Major overhaul of VW Golf headed by pumped-up GTI

Big ergonomic, powertrain and design revisions aim to reinvigorate hatch's appeal

- GREG KABLE

Volkswagen has comprehensively rebooted the eighth-generation Golf in a bid to sustain its appeal to the end of the decade, when it will be replaced by the electric Mk9.

As it turns 50, the German firm's all-time best-seller receives a wide-reaching suite of technology upgrades, usability enhancements, material improvements and a new look inside and out. The powertrain line-up has been revamped, too, with the addition of new long-range plug-in hybrids, revised petrol and diesel options - and more power for the GTI hot hatch, which will head the line-up until the launch of the revised four-wheel-drive Golf R later this year.

Due in the UK in April, the 2024 Golf seeks to reinstate the model as Europe's number one by sales volume after supply chain bottlenecks and a drop in popularity caused it to slip behind the likes of the Peugeot 208, the Dacia Sandero, Volkswagen's own T-Roc and the Renault Clio in the sales charts.

Styling elements that distinguish the new Golf include an illuminated Volkswagen badge at the front - a feature made possible by a recent change in Europe's advertising laws - and a reprofiled front bumper with redesigned air ducts (decorated by a honeycomb insert on the GTI). Another obvious change are the new-look, angular LED headlights, which can be optionally specified with VW's IQ Light HD matrix technology.

There are new sills underneath the doors too, as well as a more prominent spoiler above the tailgate on the GTI, a restyled rear bumper and new-look LED tail-lights.

The 11 paint colours offered up until now have been extended to include four new metallic colours, and a black roof is being made available for the first time as an option on the GTI, GTE and R-Line variants of the Golf.