New Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport review | 2021's hot Golf tested | Autocar
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- Опубліковано 24 бер 2021
- Volkswagen's fast Golfs give you a lot of options. This is the Golf GTI Clubsport, which is more than a Golf GTI but less than the range-topping Golf R.
It's a more powerful and focused Golf but unlike, say, a Honda Civic Type R or Renault Sport Megane, it aims to retain a degree of the Golf's fabled daily usability.
The Clubsport's power is up by 59bhp and torque by 22lb ft over a regular GTI, thanks to a different turbo and revised cooling, so it has 296bhp (300hp) and 295lb ft - enough to turn the heads of those considering a Type R or Megane?
Those outputs mean that its 0-62mph time is just 5.6 seconds, while it has a top speed of 155mph. In the UK it costs £37,315. Join us on wet UK roads as we put it to the test.
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Never seen Matt Prior so annoyed as he was when ranting about the touchscreen in this car... Good on you, I agree!
Could do with that much more emotion in these reviews some times lol
@@rhysmainwaring396 Soon you won't be able to buy any new car then:v
@@rhysmainwaring396 just develop some basic dexterity buddy and wise up
He was furious! Love it. I've got a lot of time for Matt, he is probably in my top 3 reviewers on youtube.
He’s defo right though, I’m using a 2020 gle courtesy car atm and mbux touch pad/screen really drives me up the wall. Takes my eye off the road so much that I end up hoping for a set of red lights to change the radio station/aircon settings.
Absolutely agree the VAG trend towards touchscreen and no physical buttons is ridiculous and dangerous, if I can’t hold a phone how is ok for me to take my eyes of the road to access a menu..my wife has run Golf R 7 for two years and has now changed to BMW simply due to I Drive
Totally agree about the button rant!
2:46 what's hanging there under the car? lambda probe cable?
That Touch Bar below the center screen not illuminating was my biggest complaint too!
😂😂😂 yes Matt "what I'm going to use this space for, a fan or some chopsticks!" ... save the buttons!
I’m right there with you on the touchscreen as a distraction. Buttons and dials are so much easier to find and operate without looking. Glad the rest of the car lives up to its name.
Slight rant welcomed, would happily have this over a R as I don't need AWD
Its the pick of the performance Golf range; more or less identical mid range performance to the R but the running costs nearer to the standard GTI, and because its well below 40k you can spec it more or less how you want without incurring the VED premium.
Thanks for calling out the apparent safety flaw with not having the temp controls illuminated, and moving some critical functions onto the touch screen display. Manufacturers must ensure focus on Driving is not compromised.
I won't be buying this due to that touchscreen
Please don't hold back nor cease railing against the often dangerous substitution of tactile control with those offered via a screen of some sort. This trend toward screen-based everything isn't just an occasional inconvenience; it's the sort of thing that will bother - and endanger - drivers on a daily basis.
Great review, specially the beginning with a proper breakdown of the ergonomics.
You go into real reasons why it isn't ideal VS the usual 'I don't like it' style. That is my feedback as well (having bought the MK8 Golf R):
I don't mind fiddly quirky even impractical touch buttons but the 'taking my eyes off the road and lack of illumination' is really a pain.
That interior is a disaster! The implementation of those screens is horrid.
I agree about the buttons vs screens thing. I’m not a fan of everything being wrapped under screen menus
VW group has a whole has had to take a step backwards in interior quality due to the Dieselgate scandal. The new A3's interior is definitely more low rent than the last model. And the Golf is exactly the same. The same thing happened in the 90s with Mercedes when they had the Pension's black hole and look how long it's taken them to sort themselves out..
I'll be worried if skoda starts to get their jokes back.
+ VW has invested billions in electric tech. Have to save euros somewhere.
This car has voice recognition, just say "I'm cold" and it will warm you up without having to take you eye off the road.
Doesn't always work when you have a pronounced accent, I'm not even sure VW are aware that places like Scotland, Wales, anywhere north of the Midlands of England exist.
Vw sales staff LOVE sheeple like you 🥴🥴🥴
I"ve had voice rec cars for like 10 years and I can honestly say I've never used it outside of the single novelty try.
@@ronin84 I'll use it to call people now and again but I have to use my best Queens English accent on and doesn't always call the right person
I'll not upgrading my MK3 Leon Cupra to the MK4 due to the lack of physical buttons/dials. I will be looking elsewhere. It's a massive fail for VAG
I enjoyed watching the Video Review. A great 👍 looking Hot Hatchback 🚗
Not a rant well said sir.
My view: they're taking away buttons for touch screens in lieu of fully automated vehicles.
The ergonomics of operations of controls was, that your Shoulder shouldn’t leave the backrest of the seat, literally, you should just reach with your Arm, and touch the screens .
Lets make it an option for all new cars. Buttons with no touch screen.
To be honest I only ever use the volume controls on the steering wheel on my 7.5 GTI, but the heating controls on the 8 are silly, touch screens are tricky to use on the go... shame there’s not 3 door and manual but that’s another story.
Yeah, I think the volume knob thing is often overrated as the passenger doesn’t need to look at the road and the driver has the controls on the wheel.
Agree about climate control - that’s just daft.
You forgot to mention how much horsepower the temperature control makes
I couldn’t disagree more with his comments on the touch buttons. I test drove this car today and had no problem with any of it, and thought ithe whole system was excellent. I’m confident that once I actually own the car in the next few days it'll be just fine.
SAVE THE BUTTONS!!!
DUCK ME!........matt prior has grown a BIG pair of balls and i`m PROUD of him, to be honest i USUALLY slag him off as being Mr boring..............but whoa, hold your horses , he`s finally said and i TOTALLY agree, that the heating controls on this golf are DANGEROUS, well said matt , now let`s see if any other tester`s have got BIG kahoonas LIKE MATT and back him up, BRING BACK KNOBS !!!!!!! 🦾🦾🦾🦾🦾
Yes Bring back the knobs and physical buttons .
VW build quality.. loose wire hanging from the floor pan?
And secondly I completely agree with it being a great daily car, but should that then be badged as a Clubsport GTI. Why not just make the 2.0 golf a bit more fun to drive and have it fill that hole in the market. I feel companies are abusing names of cars for marketing which in time waters down that mark...
Matt you are right to rant and I think you should have gone further. To make ergonomic errors like that on a Mk 8 car, especially a VW is disgraceful.
Well said Matt! The touch screen/button combo in my recently departed Cupra Leon was a good and effective balance of illuminated buttons for the most commonly required functions, and a wonderfully NON-shiny, not too large touchscreen for everything else. More constructive criticism by you and your contemporaries will surely help to slow this mindless lurch towards large and shiny screens...along with some much-needed legislation around driver distraction...oh, and was the actual car any good to drive??? says it all!
That cable hanging under the car while on that winding road, did anyone see it?
I guesed it was an O2 cable to help with VW Golf AMAZING gas mileage they are known for.
As much as reviewers and owners have complained about the trend towards touch controls for the last few years I am baffled why VW did this.
I have a 2017 GTI which is my first VW and first German car in my 40+ years of driving and I absolutely love the car and it's manual electronic controls. I'm not sure I would consider a MK8 based on the number of complaints I have read and seen about these touch controls, but I do see myself buying a new MK7.
As a motorcyclist Im always really bemused when folks describe a car as 'still a daily drive'... im like eh?!? it a car, how could it not be suitable for daily use? Strange. I can see why a caterham or morgan might not be classed as usable every day... but anything else? its a car!!! a roof and a heater!!!!
Absolutely agree with the interior comments, on that note, you should have mentioned the horrid implementation of the screens, especially the gage cluster. Looks cheap and just wrong.
I hate the interior of this new golf family, it looks cheaper than an early 2000s Hyundai. The last GTI dash was so nice, seriously why did they get it so wrong!!
How does this compare to the facelift i30n DCT?
Brilliant
Who wants to faff around with screens? LOL😂
I love my Mk 7.5 interior...this one looks like a hard pass
I think this could have been a better car; styling; interior; hybrid drivetrain; perceived quality and driver involvement.
Regrettably, too loaded with info tech complexity but for the money, it's 9/10ths in drivability, tractability and down home fun. I've owned the GTI MK 2 thru 7 and will buy the 8 as it comes across the pond. As a geezer, I've still got some fun driving life left in me.
Trouble is, every time you look inside a Gti , you see parts that are on my hum drum ,middle spec Ibiza!
To be honest, you see that in an Audi too. 😂 Stick with Seat and Skoda if you want VW...... I certainly don't 😏
was gonna get a mk8 gti but those controls! bought a 7.5 TCR much safer plus a great car
it makes you wonder if they do any actual real world testing at all when considering the putting everything on touchscreens
The cable hanging from the bottom of the car is going to catch on something.
I can see there is something dangling from the bottom of the car, hope it is not a brake line lol
Why on earth would you want to rest your hand on the touch screen or generally in that location away from the steering wheel? That is not a valid point or criticism, the rest, especially having to take one's eyes off the road, I agree with. I drive the Mk 8 GTI and, to be honest, it does not bother me now I have gotten used to it but that does not mean it is okay.
Its because the Nurburgring is a bumpy twisty public road.
I agree. Too fussy. Bring back a handful of switches. Ditch the screen. I don't want a sports car connected to my phone. I am buying it to drive. Set up the car properly and leave it there. So from this video, leave the Nurburgring setting as standard and ditch all the damper settings, engine noise settings etc. 300 hp is plenty for the roads in Scotland or North Wales. I want to keep my license.
So why can't I just buy a sporty car without all the unwanted crap?
Is there a manufacturer listening? That's where my money would go. I might have to find a decent untouched Peugeot 205 GTi, or 306 GTi. A mk5 Golf or previous generation Fiesta ST and leave my phone at home where it belongs.
Rant over. Great review as always. Going to fix my Quantum Saloon fuel pump and get back on the road with a big smile on my face
What's it like on fuel
no volume knob? Who works for interior design and lets obvious ergonomic mistakes like that pass
And I’d have Leather, fabric in this Golf looks like any other Golf, Seat, Leon, I’d expect better in a Halo car like this.
Just see how far you can go in any VW before the tyre pressure warning light comes on. ☹
As an owner of a MK1 GTI, can't believe I am saying it, but I hate this, maybe after 37 years it seems to me the GLI is becoming the better car, never thought I'd see that.
The front looks kinda like a mini huracan to me haha
Is this coming to India 🤔🤔🤔
What's wrong with a Maruti 800?
@@juhojalonen3046 its still a better car
How can you do a review of this car and ignore the sound? exhaust over run pops etc
Why would you reach for volume when you’ve got the controls on the steering wheel? WAD
Great GTI ❤️🚘❤️
Don’t understand why manufacturers are getting rid of buttons, baffles me
Other than the screen, he's really trying to save the car from its competition in price and performance.
And reviewers are choosing not to mention how much road noise comes into the cabin! the MK7 was terrible, the 8 seems to be even worse!
My MK7 Clubsport had so much road noise i hated driving it :(
This...or the golf R
I really hate the new trend of touch buttons & touch screens. The screen should not be more than a display for the map & music system or some vehicle info. Rest should be clicky buttons & dials for the volume air con etc. Specially the steering wheel should not have touch but clicky buttons. I test drove the new golf & decided to stick with my old one because it felt so hard & inconvenient to use the touch buttons I even had to stop my car once or twice because i was not able to find the right setting without keeping my eyes off the road.
Is that a lambda sensor cable or a brake line you can see hanging about dangerously close to the tarmac dead centre beneath the car?!? 😂 I hate to have to say vw has lost some of it‘s professional feel while others have been gaining hard...
Enjoyed the rant... stupid trend that many are following.
Still happy I went for an i30 N. The lack of buttons would drive me mad too
Talk about damning with faint praise..
The mk8 is a covid cost saving exercise!!
I am missing the BMW 128 TI.....the new kid on the block for less money (Netherlands).......
Short and sweet
No reason why OTA updates should preclude using real switches. And I wish VW would. I'd never buy a touch-screener.
Have to agree, all this touch screen crap is too much. It's fine for menus you don't need each journey but the day to day use options should be on buttons, keep things simple..
At last journalists hitting the nail on the head. Touchscreens are more distracting than buttons as you take your eye off the road for far too long. Be interesting if their was data to show how many accidents are caused by this reliance on car makers to make everything touchscreen. Think it would be a wake up call.
This what happens when a company tries too hard they ruin it
A silly question about the touch screen: aren’t we supposed to look at the road and not be fiddling with it, while we drive?
Travesty that there is no 3 door! Both Gti and R look best with 3 doors!
Please god let me have one asap 🙏
My clubsport has no engine cover, annoying.
All this moaning about touch screens reminds me of when people used to say they were sticking with BlackBerry because Apple wasn’t as good for email 😂
Yeah I agree these touch screen are terrible!
Sorry, I know because of the pandemic budgets and safety are paramount,but, a ten minute on how it drives etc is a bit boring.
Type R all day long.
I wouldn’t even test drive this, because of the stupid touch controls - they are at odds with the whole point of such cars
I will never buy a new car until logic and common sense returns, and manufacturers stop pandering to 'gimmicks' and 'fashionable fluff' and bring back buttons for common/basic functions again. I can control Sat Nav, Phone and ICE with one hand swirling a wheel without even lifting my arm off the armrest in my current 'old' car, all while continuing to look ahead, barely taking my eyes off the road. This relentless touchscreen nonsense is actually a step back..... it's supposed to make things easier!!
Don't apologise for ranting. More should. Controls are now completely impractical and unacceptable.
I thought this fella was James whale
Golf 8 is fantastic for the money BUT, that multimedia system is a joke! So much good in that car but then that . . . I couldn’t get used to it and therefore bought an other brand. I sort of miss my Golf 7,5 . . .
Moaning about how long you have to take your eyes of the road to use the touchscreen, “it is not as safe..." then proceeding to count how many adaptive damper settings there are whilst driving? 🤦🏻♂️
save your money and get a 7.5 TCR
No one rests there hand like that. Come on.
I have no problem maybe it’s because your old, take an I.T course.
Buy the cupra, problems solved. :P
Only came here to look for that exact comment, kudos to you :)
Not sold at South Africa
Seems to be a bit of a night mare I have a golf GTI and I know what he is on about. But don’t complain saying it’s not safe and the go on to show how you are counting settings while driving. Chap seems to be a bit of a mong really. Carlow need to re do this review
I'm fed up with my Golf... Certainly not the steady reliable car the media make out they are unless I just got a Friday afternoon car. sick of it!
What’s up with it, what model do you have?
@@JMB1891 It's a mk8 with electrical glitches that are proving difficult to resolve. Lights have gone off for no reason on 3 occasions. Bluetooth connections go for no reason. Tailgate squeeks and rattles from dashboard are proving difficult to find and resolve.
@@colinhare4722 VW are certainly not what they once were. I think it’s telling that they still only come with a three year limited mileage warranty.
So my léon cupra 5f from 2017 is better. Ummm OK
Shitty day for a FWD test..
Well it rains most the time in England
When he said you can change the sound of the exhaust but then said ya don't need too many things.. I had to stop watching.. Also why wasn't there a camera showing the control screen. Anyway off to watch another review instead now. Bye
Buttons are on their way out because that’s where the automotive industry is going… fully digital tracking devices, no different from smartphones (or smart anything). The end goal is to have the car in control, not you.👈