15/02/2026

theSunday Special XIV ON SUNDAY FEB 15, 2026

The cockpit offers the biggest change to the Golf GTI 8.5.

You get physical buttons on the steering. Joy!

ally spank it. Use the paddle shift ers, set the dampers stiffer and go hard. The limits will surprise you. Brakes are sufficient and bite well though they can be sensitive at times so you will need to learn how to rightly modulate the pedal into a corner. The rear is compliant and does not come around aggressively with mid-corner lift, just the right amount to set up a quick exit tra jectory. Wrapping those Richmond alloys are Bridgestone Potenza S005 rubbers that is a flawless match for the GTI. It works well with the diff and chassis dynam ics, even in the wet. However, it channels in a ridiculous amount of road noise and resonance into the cabin, fur ther amplified by rough surfaces. CONCLUSION The GTI will always be the per fect hot hatch. While its rivals gave prominence to the performance side and made the Golf appear to be diluted, the truth is it just evolved and developed more than two facets to increase its already impressive versatility. It covers ground quickly and is capable of doing so for a family in comfort. We still find it hard to forgive that tweaking the climate control fan speed requires a touch too many, but in the end, it is hard to not appreciate the breadth of the Mk8.5’s capabilities that shows it has redefined the seg ment. SPECIFICATIONS Engine: 2.0-litre, 4-cylinder, Direct-injected, Turbocharged Power: 261PS Torque: 370Nm Transmission: Seven-speed dual-clutch automatic (DSG) PRICE (AS TESTED): RM 257,012 (W/O INSURANCE) We like: Usability, practicality and accessible performance. We don’t like: Complicated cli mate control fan speed.

an unwanted characteristic of numbing the GTI surfaces in the shifts, as relying on downshifts to slow down for corners is a bit laggy and feels like there could be a little more room for revs to com pensate. Another downside is the steer ing. Volkswagen assures us the Mk8.5 has had it reworked but it still does not feel as communica tive. For daily driving it is perfect but push a little and you will be wanting for more feedback… push even more and you might feel like you are about to be ghosted. Even under Sport mode, the weightage is increased but is plainly artificial. Launch into a corner and you will get it out cleanly but the chatter that always lets you know what the front is up to is gone. A huge contributor to pulling you through that corner is the electronically controlled XDS+ differential with a multi-plate clutch. The locking factor is not as aggressive but in this case, it works in its favour. Wrangle it through a corner and you don’t get that feeling of it locking up tight to yank the nose into the corner, instead calmly blending into a natural line, allow ing predictability and smoothness. Get close to the limit and the steering lighten a little as the diff locks. On bumpy roads, especially mid-corner, the GTI displays a hint of shimmying but nothing alarming. Initially, its reserved nature is so calming that you end up being lulled into driving in a civil man ner, casting the impression of the GTI losing its killer instinct. That is not the case. Pushing the Mk8.5 unlocked levels that proved its personalities extended well beyond being dou ble-faceted and drivetrain combi nation was key to widening that spectrum. The caveat is that you need to consciously do so. To really get the most out of it though, you will have to intention

familiarise with the digital instru ment cluster’s plethora of options. Overall, the Mk8.5 GTI does all the normal stuff really well to keep the split personality somewhat balanced. It is spacious, has a big boot and is comfortable for daily driving. POWER IS NOT EVERY THING The venerable 2.0-litre turbo charged EA888 engine under the hood enters its latest guise as the most powerful ever fitted to a base GTI. It makes an extra 20 ponies to clock in at 261PS. While power was never the GTI’s selling point against its rivals, it made a name on the lin ear delivery and composed nature at going fast. You will notice the bump in power, especially at the top, but it does little to add some flair into the engine’s generally flat and one-dimensional personality. Still, very much forgivable given that the mill gets the job done with nary a fuss and has a broad power band for versatility. STICKING IT TO THE ROAD The Mk8.5 obviously maintains the proven MQB platform, mean ing MacPhersons at the front and multi-links out back. Volkswagen did state that the suspension tun ing has been revised for different wheel sizes and even for models with Dynamic Chassis Control, which is standard here. This gives the driver 15 differ ent damping options to fine-tune the ride. We found that the best, as is often the case, requires ramp ing up the powertrain to Sport and leaving the damping plus steering in Comfort. However, most of the time, Comfort across the range was more than sufficient to get every thing done. If you are headed for a track day, something between Comfort and Sport is the best as maxing out the damping makes it unbear able save for a perfect surface.

The digital instrument cluster is customisable.

New infotainment screen is huge and easy to use.

breathing Mercedes-AMG A45, a little restraint works in reigning in a regular hot hatch to more sensi ble levels. The seven-speed DSG is the only gearbox option and while many lament the lack of proper manual hot hatches here save for the Honda Civic Type-R, the truth is we are slowly but surely begin ning to forget the third pedal. Shifts are quick and you rifle through them. The DSG suites the revised engine’s power much bet ter as the mill pulls hard through out the powerband from 3,000rpm onwards, and really takes it up a notch as it nears the 6,500rpm redline. As monotonous as the engine’s personality is, there is no ques tioning how hard and torquey it surges in the upper revs. Maybe

Here, we do recommend taking your time to figure out the best damping that works for you as it adds another dimension to the already capable GTI’s dynamics. DRIVE IT LIKE YOU STOLE IT The problem with juggling dual roles in a hot hatch is that the split is rarely perfectly balanced and the Mk8 was persecuted to have lost some of the rawness from the Mk7, leaning towards Dr. Jekyll more than Mr. Hyde. However, most of its rivals are the opposite, gaining some aggression and ceding away the calmness that dictates its daily usability. One might argue that the onslaught of hotter hatches in the mould of the Golf R and fire