VW brings a hot-hatch trifecta in 2025

The GTI Clubsport has been updated with a redesigned front end, updated tail lamps and a new drive mode for lapping around the famed Green Hell. Along with the Clubsport, Volkswagen showcased a one-off GTI Clubsport 24h, a racecar variant that will not be available for further purchase by the public. The Clubsport 24h took part in the Nurburgring 24 Hours as part of the Max Kruse Racing Team and finished at the top of its class.

Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport

The 2025 Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport is likely the most powerful front-wheel-drive Golf ever built. Featuring the 2.0 litre turbocharged petrol engine, known as the EA888 LK3 evo4, the 2025 Clubsport makes 295 bhp at 400 Nm of torque. While it is also found in the 2025 GTI, the Clubsport receives a 35 bhp boost. The 2024 GTI delivered 241 bhp at 370 Nm of torque.

With the absence of a manual transmission variant, the TSI engine is to be paired with the same 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission along with an eLSD. Volkswagen has further stated that the Clubsport will be featuring a unique drive mode which is tailor-fit for making runs around the Nurburgring.

The 2025 Golf GTI Clubsport comes with new design elements, such as a newly-styled front end and tail lamps. The front bumper intakes have been designed to be more aggressive than ever before, Volkswagen states the intake wings were designed to look like “arrows shaping inwards.” The roof spoiler is bigger and so is the exhaust. The 2025 Clubsport gets a dual-pipe exhaust from Akrapovic that rests on a sharper diffuser. The car comes in standard with diamond-cut 18-inch Richmond alloys, but for those who are willing, there are options of 19-inch Queenstown alloys. The Clubsport can further be configured with 19-inch Warmenau forged-alloy wheels that are even lighter at 8kg each.

The interior comes with a larger 12.9 inch touchscreen infotainment screen that additionally features integration with Chat-GPT. Unlike the previous generation, the Clubsport will come with physical buttons on the steering wheel instead of touch capacitors. The driver’s instrument cluster is the standard customisable Digital Cockpit Pro, and it comes with three information profiles: Classic, Progressive, and GTI. The GTI configuration brings to the centre a large, round rev counter that goes up to 8000 rpm. There are two dials to either side of the counter with varying functionality, such as, turbocharger boost meter, oil guage, torque meter, etc.

Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport 24h

Volkswagen further reveaed the Golf GTI Clubsport 24h, a one-off variant which officially competed at the Nurburgring 24 Hours on June 1. The Clubsport 24h ran on high-tech E20 bioethanol fuel provided by Shell. According to Volkswagen’s press release, this “extremely knock-resistant” fuel allows a much more efficient performance output from the GTI engine and significantly reduces CO2 emissions.

The Clubsport 24h was powered by an upgraded version of the 2.0 TSI engine, producing an output of 343 bhp at 450 Nm of torque. The racecar features a distinctly loud aerodynamic package, which includes a widebody kit, a splitter that completely extends out from the front bumper, an aggressive rear diffuser with ankle-slicing side-skirts, and a huge wing. The Clubsport 24h finished first in the AT3 class, with its fastest lap at 9:04:112.

The Clubsport 24h tops out at 270 kmph and was a part of the Max Kruse Racing Team, wearing the number 50 as a nod to the 50th anniversary of the Golf. Before the main race, a trio of classic MK1 Golf GTIs went racing at the ADAC 24h Classic along with the KWL Motorsport team. KWL celebrated its 45th anniversary on the same day.

Volkswagen Golf R

The 2025 Volkswagen Golf R, the halo model for all Golf hot-hatches, has been officially teased and should be right around the corner of the Golf’s 50th anniversary. Under the blue camo wrap, we can spot that it shares the head and tail lights with the 2025 GTI Clubsport but gets a redesigned front bumper and lower grille. While the GTI comes with a honeycomb pattern, the Golf R gets linear grille with smaller wing elements that jutt out from the intake.

Volkswagen has largely avoided any details about the Golf R’s engine and performance but enthusiasts can hope to have more power judging by the 2025 GTI’s 21 bhp upgrade. The outgoing 2024 Golf R features a turbocharged 2.0l inline 4-cylinder that is capable of producing an output of 315 bhp at 400 Nm of torque. While the 2024 model came with the option of a 6-speed manual, a 7-speed DCT is the only way Volkswagen wishes to move forward with the Golf R.

The Golf R comes with Volkswagen’s standard 4Motion all-wheel-drive system. The rear differential features a torque-vectoring system that actively distributes torque between the rear wheels to provide improved handling. The Golf R has six selectable drive modes — Comfort, Sport, Race, Special, Drift, and Individual — and each of them can be selected through the ‘R’ button on the steering wheel.

The Golf R features larger-than-before wheels that are unique to the model, along with blue brake calipers. The rear end gets a unique spoiler along with larger exhaust tips, if not a different exhaust system. Volkswagen has not provided any updates regarding the Golf R’s interior and infotainment, but the AWD hot-hatch should be getting the same interior upgrades as the 2025 GTI Clubsport, such as buttons on the steering wheel and a bigger infotainment screen.

First Published Date: 04 Jun 2024, 07:04 AM IST