VW has quietly discontinued the Golf GTI Jacara Edition in South Africa, which was introduced in November 2022 in a bid to widen the appeal of the eighth-generation hot hatch.
At launch, the Jacara sold for R16,700 less than the standard GTI and forwent key luxuries to attain the lower price tag.
From what we have gathered, VW pulled the plug on the Jacara Edition sometime in the initial months of 2024 as it was still available in December 2023, meaning it enjoyed just over a year on the market.
TopAuto reached out to the German marque to get the low down on why the cheaper GTI was removed from the shelves, however, it did not respond by time of publication.
We can assume that the Jacara did not pull in the sales figures VW hoped during its short time on sale, judging from similar changes to the Amarok line-up earlier this year.
In March, VW confirmed to TopAuto that it had discontinued the entry-level Amarok 110kW models due to their lacking sales performance not being worth the cost of having these bakkies in the automaker’s local product portfolio.
In all likelihood, the Jacara Edition suffered the same fate.
The relatively small price and feature disparities between it and the standard GTI may not have been enough to entice a larger crowd to spend well upwards of R700,000 on the once-attainable hot hatch, despite the prestige associated with the sporty three-letter nameplate.
GTI Jacara Edition specifications
The only difference between the Jacara Edition and its namesake is that the former got Clark Plaid Jacara fabric seats with a black/red check pattern design, while the latter came with full Vienna leather upholstery.
Apart from this one notable feature, the stablemates were identical to one another.
As such, the more affordable derivative still offered amenities such as a 10.25-inch digital driver’s display, an 8.25-inch infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a wireless charging pad, tri-zone climate control, ambient lighting, cruise control, automatic LED headlights with dynamic range control, rain-sensing wipers, keyless entry and start, shifter paddles, and all-round parking sensors.
It even wore the same 18-inch “Richmond” alloy wheels ensuring there were no exterior cues identifying it as the “cheaper” GTI, which its more status-sensitive buyers would likely have appreciated.
Under the skin, the Jacara made do with the same driveline as its sibling comprising a turbocharged 2.0-litre petrol mill generating 180kW and 370Nm.
A seven-speed, dual-clutch gearbox channeled power to the front axle, allowing the VW to race past 100km/h in 6.4 seconds on to its top speed of 250km/h.
It also received an electronic front differential lock as well as the Vehicle Dynamics Manager with adaptive chassis control, which VW said reduces the hatchback’s tendency to understeer in comparison to previous generations.
Those interested in picking up a GTI Jacara Edition on the used market better act quickly; there are currently only four models listed on AutoTrader starting from R669,890.
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