Automatic climate control front air conditioning · Single front air conditioning zones
Airbags
Dual front airbags · Passenger airbag deactivation: occupant sensing deactivation · Front side airbags · Front side curtain airbags
Audio System
Antenna Type: diversity · Voice recognition audio system · Auxiliary audio input: iPod/iPhone integration · AM/FM radio · Satellite Radio: SiriusXM · Total Number of Speakers: 7
Brakes
ABS: 4-wheel · Braking assist: hill start assist · Electronic parking brake: auto off · Front brake diameter: 13.4 · Front brake width: 1.2 · Front brakes: ventilated disc · Rear brake diameter: 12.2 · Rear brake width: 0.9 · Rear brakes: ventilated disc
Comfort Features
Armrests: rear center folding with pass-thru · Dash trim: simulated carbon fiber · Door trim: suede · Floor Mat Material: carpet · Floor Material: carpet · Floor Mats: front · Foot pedal trim: stainless steel · Steering wheel trim: leather
Convenience Features
Adaptive stop and go cruise control: semi-automatic · Ambient lighting: color-adjustable · Assist handle: rear · Autonomous lane guidance: lane centering · Cargo area power outlet: 12V · Cargo cover: hard · Center console: front console with armrest and storage · Cruise control: adaptive · Cupholders: rear · Dimming rearview mirror: auto-dimming · Footwell lights: color-adjustable · Memorized settings: side mirrors · Multi-function remote: keyless entry with panic alarm · One-touch windows: 4 · Power outlet(s): 12V front · Power steering: speed-proportional · Power windows: lockout button · Reading lights: front · Steering wheel: tilt and telescopic · Steering wheel mounted controls: voice recognition controls · Storage: front seatback · Vanity mirrors: dual illuminating
Driver Seat
Adjustable lumbar support: manual · Manual adjustments: 6
Drivetrain
Axle ratio: 4.17 · Limited slip differential: front · Locking differential: front
Engine
Alternator: 140 amps · Battery: maintenance-free
Exterior Features
Door handle color: body-color · Exhaust: dual exhaust tips · Exhaust tip color: chrome · Front bumper color: body-color · Grille color: black · Illuminated accent: front emblem · Mirror color: body-color · Rear bumper color: body-color · Rear spoiler: roofline spoiler · Rear spoiler color: body-color · Rear trunk/liftgate: liftgate · Window trim: black
Headrests
Front headrests: integrated · Number of front headrests: 2 · Number of rear headrests: 3
In Car Entertainment
Connected in-car apps: Amazon Alexa · Infotainment: MIB3 · Infotainment screen size: 12.9 in. · Smartphone integration: wireless Android Auto
Instrumentation
Fuel economy display: range · Instrument cluster screen size: 10.25 in. · Warnings and reminders: coolant temperature warning
Lights
Daytime running lights: LED · Exterior entry lights: puddle lamps · Front fog lights: LED · Headlights: auto delay off · Tail and brake lights: LED
Mirrors
Exterior mirrors: power
Passenger Seat
Adjustable lumbar support: manual · Manual Adjustments: 6
Rear Seats
Type: 60-40 split bench
Safety
Automatic emergency braking: front · Camera system: rearview · Child seat anchors: LATCH system · Cross Traffic Alert: rear · Crumple zones: front · Impact sensor: post-collision safety system · Parking sensors: front · Pre-Collision Warning System: vibrating steering wheel · Pre-collision warning system: pedestrian detection · Rearview monitor: in dash
Seatbelts
Emergency locking retractors: front and rear · Front seatbelts: 3-point · Seatbelt force limiters: front · Seatbelt pretensioners: front and rear · Seatbelt warning sensor: driver and passenger · Second row seatbelts: 3-point
Seats
Driver seat manual adjustments: height · Driver seat power adjustments: reclining · Front seat type: sport bucket · Passenger seat manual adjustments: height · Passenger seat power adjustments: reclining · Rear headrests: adjustable · Rear seat folding: flat · Upholstery: cloth
Security
Power door locks: anti-lockout
Spare Tire
Mount Location: inside · Size: temporary
Spare Wheel
Rim Type: steel
Steering
Steering ratio: 10.9 · Turns lock-to-lock: 2.0
Suspension
Front Arm Type: lower control arms · Front Shock Type: gas shock absorbers · Front Spring Type: coil springs · Front Suspension Classification: independent · Front Suspension Type: MacPherson struts · Rear Shock Type: gas shock absorbers · Rear Spring Type: coil springs · Rear Suspension Classification: independent · Rear Suspension Type: multi-link · Stabilizer bar(s): front
Telematics
Driver assistance app: roadside assistance · Electronic messaging assistance: with voice recognition · Navigation system: with voice recognition · Phone: voice activated · Phone wireless data link: Bluetooth · Smart device app compatibility: Amazon Alexa · Smart device app function: maintenance scheduling · Wifi: hotspot
Tires
Type: all season
Tires and Rims
Wheels: polished aluminum with painted accents
Wheels
Wheel locks: front and rear
Windows
Front wipers: variable intermittent · Liftgate window: fixed · Power windows: with safety reverse · Rear wiper: auto-on in reverse
Air Conditioning
Automatic climate control front air conditioning · Single front air conditioning zones
Airbags
Dual front airbags · Passenger airbag deactivation: occupant sensing deactivation · Front side airbags · Front side curtain airbags
Audio System
Antenna Type: mast · Voice recognition audio system · Bluetooth auxiliary audio input · Premium Brand: Harman-Kardon · Touch screen display radio · Satellite Radio: SiriusXM · 1 subwoofer · Total Number of Speakers: 9 · 480 watts
Brakes
ABS: 4-wheel · Braking assist: hill start assist · Electronic parking brake: auto off · Front brake diameter: 13.4 · Front brake width: 1.2 · Front brakes: ventilated disc · Rear brake diameter: 12.2 · Rear brake width: 0.9 · Rear brakes: ventilated disc
Comfort Features
Armrests: rear center folding with pass-thru · Dash trim: simulated carbon fiber · Door trim: suede · Floor Mat Material: carpet · Floor Material: carpet · Floor Mats: front · Foot pedal trim: stainless steel · Steering wheel trim: leather
Convenience Features
Adaptive stop and go cruise control: semi-automatic · Ambient lighting: color-adjustable · Assist handle: front · Autonomous lane guidance: lane centering · Cargo area power outlet: 12V · Cargo cover: hard · Center console: front console with armrest and storage · Cruise control: adaptive · Cupholders: rear · Dimming rearview mirror: auto-dimming · Footwell lights: color-adjustable · Memorized settings: side mirrors · Multi-function remote: proximity entry system · One-touch windows: 4 · Power outlet(s): USB-C rear · Power steering: speed-proportional · Power windows: lockout button · Reading lights: front · Steering wheel: tilt and telescopic · Steering wheel mounted controls: voice recognition controls · Storage: grocery bag holder · Vanity mirrors: dual illuminating
Driver Seat
Adjustable lumbar support: manual · Manual adjustments: 6
Drivetrain
Axle ratio: 4.17 · Limited slip differential: front · Locking differential: front
Engine
Alternator: 140 amps · Battery: maintenance-free
Exterior Features
Door handle color: body-color · Exhaust: dual exhaust tips · Exhaust tip color: chrome · Front bumper color: body-color · Grille color: black · Illuminated accent: front emblem · Mirror color: body-color · Rear bumper color: body-color · Rear spoiler: roofline spoiler · Rear spoiler color: body-color · Rear trunk/liftgate: liftgate · Window trim: black
Headrests
Front headrests: integrated · Number of front headrests: 2 · Number of rear headrests: 3
In Car Entertainment
Connected in-car apps: ChatGPT · Infotainment: MIB3 · Infotainment screen size: 12.9 in. · Smartphone integration: wireless Android Auto
Instrumentation
Fuel economy display: MPG · Instrument cluster screen size: 10.25 in. · Warnings and reminders: low fuel level
Lights
Daytime running lights: LED · Exterior entry lights: puddle lamps · Front fog lights: LED · Headlights: Auto on/off · Tail and brake lights: LED
Mirrors
Exterior mirrors: heated
Passenger Seat
Adjustable lumbar support: manual · Manual Adjustments: 6
Rear Seats
Type: 60-40 split bench
Roof
Moonroof: sliding sunshade
Safety
Automatic emergency braking: rear · Camera system: rearview · Child seat anchors: LATCH system · Cross Traffic Alert: rear · Crumple zones: rear · Impact sensor: alert system · Parking sensors: front · Pre-Collision Warning System: vibrating steering wheel · Pre-collision warning system: pedestrian detection · Rearview monitor: in dash
Seatbelts
Emergency locking retractors: front and rear · Front seatbelts: 3-point · Seatbelt force limiters: front · Seatbelt pretensioners: front and rear · Seatbelt warning sensor: driver and passenger · Second row seatbelts: 3-point
Seats
Driver seat manual adjustments: height · Driver seat power adjustments: reclining · Front seat type: sport bucket · Passenger seat manual adjustments: height · Passenger seat power adjustments: reclining · Rear headrests: adjustable · Rear seat folding: flat · Upholstery: suede
Security
Power door locks: anti-lockout
Spare Tire
Mount Location: inside · Size: temporary
Spare Wheel
Rim Type: steel
Steering
Steering ratio: 10.9 · Turns lock-to-lock: 2.0
Suspension
Front Arm Type: lower control arms · Front Shock Type: gas shock absorbers · Front Spring Type: coil springs · Front Suspension Classification: independent · Front Suspension Type: MacPherson struts · Rear Shock Type: gas shock absorbers · Rear Spring Type: coil springs · Rear Suspension Classification: independent · Rear Suspension Type: multi-link · Stabilizer bar(s): front
Telematics
Driver assistance app: roadside assistance · Electronic messaging assistance: with read function · Navigation system: with voice recognition · Phone: voice activated · Phone wireless data link: Bluetooth · Smart device app compatibility: Amazon Alexa · Smart device app function: send destination to vehicle · Wifi: hotspot
Tires
Type: all season
Tires and Rims
Wheels: polished aluminum with painted accents
Wheels
Wheel locks: front and rear
Windows
Front wipers: speed sensitive · Liftgate window: fixed · Power windows: with safety reverse · Rear wiper: auto-on in reverse
Air Conditioning
Automatic climate control front air conditioning · Dual front air conditioning zones · Rear air conditioning: with independent controls · Single rear air conditioning zones
Airbags
Dual front airbags · Passenger airbag deactivation: occupant sensing deactivation · Front side airbags · Front side curtain airbags
Audio System
Antenna Type: mast · Voice recognition audio system · Memory card slot auxiliary audio input · Premium Brand: Harman-Kardon · Touch screen display radio · Satellite Radio: SiriusXM · 1 subwoofer · Total Number of Speakers: 9 · 480 watts
Brakes
ABS: 4-wheel · Braking assist: hill start assist · Electronic parking brake: auto off · Front brake diameter: 13.4 · Front brake width: 1.2 · Front brakes: ventilated disc · Rear brake diameter: 12.2 · Rear brake width: 0.9 · Rear brakes: ventilated disc
Comfort Features
Armrests: rear center folding with pass-thru · Dash trim: simulated carbon fiber · Door trim: leatherette · Floor Mat Material: carpet · Floor Material: carpet · Floor Mats: front · Foot pedal trim: stainless steel · Steering wheel trim: leather
Convenience Features
Active parking system: fully automated · Adaptive stop and go cruise control: semi-automatic · Ambient lighting: color-adjustable · Assist handle: rear · Autonomous lane guidance: lane centering · Cargo area power outlet: 12V · Cargo cover: hard · Center console: front console with armrest and storage · Cruise control: adaptive · Cupholders: rear · Dimming rearview mirror: auto-dimming · Footwell lights: color-adjustable · Memorized settings: driver seat · Multi-function remote: keyless entry with panic alarm · One-touch windows: 4 · Power outlet(s): 12V front · Power steering: speed-proportional · Power windows: lockout button · Reading lights: rear · Steering wheel: tilt and telescopic · Steering wheel mounted controls: voice recognition controls · Storage: in-floor · Vanity mirrors: dual illuminating
Driver Seat
Adjustable lumbar support: 4-way power · Power adjustments: 12
Drivetrain
Axle ratio: 4.17 · Limited slip differential: front · Locking differential: front
Engine
Alternator: 140 amps · Battery: maintenance-free
Exterior Features
Door handle color: body-color · Exhaust: dual exhaust tips · Exhaust tip color: chrome · Front bumper color: body-color · Grille color: black · Illuminated accent: front emblem · Mirror color: body-color · Rear bumper color: body-color · Rear spoiler: roofline spoiler · Rear spoiler color: body-color · Rear trunk/liftgate: liftgate · Window trim: black
Headrests
Front headrests: integrated · Number of front headrests: 2 · Number of rear headrests: 3
In Car Entertainment
Connected in-car apps: Amazon Alexa · Infotainment: MIB3 · Infotainment screen size: 12.9 in. · Smartphone integration: wireless Apple CarPlay
Instrumentation
Fuel economy display: MPG · Instrument cluster screen size: 10.25 in. · Warnings and reminders: coolant temperature warning
Lights
Daytime running lights: LED · Exterior entry lights: puddle lamps · Front fog lights: LED · Headlights: LED · Tail and brake lights: LED
Mirrors
Exterior mirrors: power folding
Passenger Seat
Adjustable lumbar support: manual · Manual Adjustments: 6
Rear Seats
Type: 60-40 split bench
Roof
Moonroof: tilt/slide
Safety
Automatic emergency braking: front · Camera system: rearview · Child seat anchors: LATCH system · Cross Traffic Alert: rear · Crumple zones: front · Impact sensor: door unlock · Parking sensors: front · Pre-Collision Warning System: vibrating steering wheel · Pre-collision warning system: pedestrian detection · Rearview monitor: in dash
Seatbelts
Emergency locking retractors: front · Front seatbelts: 3-point · Seatbelt force limiters: front · Seatbelt pretensioners: front and rear · Seatbelt warning sensor: driver and passenger · Second row seatbelts: 3-point
Seats
Driver seat power adjustments: reclining · Front seat type: sport bucket · Passenger seat manual adjustments: height · Passenger seat power adjustments: reclining · Rear headrests: adjustable · Rear seat folding: flat · Upholstery: premium leather
Security
Power door locks: anti-lockout
Spare Tire
Mount Location: inside · Size: temporary
Spare Wheel
Rim Type: steel
Steering
Steering ratio: 10.9 · Turns lock-to-lock: 2.0
Suspension
Driver Adjustable Suspension: ride control · Front Arm Type: lower control arms · Front Shock Type: gas shock absorbers · Front Spring Type: coil springs · Front Suspension Classification: independent · Front Suspension Type: MacPherson struts · Rear Shock Type: gas shock absorbers · Rear Spring Type: coil springs · Rear Suspension Classification: independent · Rear Suspension Type: multi-link · Stabilizer bar(s): front · Suspension control: electronic
Telematics
Driver assistance app: roadside assistance · Electronic messaging assistance: with read function · Navigation system: with voice recognition · Phone: voice activated · Phone wireless data link: Bluetooth · Smart device app compatibility: Amazon Alexa · Smart device app function: horn/light operation · Wifi: hotspot
Tires
Type: summer performance
Tires and Rims
Wheels: polished aluminum with painted accents
Wheels
Wheel locks: front and rear
Windows
Front wipers: rain sensing · Liftgate window: fixed · Power windows: with safety reverse · Rear wiper: auto-on in reverse