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Hallelujah!! After years of Indian petrolheads praying and pleading with VW, our prayers are finally answered, and Volkswagen has finally gotten the Golf GTI to India. While VW has teased us in the past by bringing the Polo GTI in limited numbers to test the Indian market, that move only made the petrolheads crave the Golf GTI even more. Now, 50 years after it was first launched globally, Indian petrolheads have the option to get their hands on the Mk 8.5 Golf GTI.

It isn’t often that I get restless before any drive event, but VW India wanted us to properly experience everything the Golf GTI offered. They flew us to Indore, where we spent a day hooning the GTI at Natrax Automotive Test Centre. More importantly, I got to thoroughly test the GTI at the 11.3 km high-speed circuit, where I maxed out the GTI. Here is an overview of my experience with the GTI, along with what I think of it.

Volkswagen has always excelled in making hot hatchbacks, and the crème de la crème of the lot has always been the Golf GTI, which VW hasn’t tinkered with or messed around with for India. It is powered by an EA888 turbocharged 2.0-litre inline-four petrol motor, which produces 261 bhp and 37.7 kgm of torque, mated to a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic, sending power to the GTI’s front wheels via VW’s VAQ electronically controlled limited-slip differential.

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The beauty of the GTI has always been its sheer flexibility – being exhilarating to drive on the limit and also being comfortable enough to be a daily run-around. Fire up the GTI, and in sport mode, the exhaust emits a bassy rumble which wouldn’t have your neighbours hating on you. At full chat on Natrax, the engine note gains character and a pleasing smattering of pops on the overrun. Enough to make me smile, anyway—but without ever turning the GTI antisocial.

I am also happy to report that the chassis is excellent, the ride is planted but surprisingly comfortable even with the stock, non-adaptive suspension, and the nose is so eager. The steering might be a tinge numb, but it’s well within the margin of error when comparing electronic power steering from different automakers nowadays, and it’s something you get used to. Additionally, the stability control system can be fully de-energised, but the more permissive ESC Sport mode feels playful enough on track, and it doesn’t intervene until you get the car substantially out of shape. Moreover, the transmission is super-quick to respond to gearshift paddle pulls and smart enough to be left alone on a racetrack should you not want to deal with shifting at all. But no matter how good this automatic is, it’s hard not to feel that the GTI deserves the option of a manual transmission. It is worse off without one.

I, for one, love how the Golf GTI looks. It has a very sleek-looking design thanks to the lower grille that adds fang-like elements to its distinctive five-pod fog lights. Additionally, it also offers an illuminated strip linking the headlights, and the thin red trim strip atop the running lights now extends fender to fender. The front VW badge lights up, too. For India, VW offers the GTI with four colour options: moonstone grey black, grenadilla black metallic, kings red premium metallic black and oryx white pearl (Yes, I agree that the names are quite confusing!). Moreover, it comes with 18-inch alloy wheels standard, along with a barrage of GTI badges on the tailgate and front doors.

VW has also made the interiors of the GTI quite a fun place to be; it comes with a 12.9-inch touchscreen infotainment system, which is highly versatile to use. Tasks such as switching off the ESC and changing modes can all be configured within the quick-toggle menus, making it easier to use while driving. The sheer size of the new screen allows more functions to live in permanently present rows of rendered icons top and bottom, with plenty of space still available for the wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto projection that most buyers will likely want to use. As for the AC controls, VW offers touch-sensitive temperature and volume sliders below the screen, which can be quite a task to use, but would it be better if VW had gone a step further and eliminated these sliders altogether and brought back traditional hard controls? You already know the answer to that question—a definite yes.

Okay, I have to come clean and express one gripe I have with the Golf GTI. Now, the front cloth bucket seats are an excellent homage to the first-gen GTI; anyone with a bit of girth would struggle to fit comfortably in the seat. Additionally, for the size of the GTI, when I set the driving seat to my position, the legroom at the rear was severely affected, albeit the knee room was manageable, owing to the shape of the back of the front seats.

I also have to admit that I have been a bit biased with my review because I have adored the Golf GTI and aspired to get one for myself since I first heard about what hot hatches are. If you are somebody who is willing to buy the Golf GTI, firstly, it won’t be possible since VW India has sold out the first lot of 150 cars coming to India, and when the next lot of the Golf GTI is due for India, VW hasn’t clarified. Secondly, it is extremely expensive, with a price of ₹53 lakh (ex-showroom, India).

But, all of these things are just words on paper because the people who wanted the GTI have already gone and booked one, and for the other set of petrolheads who are aspiring to buy one like myself, yes, we need to aspire harder to get our hands on it. Does that mean you should shy away from that aspiration? Not at all, because everything that you have built in your head of the Golf GTI is entirely accurate. It is fun to drive and practical to live with, and although it does have a few drawbacks, like I mentioned, the Golf GTI is one of the best performance cars you can buy in India that won’t break your bank compared to the BMW M340i. Should you buy the M340i or the Golf GTI? That entirely depends on your outlook for a performance car, but what brings the most joy to me is the fact that automakers are finally valuing the opinions of us Indian petrolheads.