An Eighth-Gen VW Golf GTI Has Been Caught On Camera And It's Barely Disguised
The version of the VW Golf 8 we’ve all been waiting for should soon be upon us. But if you’d rather know how it’ll look right now, we’ve good news - a prototype has been papped undergoing testing in the Arctic Circle.
What’s more, it’s barely disguised. Add some spanglier wheels and a red stripe across the grille (most likely hiding under some gaffer tape on this example), and you’ll have your go-faster Golf 8.
Like most of its predecessors, it doesn’t deviate all that much in terms of styling compared to its less sporty siblings. The exhaust arrangement is a dead giveaway, however, with two sizeable tailpipes protruding from the car’s rear bumper. Inside, we can see what look to be a set of sports seats with integrated headrests.
VW has already confirmed that the GTI will be powered by a 2.0-litre engine, most likely an evolution of the widely-used EA888 TSI. The output is an unknown at this stage, but with the GTE now producing 242bhp - the same as the old GTI Performance - we suspect the GTI will be comfortably more powerful than its predecessor to compensate.
For anyone wanting more, it’s worth pointing out that a TCR is definitely on the cards, with the derivative name-checked (along with the R) in the Golf 8 press release that went out a few weeks ago. It should be at least as powerful as the outgoing version - which makes 286bhp - although we suspect it’ll be good for a little more.
It was previously thought that the Golf GTI range would be given mild-hybrid powertrains, although Wolfsburg has reportedly abandoned these plans. Instead, the Golf 8 GTI will be the last pure ICE version of the car.
And yes, it should still have tartan on the options menu.
Comments
“The GTI version of the Golf GTI has been snapped…”
Golf GTI Squared?
Something like that
Why has vw become so boring looking now ☹️
It always was?
No lie, this looks like a big Polo… even more so than the previous
Yes, that’s what VW Golf means
What are these rims? 😕
Placeholders probably
Wheelbase looks too short
Am I the only one who really likes it ?
Yup
That’s a giant polo
That front does not seem pleased that it’s an 8th Gen Gold :/
it looks like a chevy cruze hatchback
Is it just me, or does this thing look almost as big as a damn minivan?