2021 Volkswagen Golf GTI Fully Revealed

• The new MK8 VW GTI is, as expected, a proper evolution of the time-tested recipe.

• The World Premier occurred in Geneva last night.

• All previously leaked images were spot on.

• New GTI will put out 245 PS, or just shy of 242-horsepower.

If Volkswagen keeps its word, this new MK8 Volkswagen Golf GTI will be the last to sport an internal combustion engine. As such, it will be the final “traditional” GTI and because of this, we suspect it will also be the best GTI ever.

As you may or may not know, there are two other GTI variants in the GTE (PHEV with 242-hp and 295 torques) and a long-running GTD (diesel with 197-hp and 295 torques.) Both were revealed alongside the GTI just last night in Geneva. The latter two are not slated for our market but they are nonetheless interesting, to say the least, as they sport all of the typical GTI’s go-fast bits with powertrain variations as the real sole difference.

The GTI will retain the services of the 2.0-litre turbocharged direct injection 4-cylinder engine we know and love. It will produce 242-horsepower and 273 lb.-ft. of torque and feed the front wheels via a 6-speed manual or an optional 7-speed DSG. There are other iterations of the GTI planned in the near future such as the TCR however odds are very slim that we will them on our roads.

And so, the new MK8 GTI looks exactly like it should. Anyone vaguely familiar with the car would recognize it without badges and that’s the way it needs to be. This includes the dedicated red stripe that has proudly defined the GTI since the very beginning some 45 years ago. The interwebs is abuzz with some of the seemingly poor wheel selections but as previously reported, there will be plenty of options.

The cabin holds various red accents along with a new multifunction leather sports steering. Most importantly, the classic checked seat pattern is back and is now called Scalepaper. It’s all very good.

Although the new 2021 VW GTI will launch in Europe this year, we don’t expect to see it in Canada for, at the very least, another year.