2025 VW Golf GTI Will Have More Tech, New Looks, Sadly No Manual

• VW revealed a camouflaged model of the up to date Golf GTI hatchback.
• We noticed totally different headlights and taillights, plus a bigger display inside.
• We count on this to reach within the U.S. for the 2025 mannequin yr. Sadly, there might be no guide transmission provided, as VW confirmed 2024 could be the final yr for the three-pedal GTI.

An up to date model of the Volkswagen Golf GTI is coming quickly, as indicated by this camouflaged prototype revealed as a part of CES 2024. A number of modifications are coming to the new hatchback for the 2025 mannequin yr, together with revised headlights and taillights and a considerably bigger touchscreen infotainment system inside that provides up to date software program that makes use of a ChatGPT-powered voice assistant.

One change we’re not so happy about is the discontinuation of the six-speed guide transmission. VW already confirmed that the 2024 Golf GTI 380 particular version would commemorate the final yr of manufacturing for the stick-shift variations of the Golf GTI and Golf R. Which means the 2025 GTI will seemingly solely provide the seven-speed dual-clutch automated transmission with the turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four; maybe VW will provide a bit extra horsepower than the present GTI’s 241-hp output to melt the blow a bit.

Whereas the eye-catching camouflage on this prototype obscures the brand new entrance and rear-end designs, we expect the up to date GTI will look a bit extra fashionable than earlier than. That carries on inside, because it contains a considerably bigger touchscreen; it appears to be like just like the 15.0-inch display discovered within the new ID.7, which might provide many extra pixels than the present GTI’s optionally available 10.0-inch display. We additionally noticed new steering-wheel controls that put off the irritating touch-capacitive sliders in favor of actual buttons, which is a pleasant improve.

We’re anticipating comparable modifications to return to the extra highly effective Golf R scorching hatchback as nicely. These two variants are the one Golf fashions bought within the U.S. since VW dropped the usual Golf hatchbacks from its North American lineup when the Mk 8 mannequin first arrived right here for the 2022 mannequin yr. Search for extra data to return on the 2025 Golf GTI and Golf R fashions inside the subsequent few months.

Regardless of being raised on a gradual food regimen of base-model Hondas and Toyotas—or maybe due to it—Joey Capparella nonetheless cultivated an obsession for the automotive trade all through his childhood in Nashville, Tennessee. He discovered a solution to write about vehicles for the varsity newspaper throughout his faculty years at Rice College, which ultimately led him to maneuver to Ann Arbor, Michigan, for his first skilled auto-writing gig at Vehicle Journal. He has been a part of the Automotive and Driver crew since 2016 and now lives in New York Metropolis.