Published:
26 July 2024Over the decades, the Golf has carved out a reputation as being the ultimate all-rounder - not necessarily the sharpest or most engaging, but one that expertly splices together handling elan with just enough comfort to make it a car for every occasion.
This approach has served it well, allowing it to forge its own path and leave the fickleness of hot hatch fashion to the others. However, for the eighth generation, Volkswagen decided to take the GTI in a slightly different direction and prioritise synapse-snapping driver indulgence over all else.
As a result, the pre-facelift model was definitely the tautest, pointiest and grippiest Golf of its kind we’ve driven – one that can pick apart a twisting ribbon of Tarmac with the sort of tight-fisted control and wrist-flick agility that escaped its softer-edged forebears.
Volkswagen hasn’t made any physical changes to the suspension set-up for this mid-life facelift, but it has worked on some of the settings and tuning and also reconfigured the optional DCC adaptive chassis control that was fitted to our test car (at a cost of £720).
DCC works in conjunction with the various drive modes to adjust the suspension and alter the car’s performance and it makes a notable difference from the pre-facelift model.
Broadly, the Golf GTI now feels more pliant and usable in normal mode, making it a little softer on uneven surfaces and bumps. Stick it in Sport mode and things stiffen up considerably, which is welcome when you find smoother, more enjoyable roads.
