The facelifted VW Golf 8.5 GTI, and by extension, the Golf 8.5 R, might not be coming to South Africa.
VW recently unveiled the new hot hatchbacks, taking the covers off the refreshed GTI in January 2024 and the R in June.
With these models being crowd favourites in South Africa, we reached out to the local wing of the German automaker to find out when fans will be able to get their hands on them.
In response, VW confirmed that there is no date for the domestic introduction of the new Golf GTI and R just yet.
“Both the Golf GTI and Golf R are under investigation for introduction in South Africa,” said a spokesperson for VW.
“Nothing has been confirmed yet for this market.”
This came as quite a surprise, given that VW’s hot hatches have garnered a cult-like following in South Africa so we expected there would already be a relatively solid timeline for getting them into the country.
In the same breath, it wouldn’t be completely out of the blue if the new GTI and R end up not coming to our market.
VW Golf 8.5 R
For the eighth generation of the iconic Golf series, VW made the decision to only bring the high-octane models to our roads due to the rising popularity of crossovers and SUVs which saw sales of the standard Golf variants dwindle over time.
However, high import costs and an unfavourable exchange rate led to these once-attainable enthusiast cars being priced out of reach of the majority of customers.
When it landed in South African showrooms in July 2021, the Golf 8 GTI had a starting price of R669,300. When the souped-up R arrived almost two years later, it sold for a minimum of R912,800.
Today, the same cars go for a considerably higher R816,100 and R972,200, respectively.
Sales of the GTI and R consequently waned over the last few years, with the nameplates combined rarely eclipsing triple digits in a single month.
Therefore, knowing that the Golf 8.5 GTI and 8.5 R will require another bump in price, which will likely affect their sales figures, VW may still be mulling whether it would be worth the investment to bring the refreshed hot hatches to local shores or not.
Should the manufacturer decide to go ahead with the rollout, a rather likely occurrence, we only expect to see these models in South Africa in 2025 or later, judging from previous launch timelines for VW products.
New GTI
The new Golf 8.5 GTI features an updated exterior design underscored by restyled LED lights at the front and back, a new front lip with more angular air ducts, a new side sill, a more pronounced rear spoiler, a more dynamic-looking rear bumper, and the fitment of 17-inch Richmond alloys.
The cabin sees a new Sports multifunction steering wheel, electric Sports seats with red needlework, a gear knob with aluminium surrounds, a revised 10.2-inch driver’s display with new graphics, and a larger 12.9-inch infotainment system with an improved user interface.
It also boasts an AI-powered voice assistant that allows passengers to control the infotainment, navigation, and climate control using their voice, or to have the assistant answer general knowledge questions while on the go.
As before, the hatchback is propelled by a 2.0-litre, turbocharged petrol motor which has been tuned to deliver 195kW and 370Nm – 15kW more than before – to the front axle using a seven-speed, dual-clutch automatic gearbox.
As a result, the modernised GTI sprints from 0-100km/h in 5.9 seconds which is a considerable 0.5 seconds quicker than its forebear, before topping out at 250km/h.
New R
As usual, the new R represents the pinnacle of the Golf platform.
Like the GTI it was on the receiving end of a slight nip and tuck with redesigned cosmetics and more tech inside the cabin, but it now holds the accolade of being the most powerful production Golf ever produced.
The uprated 2.0-litre powerplant puts out 245kW and 420Nm, reflecting a modest increase of 10kW and 20Nm over the outgoing R.
In this application, power is transmitted to all four wheels via the same seven-speed gearbox as the GTI, with the increased traction and power output seeing a 0-100km/h time of just 4.6 seconds.
Top speed remains electronically governed at 250km/h but can be lifted to 270km/h with the optional R-Performance package.
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