For those who want a hot hatch that can cope with a day at the track and get you there and back in comfort, look no further than the latest Golf GTI.

Volkswagen’s Golf GTI has long been a favourite hot hatch of not just NZ Autocar’s but of New Zealand’s. And that’s because it is such an accomplished allrounder, suiting such a wide variety of people.

I like it especially because a few years back it was the first front-wheel drive car to break the 6sec 0-100 barrier. We’d been waiting for some time too.

It wasn’t exactly a bog standard GTI, however, the Golf GTI TCR being one of the limited editions that had an ECU reflash and 210kW under the hood.

But now Volkswagen has breathed on the existing GTI 2.0T and claims it too will run the sprint to the legal limit in under six seconds.

It’s the first time the standard GTI has managed this feat – VW suggests 5.9sec. The previous generation Golf GTI needed 6.4sec.

What is it exactly?

For 2024 the GTI is refreshed for the final time before the next (ninth) generation, at which time Golf goes fully electric. But not solely EV, for it seems as though VW intends to offer ICE power for a bit longer than it first thought.

The German was looking at electric everything by 2030 but with the slowdown in EV uptake it has, like others, pushed the full EV adoption date back towards 2035.

Thus, the next Golf is likely to run with two different platforms and powertrains, and probably the same (or similar) body shape. However, that’s a few years away yet.

Meantime we get Gen 8.5 of the Golf GTI. It’s all about subtle tweaks here and there; the sheetmetal remains the same. There are new lights, bumpers, grille and wheels but it all looks GTI familiar.

2024 Mercedes-Benz GLE 450 4Matic Coupe review
It’s easy to become a little confused over Mercedes models, and a good example is the differences between the two GLE 450s. The SUV version of the Mercedes-Benz GLE 450 has a ‘d’ suffix, and makes 270kW and 750Nm. A diesel then. Meantime, the Coupe version of the GLE
MotorsportMosmox

Like those before it, this is not an overt hot hatch; it’s quite stealthy in fact. There’s the same red strip and GTI badge up front. Along the flanks, there’s another red GTI badge that has moved rearward, from the guard to the door.

Round the back there are still the twin round exhaust outlets to signify this is a go-hard model. The new gloss black and machined 19-inch telephone dial wheels look peachy.