2022 Volkswagen GTI Review - Generation Revelation?

Chris Tonn
by Chris Tonn
Fast Facts

2022 Volkswagen Golf GTI 2.0T Autobahn

2.0-liter turbocharged four (241 hp @ 5,000 rpm, 273 lb-ft @ 1,750 rpm)
Six-speed manual transmission, front-wheel drive
25 city / 34 highway / 28 combined (EPA Rating, MPG)
9.8 city / 6.9 highway / 8.5 combined. (NRCan Rating, L/100km)
Base Price: $39,790 US / $41,432 CAN
As Tested: $40,185 US / $43,177 CAN
Prices include $995 destination charge in the United States and $2437 for freight, PDI, and A/C tax in Canada and, because of cross-border equipment differences, can't be directly compared.

In some cases where a product is offered in a series, each successive generation is improved and is greater than the last. In other cases, the maker hits upon relative perfection early and later generations can never quite live up to the legend. In the arts, for example, while Indiana Jones fans can argue the merits of Raiders of the Lost Ark versus The Last Crusade¸ you won’t find any sane person suggesting that Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is anything but a dank shadow of the past glories. Similarly, my fanatic daughter tells me that the third book (Prisoner of Azkaban) in the Harry Potter series is the best, and all other editions pale.

We are now looking at the eighth generation of hot hatches from Wolfsburg with this, the 2022 Volkswagen GTI. Is it the greatest GTI ever, or has Indy jumped into a lead-lined refrigerator with this latest redesign?

I can indeed tell you that this Mk.8 GTI lives up to the high standards of recent generations when considering driving dynamics. The latest 2.0-liter engine produces 241 horsepower and a stout 273 lb-ft of torque, all headed to the front wheels in this case through a six-speed manual transmission – a seven-speed, dual-clutch automatic is optional.

Torque steer is minimal, helped no doubt by the standard limited-slip differential. Even though my tester was fitted with winter tires, the GTI positively leaps off the line with little drama other than some chirping from the snow tires. Torque shoves the seat into your backside with authority. Shift throws are a bit long, but the action is solid and precise.

Similarly, there are no complaints when the asphalt turns sinuous. That electronically controlled differential pairs with the adaptive damping (only available on this top-level Autobahn trim) to send the GTI diving for apexes, gripping enthusiastically and rotating seemingly at will. I’ve driven precious few cars that make commutes at sane speeds genuinely enjoyable – the GTI is in that upper echelon of fun-to-drive cars without seriously jeopardizing one’s license, though stupid speeds are there for the asking should irresponsibility beckon. Professional driver, closed course, do as I say not as I do, yadda yadda. Grins are there below 65, don’t worry.

There is nothing revolutionary about the styling of the GTI – it’s been a long, gradual evolution over the past forty-plus years of the same basic two-box shape. Still, a few changes make the latest car distinctive, mostly with the lighting. The fog lights have five LED lamps that form an X – on this Autobahn trim and on the midrange SE package, the fog lamps are “Active Cornering” lights that will illuminate around corners in conjunction with the steering wheel angle. Otherwise, there is little to distinguish this GTI from the previous generation to anyone but total VW geeks, and that’s perfectly fine by me.

The interior has seen a significant upgrade in materials, with a clean, attractive layout. The leather seats fitted to this upmarket trim are heated and ventilated, and twelve-way power-adjustable – and it shows. My old body would not have a problem sitting in this GTI and crossing several states in one sitting – the seats are marvelous, with enough bolstering for fun times on backroads and plenty of support for a long day on the interstates.

Rear seats are comfortable enough, my kids report, and cargo room is plentiful in the wide hatchback. Road and wind noise are well controlled – usually, I notice tire noise especially when winter tires are fitted to a test vehicle, but not here.

However – and this is something I’ve pointed out from other automakers as well – the trend of “simplifying” audio and HVAC controls has reached Volkswagen, and it’s inexcusable. There is a line of something that resembles buttons below the 10-inch touchscreen – these touch-sensitive pads allow for temperature adjustments for the left and right side of the car, and the center pad will allow you to slide your finger for what turns out to be very coarse volume adjustments.

Below that bar of pads sits four more buttons flanking the hazard switch – one to engage the parking assists, one to bring up the menu, one to engage various driving modes, and one labeled “CLIMA” (incidentally a rather odd abbreviation) that will bring up the climate controls. From here, several button presses are required to toggle through the options of adjusting temperatures, fan speeds, the split between face/floor/defrost, and seat heating/cooling options. Each button press takes concentration – and an eye from the road. Even the sunroof control is a touch-sensitive pad.

I’m sure that, with time and practice, these functions will become second nature. However, these are all controls that have been well established by other means and didn’t need improvement. Knobs, sliders, and physical pushbuttons may be old – but they work, and they work without practice. You may call me a knob since I so frequently call for knobs, but I shall keep preaching until we’ve brought intelligent human-focused interfaces back to all cars. Am I so out of touch? No. It’s Volkswagen who is wrong.

This is where I usually wrap up my reviews with an assessment of whether I’d buy the car in question. It’s a tough call this time, especially as I’ve been casually considering my next daily driver over the past few months and one of the strong candidates has been a GTI – either used or new. The whole idea of a well-rounded hot hatch for adults is incredibly appealing – especially as the grey in my beard makes it unquestionably clear that I’m not one of the youths any longer.

The 2022 Volkswagen GTI is the whole package. It performs beautifully on the highway, the city streets, and the back roads – and I’m sure it’d be a hoot at a track day, too.

It’s comfortable, practical, and reasonably good with fuel economy as well – heck, it doesn’t need premium fuel to make those power numbers. But those damned controls. I’m torn. I’m probably leaning toward recommending the GTI and getting VERY used to setting and forgetting the automatic climate controls. The latest GTI may well be a Temple of Doom in the VW hot-hatch canon — a slight misstep, but still worth watching.

[Images: © 2022 Chris Tonn]

Chris Tonn
Chris Tonn

Some enthusiasts say they were born with gasoline in their veins. Chris Tonn, on the other hand, had rust flakes in his eyes nearly since birth. Living in salty Ohio and being hopelessly addicted to vintage British and Japanese steel will do that to you. His work has appeared in eBay Motors, Hagerty, The Truth About Cars, Reader's Digest, AutoGuide, Family Handyman, and Jalopnik. He is a member of the Midwest Automotive Media Association, and he's currently looking for the safety glasses he just set down somewhere.

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  • Hreardon Hreardon on Apr 05, 2022

    '16 GTI autobahn owner here, 6 years and 51,000 on the clock. Outside of regular oil changes and a repair to the sunroof drain, I've had zero issues with my GTI. A first, coming from a long line of Volkswagen products ('00 Jetta VR6, '04 R32, '06 A3, '16 GTI). Chose the GTI after considering a B8.5 S4, the first gen S3 sedan, and the GTI. The GTI won in the smiles department, hand down, and as others have mentioned, at a significant savings. I've had seat time in the MK8. Infotainment is not as bad as the reviews make it, though it's far from great. The MK8 UX is a great example of: Just because you can do a thing, doesn't mean you should. The front end styling is growing on me, the rest of the car looks sharp and modern. All that said, I agree that the MK7 GTI is probably "peak GTI". I intend to keep mine and tune it, while adding an M340i to the stable.

    • See 1 previous
    • Astigmatism Astigmatism on Apr 10, 2022

      @skeeter44 I think the M340i is the closest thing BMW makes to the E39 M5 today, auto transmission notwithstanding. If I were in the market for a new sedan, it would absolutely be at the top of my list.

  • The Comedian The Comedian on May 14, 2022

    I bought a 2022 GTI “S” trim level a couple of weeks ago. The S is still very well equipped, but two features make it the clear choice for me. - Unlike the higher trim levels the S has actual knobs on the infotainment unit (volume/power and input select/enter) making the UI much more tolerable. - In the US the S is the only golf available without a sunroof. The lack of DCC, wireless CarPlay (though you buy aftermarket for about $55), HUD, leather seats, LED trim, matrix headlights, and upgraded stereo aren’t missed because the “base” GTI is actually very well equipped. Given all the “missing” options’ avoirdupois, the S model is likely the fastest GTI trim.

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