Volkswagen confirms new Golf GTI Clubsport

Volkswagen has given us more information about its potent new Golf GTI variant to be unveiled at the Nürburgring Nordschleife at the end of May. 

Dubbed “the most powerful Golf with front-wheel drive”, the new GTI Clubsport is characterised by a redesigned front end, home to new (and standard) LED Plus headlight clusters and an illuminated VW logo. The Wolfsburg engineers have also tacked on a large roof spoiler for increased downforce and fitted a revised set of LED tail lights.

New 19" “Queenstown” alloy wheels are fitted as standard and feature a striking design of five oval semicircles; a nod to the classic Detroit wheel introduced for the fifth-generation Golf GTI. Buyers can also specify optional 19" Warmenau forged wheels. Tipping the scales at 8kg each, they reduce unsprung mass and optimise performance. 

In the cabin you can look forward to a newly developed multifunction leather sports steering wheel and updated infotainment system, which Volkswagen claims is “extremely intuitive and ensures that the driver can concentrate even better on the road ahead”. Other goodies include the marque's latest voice assistant IDA with Chat GPT integration.

Under the bonnet is a modified 2.0l four-cylinder turbocharged engine producing yet to be disclosed power. In Europe the standard Golf GTI makes 195kW, so we'd expect the Clubsport to up this by at least 30kW to 40kW. An electronically controlled front differential lock is fitted as standard while DCC adaptive chassis control is optional. 

Another highlight of the GTI Clubsport is the exclusive Special driving profile that tailors the car's systems to suit the demanding characteristics of the Nürburgring Nordschleife. To compensate for the undulations typical of this fearsome circuit, maximum performance is achieved by means of a specific vertical set-up of the DCC adaptive chassis control and a modified lateral dynamics set-up of the standard Vehicle Dynamics Manager.

More information will be revealed when the new Golf GTI Clubsport makes its public debut on May 31 at 4.30pm. Watch this space for details.