Volkswagen is celebrating the Golf GTI with a potent Edition 50 model. The optional performance package lives up to its name and makes this GTI a true agility monster. However, the price for this combination is correspondingly high.
Curves, smooth asphalt and rain. For a front-wheel drive car, this is the worst case scenario. Add semi-slick tires and straight-line understeer when changing direction seems inevitable. A corner is quickly approaching. We are behind the wheel of a Golf GTI Edition 50 with Performance Package. “It’s all well and good, but…” flashed through our minds. Then the circuitry and survival instinct take over. Hard braking. The red painted brake calipers and pads bite decisively. The seatbelt tightens across our chests as the car puts weight on the front axle. We give in. We’re preparing for the classic fate of a front-wheel-drive car: getting deep into the gravel behind the left-hand bend. But our gaze remains focused on the apex. And then it happens. As if drawn with a compass, the Golf follows the steering impulses precisely and steers directly towards the middle of the curve.
The rear axle takes part. The rear rotates gently, not rebelliously, but in a supportive manner. Full throttle. The top GTI also accepts this. No twitching, no scratching on the front wheels. “You ask, I deliver,” seems to be the car’s attitude. “Clean,” we note. There’s no time for more. The lightness with which the Golf cuts through the curves is impressive. “With the performance package, we reached into the top drawer of the MQB toolbox,” explains Florian Umbach, Head of Vehicle Dynamics. This was necessary because the chassis of the Golf GTI Edition 50 is identical to that of the Clubsport. With the performance package, the VW engineers wanted to raise the bar even further. Mission accomplished. This GTI makes it easy to drive fast. Very fast.
It starts with classic tuning measures. The 235 tires sit on 19-inch forged wheels, the exhaust gases flow through the Golf R’s titanium performance exhaust system. The result is a weight saving of around 25 kilograms. At the push of a button, this GTI sounds like a predator. What is immediately noticeable on the MacPherson front axle is the increased negative camber of minus two degrees, compared to minus 1.33 degrees on the standard edition 50. More negative camber increases the usable contact area of the front wheel on the outside of the curve. The tire works more evenly across the entire tread, improving cornering speed and turning precision. “The additional front grip is the basis for high cornering speeds, reduced understeer and neutral driving behavior,” says Umbach. The key word is foundation. This measure alone would have little effect.
To make it effective, a complete agility package comes into play. Stiffer upper bearings are installed at the front and a stiffer wishbone bushing at the rear. In combination with the electronically controlled mechanical limited-slip differential, a subtle self-steering effect towards the inside of the curve is created when accelerating. The differential pulls the inside wheel harder while cornering, while the reduced compliance of the control arm bushing keeps the geometry stable. The result is the opposite of the classic front-wheel drive thrust.
The changes to the multi-link rear axle are less extensive, but still make sense. In the standard design, the tie rod is only mounted on one side. With the Performance package, it receives mounting on both sides, which significantly increases lateral rigidity. This allows the rear axle to support the steering impulses from the front axle more precisely. Stiffer springs and damper bearings are also installed, which increase the natural frequency to match the front axle and reduce rolling and pitching movements. “Manthey would charge tens of thousands of euros for something like that,” smiles Umbach. Volkswagen charges 4,200 euros for the performance package in addition to the basic price of the Edition 50 of 54,540 euros. That’s a lot of money for a Golf GTI and only 1,000 euros less than for a Golf R. But the fun factor more than makes up for it. The comparison with the Nürburgring specialists is no coincidence: test driver Benjamin Leuchter set a time of 7:46.125 minutes on the Nordschleife, the fastest lap ever driven by a road-legal Volkswagen.
On public roads, the sports suspension lowers the body by five millimeters compared to the standard Edition 50. Overall, this results in a lowering of 20 millimeters. This is significant. Thanks to the standard adaptive dampers, the sharpened GTI remains comfortable on country roads and in city traffic. We drove most of the time in Comfort mode, which turned out to be really relaxing. This GTI is not a sedan, but long journeys are no problem thanks to the excellent sports seats with classic tartan upholstery. Inside, the GTI feels a bit dated. The touchscreen has a thick bezel, the head-up display is modestly sized, and the graphics still bear traces of VW’s troubled in-house infotainment era. But if a car can be a little anachronistic, it’s a Golf GTI. This one in particular.
Especially since it offers real driving pleasure in every driving mode, be it Eco, Comfort or Sport. With 239 kW and 325 hp and 420 Nm of torque, it accelerates from zero to 100 km/h in 5.3 seconds and reaches up to 270 km/h. Exactly at the level of a Golf R. VW claims a combined consumption of 7.74 liters per 100 kilometers. According to the on-board computer we measured 8.3 liters. One final treat awaits you in Sport mode: press and hold the menu tile and the Nürburgring Nordschleife appears, allowing you to activate a special setting. In this mode, the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission holds gears longer when cornering to maximize drive on the exit. So if you are overtaken on a country road by a Golf GTI Edition 50 with the Performance Package and hear the driver shout “Plant Garden”, you will know exactly which mode is activated.
