2025 Volkswagen Golf review

The updated Volkswagen Golf Mk8.5 range is landing in Australia now, and the hot GTI variant has seen a power bump as part of the range refresh.

Note: This is an updated version of an international launch review that was first published in September 2024.

The Golf Mk8.5 range just started arriving in Australia, but CarExpert hasn’t driven the vehicle on local roads. We’re expecting a launch drive in the coming months.

We have added the most up-to-date information including pricing and specifications, but the drive impressions are based on an international model – ratings will be saved for our first local drive.

You can read the original version of this review here.

We’re talking an extra 15kW of power – meaning the Golf GTI now makes 195kW and 370Nm, all sent through the front wheels via a seven-speed DSG dual-clutch gearbox. No, there’s no more manual… not even globally.

That’s right, more power but the manual hasn’t made a miraculous return. Does it matter when the updated engine has been improved so dramatically? I’d argue not, after driving it in Germany as a brief taster before it touches down in Australia in the new year.

To see how the Volkswagen Golf lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

How much does the Volkswagen Golf cost?

The Golf GTI’s price has gone up by $2900 to $58,990 before on-road costs, making it the most expensive GTI-badged Golf ever in Australia. The wider Golf range kicks off at $38,690 before on-roads.

In order to add features like a premium sound system and head-up display you need to spend $2000 on the GTI (as well as the Style and R-Line) for the Sound and Vision Package.

Further, there’s a Vienna Leather Package for the GTI which costs an additional $3900, adding the aforementioned cow hide in addition to a power-adjustable driver’s seat as well as heated and ventilated front seats.

To see how the Volkswagen Golf lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

What is the Volkswagen Golf like on the inside?

Hallelujah!

There are buttons! Yes, I’m talking about the buttons on the steering wheel, which make this a more driveable car. That’s right, it means you won’t accidentally turn on the heated steering wheel or bump the cruise control haptics when you’re tackling corners.

And not only that, the new touchscreen media system is a revelation in terms of the usability of this car. The old Mk7.5 nailed it, the Mk8 missed the mark, but this one has found itself closer to being brilliant again.

Yes, it now has backlit sliders for the climate controls and volume, but they’re still sliders rather than actual dials, so that might take a little learning.

Otherwise, the media unit has home bar at the bottom of the display for climate controls that makes it much more user-friendly if you just want to adjust the air-flow, recirculation, or temperature.

The menu layout is far easier to learn, too – there aren’t pages and pages of controls, and the icons are simpler to get to terms with.

Further to that, the new buttons on the steering wheel also make interacting with the digital driver display much less of a pain, and the button-based shortcuts to adjust the car’s lane-keeping assistance and speed sign recognition system mean there’s far less fiddling and dithering than in the Mk8.

So yeah, it is a BIG improvement in terms of the experience for the driver, and there’s still the expected amenities of a Golf inside, too – decent cupholders between the seats, a wireless phone charger with a little shelf on top, bottle holders in the doors, and lots of adjustability to the seats.

Rear seat space hasn’t changed, with enough room for two adults to sit behind similarly sized people (I’m 182cm/6’0” and easily fit behind my own driving position). But, there is a large transmission tunnel intrusion that eats into foot room.

Backseat riders get USB-C charge ports, directional air vents, climate control, map pockets on the seatbacks, a flip-down armrest with a pair of cupholders, and there are outboard ISOFIX points and three top tethers, too.

The boot is the same as before, with 374 litres of cargo capacity; an adjustable floor for improved storage; and the seats fold flat to align with the floor (when it is highest position) to offer 1230L. Aussie cars will get a space-saver spare, and there’s a ski-port as well.

To see how the Volkswagen Golf lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

What’s under the bonnet?

The latest take on the 2.0-litre turbo-petrol theme for the GTI means a maximum power figure of 195kW (from 5250-6500rpm), and while peak torque hasn’t changed, the maximum 370Nm now comes in from 1600-4590rpm.

It isn’t the most powerful version on offer – in other markets there’s the 221kW Clubsport grade – but it doesn’t appear to be on the horizon for Australia as a gap-filler between the Golf GTI and Golf R.

The standard transmission is a seven-speed DSG dual-clutch auto, and of course, the GTI is still front-wheel drive. It has an electronic differential lock to help it get the grunt down, as well as paddle shifters for those who wish to take matters into their own hands.

To see how the Volkswagen Golf lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

How does the Volkswagen Golf drive?

My oh my – I didn’t expect just 15kW could transform this car, but it really has.

Like, it still does all the stuff we loved about the previous GTI, but there’s more ferocity. While previously it would nudge you back in your seat, this time around it will actually pin you into your bucket seat when you plant your foot.

Of course, the throttle response is determined by the drive mode selected, but in Sport mode it zings from a standstill, and the character of the engine is notably more revvy than the last model.

The linearity of the power delivery means you might think that it will shift gears well before it does, and in Sport it has an eagerness to hang on, and hang on, and hang on… just like you’ll need to.

When it does upshift, it’s the typical snappy and super fast DSG shifts, and you can provoke it to get a bit of pop and crackle happening on the overrun, too. It’s not audacious or silly like a Hyundai i30 N, but it certainly doesn’t lack character.

While the official 0-100km/h time is 5.9 seconds, I managed a 6.2s dash during my time in the car.

The steering is – like the last GTI – accurate, precise and delightful when you’re tackling a tight road, and the electronic locking diff helps you keep getting the power down to the road as you punch out of corners.

It also has a bit of a cheeky lift-off oversteer character to it, and across a series of tight S-bends I got the back end to shimmy a little – I couldn’t help but giggle like a little kid.

But as has always been the case with the Golf GTI, it’s the way it can transform from being a leather-jacket-wearing hooligan to a suit-and-tie-wearing upstanding citizen that makes it so impressive.

The urban driving manners of this car are exceptional.

Hit the Comfort button and the dampers suddenly stop feeding you all the crumbs on the road surface, the steering lightens up and become more easily manageable, and the powertrain offers a simpering smoothness that makes it utterly charming for slower speed stuff.

Based on my time in this updated Golf GTI outside Wolfsburg in Germany, I found it really hard to fault when it came to the driving situation.

Maybe Aussie roads – with their more challenging surfaces – will change my take on that, but we’ll just have to wait and see.

To see how the Volkswagen Golf lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

What do you get?

Volkswagen Australia recently confirmed full equipment lists for the updated Golf lineup.

Golf Life equipment highlights:

• 17-inch alloy wheels
• Automatic LED headlights
• Surround lighting
• Leather-wrapped steering wheel
• Climate control
• 10.3-inch infotainment touchscreen
• Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• DAB+ digital radio
• Ventilated wireless smartphone charger
• Park Assist semi-autonomous parking

Golf Style adds:

• 18-inch alloy wheels
• ‘LED Plus’ headlights
• Chrome exterior highlights
• Dark tinted privacy glass
• 14-way power-adjustable driver’s seat with memory
• ArtVelours microfleece upholstery
• 12.9-inch infotainment touchscreen
• Embedded navigation
• IDA voice assistant
• 30 ambient lighting colours

Golf R-Line adds:

• Unique 18-inch alloy wheels
• R-Line exterior and interior styling
• Front sports seats with heating and ventilation
• Power-adjustable driver’s seat with memory
• Vienna leather-appointed upholstery
• Driving profiles
• Progressive steering

Golf GTI adds:

• 19-inch alloy wheels
• Fog lights
• Tartan upholstery
• Tri-zone climate control
• Adaptive dampers
• Park Assist Plus

Golf R adds:

• Unique 19-inch alloy wheels
• Matrix LED headlights
• 3D LED tail-lights
• Harman/Kardon sound system
• Nürburgring and Drift drive modes
• Torque vectoring

Golf R Black Edition adds:

• Darkened badges and headlights
• Black brake calipers
• Black 19-inch ‘Estoril’ wheels
• Black exhaust outlets

To see how the Volkswagen Golf lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

Options

Sound and Vision Package: $2000 (Style, R-Line, GTI)

• Harman/Kardon sound system
• Head-up display
• Surround-view camera

Vienna Leather Package: $3900 (GTI)

• Vienna leather upholstery
• Power-adjustable driver’s seat
• Heated and ventilated front seats

Panoramic glass sunroof: $1900 (Style, R-Line, GTI)

To see how the Volkswagen Golf lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

Is the Volkswagen Golf safe?

The Volkswagen Golf has a five-star ANCAP safety rating based on testing carried out by Euro NCAP in 2019.

Standard safety equipment includes:

• 9 airbags incl. front-centre airbag
• Autonomous emergency braking (AEB)
  • Pedestrian detection
  • Cyclist detection
• Adaptive cruise control with stop/go
• Multi-collision brake
• Emergency assist
• Lane-keep assist
• Travel Assist
• Front, rear cross-traffic alert
• Blind-spot monitoring
• Safe exit warning
• Driver fatigue monitoring
• Reversing camera
• Front, rear parking sensors

Golf R adds:

• Surround cameras

Buyers of the Style, R-Line and GTI can also add a surround-view cameras system with the optional Sound and Vision Package.

To see how the Volkswagen Golf lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

How much does the Volkswagen Golf cost to run?

The 2025 Volkswagen Golf is covered by a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty.

To see how the Volkswagen Golf lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

CarExpert’s Take on the Volkswagen Golf

It was already pretty brilliant, but the attention to detail that has been paid to this updated Golf GTI makes it stand out as a much better offering than the existing Mk8.

Buttons on the steering wheel, a better media screen and a nicer interior make it far better to live with, and that new tune for the turbo engine means it makes you feel like you’re truly alive, too.

We look forward to driving it on Australian roads in the new year.

Interested in buying a Volkswagen Golf? Get in touch with one of CarExpert’s trusted dealers here

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