New Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport 2024 review: FWD hot hatch fun

Verdict

There’s nothing old-school about the amount of technology underneath the Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport, but the driving experience it helps create definitely has something of the classic hot hatch about it. In the age of two-tonne electric SUVs doing 0-62mph in five seconds, a hot hatch needs more than raw pace, and the Clubsport is a compelling blend of performance and tactility. The modern Golf package still isn’t without its flaws but improvements to this facelifted version put the Clubsport up with the very best FWD hot hatches.

Volkswagen’s Clubsport brand is fast becoming something of a hot-hatch institution. By taking the everyman VW Golf GTI then sprinkling on some extra immediacy and aggression, it produces products that hit the right notes with those who appreciate the finer points of a car’s driving experience. 

The Mk8.5 facelifted version is no different. A honed hot Golf tweaked in key areas to be more involving, the Clubsport is a markedly different proposition to the all-wheel-drive Golf R that sits £1,700 above it in the range, just as it is from the stock Golf GTI that’s £2,300 below. All these cars, though, have now progressed from their pre-facelift Mk8 guises. 

Ultimately there’s something to be said for each of the trio, but the Clubsport delivers best on the classic front-wheel-drive hot hatch formula for the more enthusiastic driver. A 296bhp version of VW’s long-serving 2.0-litre, four-cylinder turbo unit sits in the nose giving a 5.6-second 0-62mph time. Top speed is 166mph when the optional GTI Performance Package is installed, or 155mph when it isn’t. 

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This has never been a particularly charismatic engine – the sound just gets louder rather than particularly tuneful as the revs rise – but it’s always been smooth, flexible across a wide rev range, and eager. With torque rated at 400Nm available between 2,000 and 5,200rpm and a new turbo with a ‘preload’ function to keep it spinning for improved response, it’s still all of the above. 

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Volkswagen has aimed to inject some sound effects of the more exciting kind with the aforementioned GTI Performance Pack that includes an Akrapovic exhaust system, along with 19-inch alloy and the raising of the speed limiter. The upgraded pipes trumpet the full range of flatulent responses to up and downshifts when you’re pressing on, but even if this is your cup of tea, the £3,280 price tag may act as a deterrent. 

It’s not always the case but the Golf GTI Clubsport’s driving modes do have a big impact on how it feels on the road and track. The Comfort setting for the powertrain dulls the throttle response to a point that largely defeats the object of the Clubsport. Yet the softer configuration of the adaptive dampers seemed a good compromise for road driving on our largely smooth German test route - and it’s likely to be even more appropriate on dodgy UK roads. Thankfully, VW has included a Special drive mode designed for the relentless undulations of the Nürburgring Nordschliefe circuit. This combines the more compliant ride with the more aggressive throttle and steering maps. It’s a fine compromise, but the Individual mode allows you to pinpoint the Clubsport configuration that suits you best, including a choice of 15 damper settings, so compromise may not be necessary. 

In any mode, the revised steering probably starts off lighter than you expect but it gains weight and precision nicely as you increase your speed and tackle corners. This tallies well with the general agility of the chassis as the Clubsport dances its way through direction changes in a way that underlines the 90kg weight saving over the Golf R. The addition of an electronic differential lock on the front axle helps here, and on track - in the most aggressive set-up - the Clubsport turns-in crisply and hangs on tight. In short, it’s a blast. 

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The Mk8.5 VW Golf GTI Clubsport has the driving side of things very well nailed down but a good hot hatch also has to be a great car to live with. To that end VW has addressed some of the problems with the control interface in the cabin through what it says is a completely revised infotainment system. The climate-control functions are now a fixture at the bottom of the screen and response times are said to have improved, although we still detected some lag. The controversial slider controls for volume and temperature remain – and remain less than ideal.

Elsewhere, the touch-sensitive controls on the steering wheel are replaced by physical buttons that are far harder to inadvertently press while cornering. But we still take issue with the hard plastics on the doors and the piano-black finishes on the centre console, which seem a little below par for a £40,000 car. 

The chunky sports seats are supportive but they eat into rear legroom to the extent that a six-foot-tall passenger will find it impossible to sit behind a driver of similar build - even a child would find it a snug fit. At least there’s a decent (374-litre) boot, and an official WLTP combined economy of figure 38mpg will keep running costs manageable, if you have the self discipline to get anywhere near it.

At £41,000, the Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport is up against some serious rivals, but very few deliver old-school hot-hatch fun on the scale that it can. Ford’s talented Focus ST Track Pack is £3,300 cheaper but less powerful, and the Honda Civic Type R is absolutely formidable but now comes in at £8,000 more. The Clubsport is definitely well worth its place in the conversation.