Is this more powerful VW Golf GTI 8.5 the fastest of the bunch?

Fusing a striking new exterior with enhanced performance, the new Golf GTI is engineered to thrill. Picture: Mark Jones After a lot of ups and downs between South Africa and Germany over fuel quality, the VW Golf GTI 8.5 has officially gone on sale in the country for R908 000. Being hailed as the undisputed king of hot hatches, we were straight off to Gerotek to see what this upgraded car could do.

Just because theGolf GTI 8.5makes 15kW more power than the Golf GTI 8, at 195kW to 180kW, this does not mean it is automatically quicker or better on the roll. History has shown, as indicated in the stat block below, that some generations have been faster than others, despite bumps in power. The Golf GTI Mk5 with its 147kW could only hit 100km/h in 7.34 seconds.

The Golf GTI Mk6 saw the power climb to 155kW and the 0-100km/h time decrease to 6.32 seconds. But then things took a dip for the worse. The Golf GTI Mk7, despite making 162kW, now could only get there in 6.36 seconds.

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And if you thought that was an anomaly, you would be wrong. The Golf GTI Mk7.5 with 169kW went even slower at 6.58 seconds. It was only with the unveiling of the 180kW Golf GTI Mk8 that the times improved and a sub-6 second run was achieved for the first time with 5.88 seconds.

Much was expected of the GolfGTI Mk8.5. But it would have to go quicker than the claimed 5.9 seconds for it to outrun the previous generation Golf GTI Mk8. Both generations still run the IHI IS20 turbocharger, but on the GolfGTI Mk8.5some extra boost has been added to the mix thanks to improved thermal management.

While some mapping has also been done on the engine and the seven-speed DSG box to allow for a quicker spool-up and more torque to be available in the lower gears. The car felt nippy when we drove it on the street. A little bit like a Golf GTI Mk8, but with some adrenaline added to make it feel more alive.

With launch control duly activated at Gerotek, the new Golf GTI Mk8.5 did what we expected. A time of 5.81-seconds was recorded. So, better than claimed and faster than the Golf GTI Mk8.

It was also an advantage that it held right through to the top with 200km/h coming in at 20.93 seconds to 21.35 seconds. Where the turbo’s quicker spooling really came into its own was in the roll-on acceleration tests. In every segment from 60-100km/h to 80-120km/h, the new car was quicker.

Even in the 100-200km/h run, the time came in at 15.14 seconds to 15.88 seconds. Bottom line. The new Golf GTI Mk8.5 is faster than the old Golf GTI Mk8 – and remains the undisputed king of hot hatches.

Overall, it’s a performance package that is almost impossible to beat. We have covered this already, but it’s always good to talk about it again. What sets the Golf GTI Mk8.5 apart from the Golf GTI Mk8?

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