Packing 296bhp and a host of enhancements, can this faster Golf GTI Clubsport improve upon the standard car's lukewarm reception?

PROS:

+ Impressively competent on choppy British Tarmac

+ More engaging than the standard GTI

+ Subtle design will please grownups

CONS:

- Poor infotainment system

- Still not the most tactile hot hatch out there

- Pricey

Verdict: It’s the car the Mk8 Volkswagen Golf GTI always should have been. Where the standard lacks a sense of occasion or more focus, the Clubsport delivers. Its added torque and shorter gear ratios give it a renewed sense of urgency that now fractionally outstrips other front-wheel drive rivals. It’s still not the last word in driver engagement due to its steering still feeling a bit detached from the action, but as an overall package, this is a very impressive hot hatchback. Spend the extra cash folks, it’s worth the upgrade.

2021 Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport review: the five-minute read

The all-new Mk8 Volkswagen Golf GTI represented a real step change for the fabled hot hatch. With the whole Golf range moving more upmarket, so did this car, bringing with it a thoroughly modern cabin and even more refinement. It also delivered dynamically with the most agile chassis of any GTI we’ve piloted, however, the car didn’t quite have the spark its predecessor was celebrated for. Sure, the GTI was fast and entertaining enough, but it’s fair to say that some of that driver engagement had been lost in its bid to be a more grownup offering. This new Clubsport model aims to put right old wrongs.

Far from being a stripped-out special, the Clubsport nameplate now becomes a permanent fixture of the GTI lineup – a game plan that might highlight why the regular car felt a bit watered down. Visually it doesn’t look like a lot has changed. It’s that smart new Mk8 shape that all new Golfs possess featuring clean lines, smart LED lighting and proportions that remain recognisable from decades ago. Of course it has the GTI ‘go faster’ pinstripe on its nose, but aside from a more prominent rear wing, shinier alloy wheels and some subtle stickers, you’d need to be a GTI anorak to spot the difference. It doesn’t even say Clubsport anywhere.

It’s a similar story for the interior where, a few bits of contrasting trim aside, it’s all very familiar. The bolstered sports seats strike a good balance between support through the bends and comfort over a distance, and its spacious five-seat practicality is textbook GTI. Sadly, this car also shares the 10-inch infotainment system of the regular car that proves to be graphically impressive, but ergonomically flawed.

So, what is actually new? A handful of crucial changes have been made under the skin that include new suspension and dampers that sit the car 10mm lower, tweaked steering, more aggressive camber for the front wheels, reworked differential, shorter gear ratios for the DSG gearbox and larger 357mm brakes. Its 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged engine gains 54bhp, but more importantly 30Nm of torque, for a total output of 296bhp and 400Nm. Net result? The GTI we were expecting the first time around.

The renewed zest to this hot hatch is remarkable over the standard car, certainly taking us by surprise. Rediscovering its mojo, the Clubsport feels sharper, more responsive and considerably more eager to play. The increased engine performance means that its 0-62mph now bests a Civic Type R at 5.6 seconds, and the shorter ratios from the automatic gearbox certainly make it feel like a more immediate machine.

The Clubsport’s command over undulating Tarmac is certainly impressive. Our test car was fitted with he optional Dynamic Chassis Control (DCC) that allows the driver to adjust things like damper stiffness over a huge range. It also includes a ‘Nurburgring Mode’ that effectively turns everything up to its angriest setting while keeping the suspension slack – perfect for British roads. The car has a keenness to get its nose into the apex of bends, and you can feel the chassis pivot around the bend beneath you in a wonderfully predictable fashion. The responsive and weightier steering certainly helps, but there’s still a sense of detachment that prevents keen drivers from truly plugging-in to what those front wheels are up to. It remains the weakest link in an otherwise highly impressive chain.

Just like every Golf GTI before it, once you’re done throwing it around, you can tone everything down and go about your business just like a regular Golf. The adaptive suspension in its softest setting is remarkably more pillowy than the standard passive setup, coping with our battered roads rather well. Overall refinement is high, making the GTI Clubsport a solid commuter during the week, and something to enjoy at the weekend.

Let’s end this were we started. The Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport is very much a car deserving of its historic badge, and we were surprised at just how much of an improvement it is overall versus the standard car. It’s still not the last word in excitement behind the wheel, but this model it has certainly regained its mantle of being the best allrounder in its class. Spend the extra £3k, the Clubsport is worth it.

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Extended read…

2021 Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport interior and infotainment

If you’re no stranger to the new Mk8 Golf, this Clubsport’s interior will prove familiar. It’s the same modern tech-rich environment that has really elevated the whole range. Coloured mood lighting, a lack of buttons and a tiered dashboard gives this environment a really sleek look. Clubsport models gain some contrasting trim elements, but also retain some of the more disappointing plastics we’ve already critiqued the regular Golf for.

GTI Clubsports do receive a nice set of sports seats that not only look good, but are plenty comfy on longer trips. Some hot hatchbacks feature heavily bolstered seats in readiness for track days, but it’s easy to forget that cars like this GTI will spend more time on the M25 than at Silverstone. In that regard the mature environment this car offers ticks the box, but does just enough to make itself out as something sportier than its siblings.

Sadly, something all Golf models possess is a standard 10-inch infotainment system. Why’s that a bad thing? Well, on the surface it isn’t as that’s a good size of screen and the slick graphics are great. However, the lack of physical buttons and the few haptic style controls that feature make it difficult to use on the move. Things such as air conditioning controls are all within the system, and the layers of menus to find what you’re looking for becomes frustrating. Thankfully you can use Apple CarPlay or Android Auto instead via some forward thinking USB C ports.

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2021 Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport practicality and boot space

It’s the thing that allows hot hatch owner to be the smuggest of all car buyers. Thanks to their performance car being base don something sensible, they can get their kicks while still being able to fit shopping in the boot. The Golf GTI Clubsport offers the same 374 litres of space as the regular car, which is goos but not class leading. It has a nice flat floor that will help with loading heavy items, and the boot opening itself is wide.

There are various cubby spaces dotted around the cabin for all of life’s flotsam and jetsam, including a little wireless charging tray for smartphones. This car also features a full-size glovebox, which doesn’t seem all that important until you realise that a Peugeot 308 GTI does not.

Rear passengers get generous leg room, and thanks to the somewhat boxy nature of this hatch, good headroom, too. Nice big windows let in plenty of light, and the three abreast seats goes one better than a Type R. However, that middle passenger will need to straddle a hump in the floor.

2021 Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport engine

The Golf GTI Clubsport sources its power from the familiar EA888 engine seen in other fast Golfs. Here it receives more boost from its new turbo and a larger intercooler. Power has been hiked by 54bhp over the standard GTI and torque is now up to a Honda Civic Type R rivalling 400Nm. All of this equates to a 0-62mph sprint of 5.6 seconds and a top speed of 155bhp. All of this performance potential is channeled to the front wheels via a seven-speed DSG automatic gearbox. Sadly, there’s no manual option for the Clubsport.

This Clubsport-fettled engine certainly feels more eager than the standard GTI’s unit, delivering strong torque throughout the rev range and an eagerness to explore the redline that was otherwise absent. It sounds better, too. Gruffer and now narrated with crackles and pops from its dual exhausts, something that adds a sprinkle of drama.

Left to its own devices, the gearbox subtly juggles cogs and does a pretty good job of ensuring the optimum ratios is available. Take control yourself, via a set of paddles, and rapid changes are at your disposal, with only a minor hesitation on downshifts.

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2021 Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport driving

Being a good hot hatchback requires a car to be a real jack of all trades and master of every single one. These are the performance cars that won’t hide away in heated garages when it’s raining, nor shirk the responsibility of dropping the kids to school. The GTI Clubsport is a very good example of the breed in that it covers those more mundane bases very well.

Around town the car is as pleasant as just about every other Golf, offering good visibility a compact shape and some light steering. The standard passive suspension might be a little on the firm side, so it is well worth optioning DCC at £785. These adaptive dampers come with a sliding scale of firmness, arguably about three more settings than you truly need, but this choice certainly broadens this GTIs capabilities. In its softest mode it has no problem at all soaking up the worst of road imperfections, even with the larger 19-inch alloy wheels.

After you’ve delivered the children to school, you can really have some fun behind the wheel of a Clubsport. Its series of technical alterations over the standard machine results in a far more playful and engaging car overall. It feels much more on its toes as you fling it into a corner, and you can feel that altered front differential working its magic as you home in on an apex. Sure, we’d spec the optional Michelin Cup tyres for some additional grip, but it can be quite amusing to feel the chassis predictably slip as you glide around a crested bend. There’s plenty of front-end grip on offer, but the joy of a front-wheel drive hot hatch is that you need to manage those levels to avoid understeer. This GTI feels like a much more precise tool to explore the Mk8’s agile platform than the base car.

The larger 357mm brakes are also a marked improvement, not only in terms of their sheer stopping power, but there’s better feel through the pedal, making them easier to modulate. Like many hot hatchbacks, you can really play with how the weight transfers through the car via the stoppers.

A special mention has to be made of the car’s selectable drive modes as they make a notable difference to this GTI’s behaviour. Eco and Comfort serve their purpose, but Sport really does liven things up, setting everything to maximum attack and stiffening the suspension for even less lateral motion through fast bends. However, there’s also a new setting labeled ‘Special’ with a silhouette of the Nurburgring on the button. This ‘Nurburgring mode’ doesn’t simply make everything faster, but it actually softens the suspension instead of firming it up. The Nurburgring is full of undulation and imperfections, meaning a hard suspension setup would typically upset the car’s balance. It might have been developed for the ‘ring, but it should really be called ‘UK road mode’ because it is perfect for covering our B-roads.

There are two things that take away from the driver involvement in the GTI Clubsport. The first is a hangover from the standard GTI, and that’s its steering. While this even sportier model features a bit more weighting, and is quicker to respond to inputs, it’s still lacking in feel and contributes to the driver not feeling quite as involved as some rivals. Second is the DSG gearbox, or the lack of a manual option like there is on a normal GTI. We get that most people will go for an auto, but the enthusiasts that really covet this type of car frequently prefer to shift for themselves.

DSG or not, the Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport is something of a return to form. Where the normal car left us feeling a little cold, this model absolves many of those sins. It’s a fair assessment to say that this still isn’t the most engaging car in the class, nor the most thrilling to drive fast. However, as something to live with every day of the week, that also hosts accessible real-world performance, it might just be our pick of the bunch.

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