2024 Volkswagen GTI 380

50 Years Ago, A Star Was Conceived

In 1974, almost 50 years ago to the day, a group of a half dozen employees at Volkswagen secretly devised a plan for a sportier version of the Golf. A year later, Board Member for technology Hermann Hablitzel presented the project to the Chairman of the Board of Management, who gave it the green light.

The Mk1 GTI, launched in 1976, took an already sporty Golf (known then as the Rabbit in the USA) and made it sportier. Under the hood was a fuel injected powerplant rated at 110 horsepower, and added some distinct visual enhancements that survive even to today’s GTI: red accents surrounding the grill, the stick shift with golf-style dimples on the shifting ball, and the car’s well-known tartan plaid cloth seats.

Now, one can argue the GTI is not the first hot hatchback. The British first-generation Mini Cooper S preceded it by over a decade. But it’s the GTI that really started the hot hatch trend back in the late 1970s.

GTI Milestones

Along the way, there were other standout editions of the GTI. In 1987, VW fitted a 16-valve engine to the US-spec Mk2 GTI, dialing up its horsepower. A quantum leap in performance came with the Mk5 GTI, which included VW’s then class-leading new turbocharged four-cylinder and introduced the lightening quick shifts of its new DSG dual-clutch automatic transmission with launch control. And many aficionados consider the Mk7.5 the sweet spot of GTIs for its performance and quality materials.

The Great Mk8

This brings us to the Mk8 GTI—the subject of the current vehicle under review. To date, it’s the best performing GTI yet. The fourth generation, USA-spec EA888 2.0-liter engine produces 241 horsepower and 273 pound-feet of torque. Standard features include a torque-sensing limited slip differential, and the DSG automatic incorporates what VW calls IQ.DRIVE driver assistance technology.

The stick shift GTI 380 special-edition build—available at the S, SE or Autobahn trim levels—features gloss black 19-inch alloy wheels, 235/35 summer performance tires, gloss black roof panels, black mirror caps, and GTI red exterior detailing.

Last, but not least, the 2024 Mk8 is the final GTI to be available with a stick shift. It’s the sportiest of the sporty GTIs, and that’s why it’s destined to become a collector’s item. Best of all, the price is right. The 2024 Golf GTI 380 S we tested is barely $700 more than the least expensive GTI you can buy. At a sticker price of $32,485 ($33,635 including destination charges), that’s about $15,000 less than the average price of a new car in the USA.

The Base Car Comes With All You Need

Our car came with no options. And yet, it didn’t feel or look like a base car. It comes standard with Adaptive Cruise Control, Hill Hold Control, Active Blind Spot Monitoring, Rear Traffic Alert, Lane-Keeping System, Forward Collison Warning with Automatic Braking Emergency Braking with Pedestrian and Cyclist Monitoring, LED headlights as well as those five eye-catching LED fog lights with low-speed cornering lights flanking each side of the front air dam. It also comes with puddle lights that display a polka-dot pattern not unlike the fog lights.

Inside, the GTI is fitted with heated and bolstered front sport seats with integrated head restraints, leather-wrapped and heated steering wheel, red stitching, and “GTI” embroidered on the backrests. The 380 S comes with ambient lighting, automatic climate control, automatic rain sensing wipers, automatic headlights, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, LED reading lights, and push button start.

And while every GTI has the signature red trim, every S model comes with the iconic tartan (“Scalepaper”) plaid cloth seat interts that harken back to the original GTI. And only the manual transmission model retains the signature golf ball shifter.

One other attribute to note about the base 380 S model: The standard audio system doesn’t suck. In fact, it’s remarkably good—better than some extra-cost premium systems of other cars. Listening to Waltz for Debby by the Bill Evans Trio, you can hear Paul Motian’s delicate brush cymbals on “My Foolish Heart” and Scott LaFaro’s equally delicate stand-up bass on Some Other Time, with the live concert ambience immersed in the background.

This leads me to the conclusion that the base 380 S GTI is not only the most faithful to the original model, it’s also the best buy of the bunch. The panoramic sunroof in the higher priced SE and Autobahn models add weight and the potential for problems over long term ownership. The higher trims offer leather seating, but that means forgoing the signature tartan plaid seats. And knowing how good the standard audio is on the base GTI, I don’t mind as much forgoing the premium system in the higher priced editions. For my money, the base S and 380 S GTIs carry the most appeal.

Detractors

The Mk8 GTI is not without its detractors. Some Mk7 and Mk7.5 owners are quick to point out the greater use of hard plastics on the doors compared to the Mk7 models, For the Mk8, VW followed the trend of a large, central infotainment screen, with touch capacitive controls. Some simple functions, like heating, ventilation and air conditioning are relegated to the touchscreen. The buttons on the steering wheel have been replaced by touch-sensitive haptic controls that can be accidentally engaged by inadvertent hand swipes over the steering wheel.

In all fairness, an owner can adapt to the unintuitive settings once you’ve done the routines enough—at least for the most-often used functions. The steering wheel arrangement require adjusting the way one holds and turns the wheel. It’s clear, however, the industry has a way to go before this trend toward a centralized screen and touch-sensitive haptic controls can equal the ease of actual buttons and knobs.

It appears Volkswagen has been getting a lot of feedback on its unintuitive controls in the Mk8. For model year 2025, Volkswagen is introducing a Mk8.5 with a reworking of many of the touch functions and a return to actual buttons on the steering wheel.

Boxing Above Its Price Class

Detractors notwithstanding, the latest Volkswagen Golf still provides a sense of quality fit and finish above anything else in its price point. Doors still close with a solid “thunk”. Hardware has that feel of high quality. The car has the sensory perception of a model in the near luxury class rather than one that can be had for the low $30,000 range.

The GTI tradition carries over to its driving experience. As mentioned, the current GTI is the best-performing of all the generations of GTIs. Having had considerable driving experience in the Mk5, Mk6, Mk7 and Mk7.5 GTIs, the 380 S test car with the latest version of the DCC damping system handled just a bit better than them all, with more composure and fewer of the problems that can trip-up lesser front-wheel drive sporty cars.

As with its predecessors, this GTI shines for its practicality and everyday driving pleasure. There’s even more room in the Mk8 GTI for passengers and luggage. VW claims 91.9 cubic feet of interior room and 19.9 cubic feet of luggage space. Because the roofline of the Golf doesn’t taper down like many hatchbacks, you can fit all manner of items in the GTI, especially with the back seats folded down. Even with the back seat up, the trunk is quite cavernous for a hatchback.

The superior practicality of the GTI extends to fuel economy. The EPA rating is 23 in the city, 34 on the highway, and 27 overall. However, we received returns of 37 mpg on a 75-mph highway test. That equals or bests most of the non-hybrid subcompact SUV field that have absolutely no pretensions of being high-performance sporty cars.

The Final Word

After all is said and done, the 2024 GTI 380 S—the final GTI offered with a stick shift—is destined to be added to the list of collector cars carrying the Volkswagen badge. Aside from its historic value, the Mk8 GTI offers a lot of car for the money. And if a manual transmission is not your cup of tea, the ultra-quick 7-speed DSG with paddle shifters and launch control is about as sporty as one can get in an automatic transmission. As an added bonus, the automatic is slightly quicker and gets slightly better fuel economy than the manual. Thankfully, VW has no plans of discontinuing that version for the not-to-distant future.

The Pertinent Specifications

Name of vehicle: 2024 Volkswagen Golf GTI 380 S

Price: $32,485 (plus $1,150 destination charge)

Configuration: Four-door hatchback body style, front engine, front-wheel drive

Engine: 2.0-liter TSI 16-valve DOHC turbocharged four-cylinder internal combustion engine

Transmission: 6-speed manual transmission

EPA fuel economy rating (miles per gallon): 23 city/34 highway/27 combined (37 highway observed)

EPA size classification: Midsize Car

0-60 mph: 5.8 seconds (observed)

For more information, go to the Golf GTI page.