It’s a sad day for hot hatch fans as Volkswagen is, inevitably, killing the manual transmission option for the famed Golf GTI from 2025 and beyond.
Volkswagen unveiled the 2025 Golf GTI late last month, showcasing updated styling in line with the Mk8 facelift that brings in thinner headlights and a full-width LED light strip along the front like VW’s I.D electric vehicles. Technology revisions have also been applied inside to rectify some of the complaints thrown at the outgoing touch-sensitive controls.
Under the bonnet, there’s a boosted version of the now-legendary EA888 2.0-litre turbo four-cylinder for the GTI, producing an impressive 195kW. This makes it the most powerful GTI ever, but it’s still not quite the most powerful front-wheel drive hot hatch. In saying that, the GTI has never been about outright power but more everyday fun and balance. The new GTE hybrid receives a power kick as well, up to 200kW (from 180kW).
The new model has already been confirmed to feature a DSG dual-clutch auto only in Europe. However, speaking with Motor1 recently, VW of America product communications specialist Jerohn Anderson confirmed “the manual will not be available after MY2024” for both the GTI and R. In Australia the R has not been offered with a manual.
But the interesting news here is the American market not only talks the talk, they walk the walk. You see, most of us – including yours truly – all say we’d like a manual but we never actually buy one. In America, it’s close to 50 per cent sales split between the auto and manual. There is proper demand for it there, in other words.
It’s understood VW HQ isn’t willing to keep building the manual purely for the American market though, since almost all other markets around the world experience a heavy skew towards the DSG option. In Australia the manual hasn’t been an option on the GTI since the Mk7.5, due to lack of demand.
Dropping the manual is a sign of the times, especially as we move towards the electrified era which is supposedly on the way. Manual transmissions could theoretically be used in conjunction with an electric motor, and some niche garages and tuning houses have built such projects.
For it to work in the mass market though, the high torque of an electric motor and its instant availability will need to be managed more sensitively to work with a conventional clutch system. Electric motors are already considered too torquey for a torque-converter automatic, which mainly consists of hydraulics rather than friction with a clutch plate.
As for the 2025 VW Golf GTI, it’s set to arrive later this year. Australian prices and specs are yet to be confirmed.
