Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport 45 review

Happy birthday, Golf GTI? How old is it now?

Forty-five years old, in fact. Volkswagen unleashed its hot Golf on the world in 1976, adding some grille make-up and serious shove to the humble hatchback.

It was a long time ago: 1976 was also the year Concorde began commercial services, while three American geeks got together to form the Apple Computer Company.

Thanks for the impromptu history lesson. Why is VW marking 45 years of GTI?

Because Wolfsburg uses each five-year milestone to produce a special edition, underlining the GTI’s talent for renewing itself, remaining relevant and gathering loyal followers.

This has happened since the GTI Mk3 20 Years Edition, although you may have missed that one – and the Mk4 Edition 25 – as they are The Bad GTIs.

The decidedly excellent Mk5 GTI led to the Edition 30, complete with a larger turbocharger, smart BBS wheels and a bodykit. A fine thing. Five years afterwards came the Mk6 Edition 35, followed by the Clubsport Edition 40 for the Mk7 Golf. That particular model was especially brilliant.

Birthday versions usually stick to a familiar formula: sportier wheels, selected badges and trim pieces, plus perhaps a little extra power. Welcome, then, to 2021 and the Mk8 GTI’s moment.

What has changed on the GTI Clubsport 45?

Start with the 19-inch wheels. Finished in black with a red pinstripe, they come as standard. Hmm. Are we convinced by them? New hexagon-pattern decals fill the space between the wheels, while the rear doors carry a large ‘45’ graphic.

At the front sits the more aggressive bumper from the ordinary GTI Clubsport, with the same 2.0-litre turbocharged engine behind it delivering 296bhp. Volkswagen’s seven-speed DSG paddleshift transmission is fitted as standard.

The Clubsport’s taller rear spoiler is retained, but its regular exhaust has been removed. In its place is some lovely titanium pipework from Akrapovic, arguably the 45’s most forceful alteration. The outlets are enormous. Perforated and tucked beneath the rear valance, they look suitably threatening and rather delicious.

What else is different on the Golf GTI Clubsport 45?

There is a black roof, black door-mirror caps and a small ‘45’ emblem on the steering wheel, but the rest is standard GTI Clubsport specification.

That means the same non-tartan cloth seats, the same odd mesh-style dashboard decoration and the same displays on the 12.3-inch screens.

One further change cannot be seen, felt or tasted: the speed limiter has been deleted. Rather than meeting an electronic wall at 155mph, this sensible family hatch can continue to 167mph. It is an impressive figure to mention, though it is unlikely to enliven a commute unless your route includes the Nürburgring.

Don’t tell me clever Germans honed the GTI Clubsport at the Green Hell…

Correct. Volkswagen says the Clubsport is 13 seconds faster around you-know-where than the standard 242bhp GTI.

There is even a dedicated touchscreen mode calibrated for the Nordschleife’s chassis-punishing bends. More on that shortly.

Got something you need to say?

Frankly, the 45’s specification is a little underwhelming. These editions are rarely radical, admittedly, but it would have been welcome if Volkswagen had paired a manual gearbox with the Clubsport’s stronger engine for the first time. Alternatively, it might have changed the Settings menu artwork to show a GTI Clubsport rather than a base-specification GTI.

A few additional GTI 45 emblems, or the longer Golf R gearshift paddles, could also have livened up the gloomy interior. This is meant to celebrate the GTI’s enduring appeal and thank its devoted audience, after all. Why the funerial ambience?

Nor do the ‘45’ changes substantially alter the way the GTI Clubsport drives. The new wheels offer no reduction in unsprung mass, while the exhaust’s weight saving is reportedly insignificant too. Performance is unchanged from the standard Clubsport, reaching 0-62mph in 5.6 seconds.

But it will at least sound faster, won’t it? Right?

Amazingly, the GTI 45 sounds no more aggressive than the regular car, in spite of those designer-brand exhaust pipes.

There may be a richer bark at start-up, but appreciating it requires pressing the starter button, immediately getting out and sprinting around to the rear. Your neighbours may have questions.

Inside, the artificial engine soundtrack is unchanged, and overrun pops and crackles are no longer permitted. Because emissions.

So what? It is a GTI with some trinkets, and it looks the part. No big deal.

The price is a big deal, however. A GTI Clubsport 45 costs £39,990, representing a £2,750 premium over a GTI Clubsport. That feels like a sizeable sum for decals, a badge, a top speed you will never see and an exhaust system you cannot hear.

That is particularly true when the excellent Golf R, with more power and four-wheel drive, costs roughly £600 less. Oddly, fitting Akrapovic pipes alone to the R costs a hefty £3,100. Presumably this is because it gives you four tailpipes rather than two.

Not great value, then…

Put simply, no. Unless you are a genuine collector and connoisseur of everything ‘GTI’, own tartan furnishings and have ‘OG HOT HATCH’ tattooed across your knuckles, you will be materially better off choosing the normal GTI Clubsport. And it should be said that this is a very capable hot hatch straight from the showroom.

You mentioned Nürburgring tuning?

Yes, although the setting might equally be named ‘British B Road Mode’. It simply would not sell quite as well.

Select Nürburgring mode while attacking a typically uneven, battered UK country road, and the Clubsport’s dampers noticeably soften, smoothing away the surface’s rough edges.

This helps the heavily loaded front axle maintain contact with the road, allowing the limited-slip differential to distribute as much torque as you are brave enough to request between the front tyres.

It is a seriously fast cross-country tool, yet it feels more animated and agile under you than, for example, an Audi S3. At the same time, it avoids the frantic “lordy, what’s going to happen next?” anxiety of a Renault Megane Trophy.

This is a nimble, carefully developed car, although the Mk8 Golf GTI package still has ample scope for something combining the Honda Civic Type R’s aggression with Hyundai’s superb i30N sense of humour. That would be a true celebration of everything ‘fast’ and ‘Golf.’

By 2026, that will make 50 years of GTI. Your move, Volkswagen…