A fresh report claims the upcoming facelift for the Volkswagen Golf 8 GTI will be a “major overhaul” comprising extra power, an upgraded chassis and a revised cabin…

The facelifted Volkswagen Golf 8 GTI is expected to be revealed “early” in 2024, with the hot hatch’s mid-cycle update taking the form of a “major overhaul” comprising extra power, an upgraded chassis and a revised cabin, according to a new report.

Yes, the refreshed version of the Wolfsburg-based firm’s C-segment hot hatch – informally known as the Golf 8.5 GTI – is likely to be the final Golf GTI with pure-petrol power as the Golf 9 GTI is excepted to feature some sort of electrification (with a fair chance it will be fully electric).

A facelifted version of the Golf 8 GTI is expected to be revealed in early 2024.

According to Autocar, the VW Group’s familiar EA888 turbocharged 2.0-litre, 4-cylinder petrol engine will be “significantly updated for its final years”, with the British publication speculating the hot hatch’s peak outputs could rise from the current 180 kW and 370 Nm to about 195 kW and around 400 Nm.

Such improvements in power and torque would see the front-wheel-drive Golf 8 GTI’s claimed 0-100 kph time fall from the current version’s 6.4 seconds to “below 6.0 seconds”, says Autocar. The 7-speed dual-clutch transmission (branded DSG) is likely to remain the default choice for most markets.

More power and a revised chassis are on the cards.

The publication furthermore reports the refreshed Golf 8 GTI will adopt a raft of chassis tweaks, including a stiffer rear-axle carrier (meant to “improve rolling refinement and cornering performance”) and a more advanced version of the Dynamic Chassis Control (DCC) adaptive suspension system, dubbed the “DCC Pro”.

And the cabin? Well, Autocar claims the Golf 8 GTI’s interior will benefit from a “wide-reaching revamp” to improve “usability and reliability problems” that surfaced with the pre-facelift model. A new 12.9-inch touchscreen and a revised 10.4-inch instrument display are on the menu, while the German firm is almost certain to ditch the divisive haptic controls used on the current model’s steering wheel.

The most significant changes will likely be those rolled out to the cabin.

As a reminder, the Golf 8 GTI debuted globally in February 2020, though arrived in South Africa only in September 2021. The Jacara Edition of the GTI then touched down in Mzansi in October 2022.

Look out for a full reveal of the Golf 8.5 GTI in the opening quarter of 2024. In the meantime, check out these spy shots to get an idea of how Volkswagen will revise the hot hatch’s styling…

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