That's nothing a little refresh can't fix, though, and the MK8.5 GTI does indeed now have physical buttons on the steering wheel ... want to hear about interior upgrades and options packages.

VW said the Mk8 GTI was 4 seconds faster around its two-mile test track than the Mk7 GTI Performance. 19-inch wheels were a visually nice upgrade at £825, but of course putting bigger wheels on ...

The GTI has just had its midlife facelift, making this generation the Mk8.5 if you speak Golfnerd ... along with the all-wheel drive Golf R, but more on that car another day.

In Europe, the base model also gets a power upgrade ... GTI Mk8.5 features an electronically controlled front differential lock dubbed XDS+, which masterminds the torque flow at each front wheel ...

The bad news for Golf GTI fans is the world’s most famous GTI lands in the US minus the power upgrade European ... cars feature. The Mk8 GTI’s awful haptic steering wheel buttons have also ...

VW listened to fans and gave the GTI steering wheel buttons again. But the Golf R still doesn't get them, even though it costs $15K more. But the Golf R is special, because its wheel offers a ...

Another tech upgrade for 2025 is the revised ... shame that the new R sticks with the MK8’s equally hated capacitive steering wheel buttons while the GTI gets to switch back to traditional ...

As a result, VW Motorsports left behind its MK8 Golf GTI TCR, a homologated model for ... and an anti-lag system. Besides these upgrades, the core of the engine remains stock, including the ...

It's right in line with the wheel options of the Mk8 GTI but with a refreshed flair all its own. Under the hood, you get the same engine and power output as the year before, and that's really ...