The Volkswagen Golf GTI is such a hot hatch institution that many think it was the first. It wasn’t, exactly, though that’s another debate. The question of today is which of the numerous Golf GTIs we’ve seen over the years is the best? We’ve listed the generations from worst to first, with a note made of the best version of each.
The best VW Golf GTIs
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8. Mk4 Golf GTI
Pick of the range: 25th Anniversary
We begin with what the general consensus suggests is the GTI’s lowest point, the Mk4 Golf. The GTI that shamed the badge. In a strange move to an end of VW’s upmarket swing, this generation of GTI was designed to be more comfortable than sporty. Both a petrol and a diesel were offered – need we say more. VW had realised the errors of its ways by the end of the Mk4 GTI’s life, with a much sportier 25th Anniversary model. It featured R32-esque body enhancements, big wheels, sportier brakes and Recaro seats, but it was too little, too late to save the Mk4 GTI from its place in the family history.
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7. Mk3 Golf GTI
Pick of the range: 16V 20 years
Much as the Mk4 gets the grief that it does, that car’s trajectory of added weight and size with a half portion of fun was set by the Mk3 Golf that preceded it. While it still looked good, with all the subtle styling suggestions to its performance, there wasn’t actually performance. The original 8V gained 300kg compared to the Mk1 of a decade and a bit ago, but gained little to no power. Again, a bump to 150PS (110kW) for the 16-valve 2.0-litre helped things but the chuckability of the original was all but gone. If you have to go for a Mk3, the 16-valve 20 Years edition is the one to get. Not that many are left, given Volkswagen famously used sub-par rust-happy metal in the Mk3.
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6. Mk6 Golf GTI
Pick of the range: Edition 35
From here on out, there is no such thing as a bad Golf GTI. Let’s make that clear. The Mk6 Golf rode the coattails of the excellent Mk5 it succeeded, but what was good about that car remained, albeit in a market that had moved on somewhat. A fun chassis, a willing (if a little dull) turbocharged engine, high-quality build and classily enhanced looks helped continue the GTI’s reign as the hot hatch that was equally at home on track, as it was a McDonalds drive-through. Want ‘more’ Mk6? The Edition 35 is the one to get, with more power and spicier looks.
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5. Mk8 Golf GTI
Pick of the range: Clubsport 45
The latest Volkswagen Golf GTI is the Mk8 and it’s borne the brunt of no small amount of criticism. Like the Mk6 to the Mk5, the Mk8 takes what was great about the Mk7 and actually makes it worse. The fundamentally similar platform and engine remain excellent, but the new weird looks and annoying digital interfaces just add barriers to the enjoyment of the Mk8 Golf. Still, as ever, you can maximise your GTI experience with a more serious version, in this case the Clubsport 45, which adds some extra power and visual aggression to the mix.
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4. Mk2 Golf GTI
Pick of the range: 16V
The Mk2 Golf GTI improved upon the Mk1 in terms of size and practicality. It was a larger, safer, sturdier thing on the road, improving cornering performance without killing the fun. It evolved the Giugiaro looks of the original in a good way too. The 16-valve version of the 1.8-litre four-cylinder engine added some potency, with 139PS (102kW) (pre-cat) still only having to lug around just over a tonne of car. Contrast that to the 1,300kg Mk3 that followed. It was heavier than the original but the recipe was still correct.
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3. Mk5 Golf GTI
Pick of the range: Edition 3
The Mk5 Volkswagen Golf GTI is considered by almost everyone that knows what they’re talking about to be one of the best. It was a fabulous return to form for the famous badge, with real performance, fun and good looks back on the menu. Around 200PS (147kW) was a revolution compared to the Mk4 that came before, while sportier looks, red highlights and a tartan cabin revived that inimitable GTI style. It drove absolutely brilliantly too, while still doing the most important job of all: still being a Golf. So good and so well-judge was the GTI, it knew no class, whether you were a movie star trying to fly under the radar, or a youngster getting into your first ‘performance’ car, the Mk5 GTI fit in anywhere.
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2. Mk1 Golf GTI
Pick of the range: 1.6
All of that stuff made the Mk5 great on its arrival in 2005, because it’s what made the original great. In a way, the original is not a good car objectively, by modern standards, and hasn’t been for some time. But it was so good then and made such an impact, it’s stuck in the memory for generations, to the point that any drop in form for the GTI badge is considered an affront to its legend. Fast(ish), fun, cheap, reliable and classless. Having your cake and eating it too, is what GTI is all about, as first demonstrated with utter class by the Mk1.
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1. Mk7 Golf GTI
Pick of the range: Clubsport S
Some may see this as controversial but at some point, you have to mix the subjective with the objective to find what is truly the best. We love the Mk1, but the Mk7 Golf GTI is easily the best there’s been so far: fast, genuinely really, really fun (thanks in part to expertise in development from the people that ‘do’ Porsche GT3s), fantastic looking and still great at all the ‘Golf’ stuff. The Clubsport S, while taking away some of that ‘Golf’ usability (no back seats), brought out a character quite unlike anything this side of a Porsche 911 GT3 RS. Ruthlessly fun, deftly judged, on road and track, this was the very best GTI. Bucket-seated, stiffened, locked and loaded. The Mk7 is the best, and the Clubsport S is the best of the best. As a result they’re still very expensive on the used market, so a ‘normal’ Clubsport or later TCR are acceptable substitutes.
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