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No manual VW Golf 8 GTI for South Africa

VW has confirmed that the six-speed manual transmission option will not be available in the new Golf 8 GTI in South Africa.

“We sell significantly less manuals than we do DSG derivatives,” said VW South Africa.

This follows the announcement that the Golf 8 GTI will be launched in the country on 19 July.

The launch will take place on both Facebook and YouTube, said the company.

Local specifications

This means the VW Golf 8 GTI available locally will be driven by a 2.0-litre, turbo-petrol engine paired with a seven-speed DSG automatic transmission.

The set-up generates a healthy 180kW and 370Nm, allowing the hot hatch to sprint to 100km/h in 6.4 seconds and to a top speed of 250km/h.

In addition, the eighth-generation GTI gets a new Vehicle Dynamics Manager and an electronically-controlled locking differential that integrates into the car’s control units for better handling performance.

VW said these technologies eliminate the inherent grip disadvantages of front-wheel-drive vehicles.

Moving inside, the eighth-generation GTI’s interior is a large departure from that of the previous generation.

It now offers a modernised interior with a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster, a large infotainment display, touch-capacitive buttons, and a shrunken gear lever thanks to the new “shift-by-wire” transmission system.

Standard features include:

  • Shift paddles
  • Cruise control
  • Ambient lighting
  • Vienna leather seats
  • Park distance control
  • Wireless charging pad
  • Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
  • 18-inch “Richmond” alloy wheels
  • Heated multifunction steering wheel
  • Automatic LED headlights with high-beam control

A wide range of optional extras are available for the Golf 8 GTI, too, such as a 10-speaker Harman/Kardon sound system, sunroof, dynamic turn signals, and variable shock absorbers.


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