With a focus on efficiency, features and what not, the Indian auto enthusiast has been left behind or has it? With slightly deeper pockets, it has never been better and that's to do with cars like the Golf GTI coming to India. Some years back that was unthinkable but now with performance cars taking off and with Volkswagen bringing in more products as CBUs, the Golf GTI is here to satiate the enthusiast. This is for those who love driving and after a whole day driving it very fast by reaching its top speed several times over, the GTI could be a performance bargain. Now being imported to India, the GTI wont be affordable but that doesn't matter as the small lot of first cars would probably be sold out.

So What Is The Golf GTI All About?

It's the original hot hatchback with its ancestry leading to the 70s. In current form, the new Golf GTI has a 2.0 litre turbo petrol good for 265bhp while a 7 speed dual clutch is standard. 0-100 km/ is under 6 seconds and at the Natrax track, it quickly went to 200 km/h and even at 250 km/h it was going strong. Acceleration is strong and relentless while the gearbox is sharp too with sport mode being the best bet here. We did 267 km/h and it was rock solid.

What's all crucial is the pops and crackles that the exhaust gives when driven hard while being loud enough to be fun without being too much. Other talking points include a light but direct steering and how agile the car feels. The Golf is a 4m plus car and is a fairly big hatchback but it shrinks around you and it is low which means it tackles corners with immense grip along with feeling alert plus there are monster brakes to come to a quick stop as we discovered too.

It's A Car Which Plasters A Grin On Your Face But Is It Also Usable?

After all, it needs to tick more boxes rather than just speed. Here, the ride is firm but not uncomfortable but again we will reserve judgment until we drive it on the road. Elsewhere, the ground clearance at 135mm is decent but needs caution.

The cabin is spacious enough for four while the details like the plaid performance seats and the splashes of red make it a sporty affair. There is a huge 12.9-inch screen upfront while the digital cluster is also customisable. It's got features like a sunroof, ADAS, 3-zone climate control, premium audio system and more. That said, there is no 360 degree camera and the seats are not powered.

It looks purposeful from the outside too with the illuminated grille, slim headlamps, large 18-inch alloys and those two chrome exhausts sticking out. The Golf GTI has the presence to match any sports car for sure. 

In the end, the Gold GTI is for keen drivers and enthusiasts as you'll buy it for the performance, sound and the way it drives while it covers most boxes in terms of being a reasonably practical performance car. Overall, the Golf GTI shows that you don't need a supercar to have fun.

What we like- Look, performance, engine, quality, drive experience, practical 

What we don't like - Missing some features