2025 Volkswagen Golf GTI SE -; Review by David Colman

A True Driver’s Car

David Colman

Photos and Story by David Colman
Special Correspondent
THE AUTO CHANNEL

I have a history of addiction to this brand. Back in 1977, I bought a brand new Scirocco, followed by a supercharged G60 Corrado in 1993. Add to that inventory, a pair of VW-Porsche 914-6s are currently keeping each other company in my garage. Unfortunately, VW has not given me much to celebrate (or buy) recently. The low point came when I tested and reviewed their then-new EV, the ID 4, a robot car that made operational decisions without first consulting me. But recent exposure to the company's current line of offerings has reignited my former passion for this brand. First came the 2025 Jetta GLI, a stout performing sedan enthusiasts dub "a GTI with a trunk." That positive re-immersion in the brand was solidified by a subsequent week spent enjoying the sprightly, freshened 2025 Taos SE Black. Well, this week's test car, the 2025 Golf GTI SE scores a decisive Hat Trick for the brand. Finished in "Kings Red Metallic" paint, with a "Soul Black and Tomato Red ArtVelours interior," the mildly revised 2025 GTI is a first-class looker and a high-performance cooker. Zero to Sixty in 5.5 seconds! I'd buy it.

A chorus of boos met VW's decision to eliminate (for the first time in 50 years) the manual transmission from the Golf GTI. But I wouldn't waste too many tears on that loss, because the dual clutch 7-speed DSG Automatic that replaces it is so efficient, so instantly manipulative, that you will never regret the disappearance of the clutch pedal. In fact, the shift paddles mounted next to the pistol grips on the race-quality steering wheel beckon you to snap off instantaneous gear swaps. There's a new quick-shift Sport Plus (+) Mode which facilitates later upshifts and earlier downshifts than normally available from the DSG. Also available is a launch control program which facilitates start line blast-off when you bring the engine revs to 2000-4000rpm and simply lift off the brake pedal. Try doing that a few times with your old 6-speed manual and you'll be buying a new set of tires.

VW has gone to great lengths to fine-tune the underpinnings of the front-wheel-drive GTI. To harness the substantial 245hp/273lb.-ft. torque output of the EA888 2.0-liter turbo four, the GTI utilizes a VAQ limited-slip front differential lock to maximize grip from the front tires at launch. Our test GTI rode on 225/45R18 Goodyear Eagle Sport all-season radials (TW 560). The Goodyears are mounted on 18" x 7.5" black alloy rims with polished spokes borrowed from a Cuisinart blade. VW's patented XDS Cross Differential System judiciously metes power to the driving wheel enjoying the best adhesion. Four-wheel independent sport suspension keeps this hatchback firmly planted on good or bad pavement, while ventilated four-wheel disc brakes with red calipers are more than powerful enough to produce quick stops from speed. Slam on the brakes at 70mph and you'll travel just 158ft. before halting. Credit the GTI's notably light curb weight of just 3,183 pounds for its exceptional ability to zigzag when you instruct it to do so. That agility is the product of its exceptionally lively power-to-weight ratio of 12.99lb/hp.

Inside the cabin, you'll discover that VW currently produces the best all-purpose sports seats in the business today. We've sampled the same basic design in the Jetta, the Taos, and now the GTI, and in every setting we've reveled in their support, comfort, and good looks. In the GTI, the installation is particularly attractive, given what VW calls "ArtVelours seating surfaces with 'GTI Clubsport' hexagonal pattern and red trim." The same bee hive design finds its way into the GTI's reconfigured front grill, which now sports distinctive five bulb fog light pods at both front corners, and a new illuminated strip linking the headlights. In the tail, a pair of chrome exhaust tips distinguishes the GTI from lesser Golf variants, as does a black spoiler appended to the roof. The red GTI logo prominently displayed on the rear hatch as well as the front grill leaves no doubt that your driving VW's classic Hot Hatch.

The latest dashboard redesign still misses the mark, though its edging closer to acceptable. Complaint No. 1 is the absence of a volume control knob for the AM/FM/HD Radio. Get with the program, VW! Honda rectified this issue half a decade ago. Second most objectionable discovery: the ridiculous "program" for headlight operation. While the turn stalk still controls the hi/low beam headlight setting, you have to make sure you're in "Auto Off" mode by using the headlight control pad on the dash face. VW techs have managed to take one of the simplest operations in all of the auto kingdom - flipping from low to high beam - and turned it into an ordeal that required me to stand outside the GTI while my wife toggled switches and stalks to figure out how to get the HIGH BEAMS to STAY ON. Much of the rest of the GTI's haptic touch screen operation is equally hapless.

But if you're willing to overcome such baffling complications, you'll discover the 2025 GTI SE is such a true driver's car that it makes up for those deficiencies. Its zinger motor and go-kart handling will slay Porsches and BMWs for less than half the money.

2025 VOLKSWAGEN GOLF GTI SE

• ENGINE: 2.0 liter inline-4, turbocharged and intercooled, DOHC 16-valve, iron block and aluminum head, direct fuel injection
• HORSEPOWER: 245hp@5000-6500rpm
• TORQUE: 273lb.-ft.@5000-6500rpm
• FUEL CONSUMPTION: 24MPG City/32MPG Highway
• PRICE AS TESTED: $38,835

HYPES: Visually Slick and Race Car Quick

GRIPES: Nutty Dash Controls

STAR RATING: 9.5 Stars out of 10

©2025 David E Colman