2025 Volkswagen Golf GTI First Drive: A Much-Needed Interior Upgrade

• The Volkswagen Golf GTI gets a refresh for 2025, including huge improvements to its interior.
• Issues like laggy software and hard-to-use controls have been remedied, making the hot hatch more compelling.
• One downside: VW no longer offers a manual transmission in the GTI.

What’s different about the cabin?

Most of the GTI's interior issues had to do with the center touchscreen: It had some of the worst-designed, least-responsive software I've ever used. Then there was the fact that the touch-sensitive sliders for the volume and temperature didn’t light up at night. So if you drove the GTI after sundown, you had to blindly move your finger around the dash until you happened to find the controls. Similarly, the haptic feedback buttons on the steering wheel were a hot mess; they only seemed to work some of the timesss yet were also easy to accidentally activate while turning.

Clearly, VW was listening. In the new car, there's a huge 12.9-inch central display running updated software that's much quicker when responding to inputs. The touch sliders for the volume and temperature are still present, but they're backlit now, and the steering wheel has easy-to-use physical buttons — a huge improvement. 

Other new touches include faux carbon-fiber trim across the dash and a new seating material for the SE trim called ArtVelours, which is a very convincing synthetic suede. These are subtle tweaks, yes, but the end result is a cabin that looks and feels a step above last year's car.

How does it drive?

In a world full of overpowered and overweight cars, the little VW feels refreshingly approachable. The turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine under the hood makes 241 horsepower and 273 lb-ft of torque — the same as before. Unfortunately, you can no longer pair this engine with a six-speed manual transmission. But at least the seven-speed dual-clutch automatic remains a phenomenal way to change gears.

Driving on backroads in West Virginia, the GTI is a delight. The fully loaded Autobahn trim comes with a set of summer performance tires, which are a crucial upgrade over the S and SE's all-season rubber. The summer tires offer better grip; the GTI's front end feels glued to the ground mid-turn. Combine that with a torque-vectoring front differential that manages power delivery side to side between the wheels, and you've got a car that's perfectly tuned for sharp cornering.

On the track at Summit Point Motorsports Park, the GTI is similarly entertaining. Yes, you'll get some understeer, where the car tends to push wide as the front tires struggle to find grip, but a quick lift off the throttle reels the front end back in almost instantly. You can explore the limits of the GTI without having to reach scary-high speeds, which makes it easier to drive at a fast pace.

Still a decent value

Even with its long list of upgrades, the 2025 Volkswagen GTI is only about $500 more expensive than its predecessor. The entry-level S trim starts at just over $32,000, and the GTI range runs all the way up to a fully loaded Autobahn around $41,000.

There's also the updated Volkswagen Golf R, which is certainly more potent than the GTI, but after driving the pair back to back, I’d say buy the GTI and save the money. The Golf R offers great thrills, but the GTI is $15,000 cheaper and is all the hot hatch you'd ever need.