UK Drive: Volkswagen’s Golf GTI Edition 50 is a fitting birthday celebration

placeholder image — Volkswagen Golf GTI Edition 50

Volkswagen is blowing out the candles on 50 years of GTI with a limited-run special. Jack Evans tries it out.

What is it?

An optional Performance Pack drops the car’s ride height

It’s not a new thing for Volkswagen to do this, either, and previous GTI Clubsport Edition 40 and Edition 30 cars have been marked as examples of the best that this hot-hatch has to offer. Can this latest version live up to the reputation, though? We’ve been finding out.

What’s new?

The standard five-door layout means this Golf is still very practical

An optional Performance Pack can take things one step further, introducing twin Akrapovič exhausts and forged 19-inch alloy wheels which shave an extra 25kg off the GTI’s weight. As standard, the Edition 50 uses the same suspension setup as a regular Clubsport instead. Don’t worry though – there are still plenty of Edition 50 badges to mark this out as something a little different, too.

What’s under the bonnet?

Upgraded exhausts come as part of the Performance Pack

The net result is a car that’ll go from zero to 60mph in five seconds and onwards to a top speed of 168mph – not bad figures for your ‘everyday’ sporty hatchback.

What’s it like to drive?

The Edition 50 holds the title as the most powerful Golf to date

That stronger, meaner engine adds an extra depth to the GTI’s character and, make no mistake, it pulls hard. As is so synonymous with this engine, there’s a certain degree of boost which comes on after your initial acceleration and from there, the Edition 50 never lets up.

How does it look?

The Edition 50 gets a range of custom features

There’s a huge side stripe down the length of the car which highlights it as something a bit different, too. Particularly in ‘Pure White’, our car was hard to miss.

What’s it like inside?

The interior isn’t too far away from the one in the standard Golf

However, the good part about the Edition 50 is that it remains just as practical as your usual five-door GTI. There’s a decent amount of headroom for those sitting in the back, and the 374-litre boot is large enough for most occasions. It means that it remains a car that you can still use every day.

What’s the spec like?

Small Edition 50 badges are here and there

We’d argue that the Performance Pack should be included from the off given the Edition 50’s special status, but even without that you’re still getting a good level of equipment and performance.

Verdict

The Volkswagen Golf GTI Edition 50 feels like a fitting tribute to what has been a very longstanding motoring icon. It feels special in the way it drives and yet it’s still just as usable as any other GTI model.

Sure, it’s expensive, but for those who know and love the GTI and how far it has come in 50 years, it’ll feel like a price worth paying.