What We're Most Looking Forward To About The New 2025 Volkswagen Golf GTI

Volkswagen has been the world's second-best selling carmaker for three years running. And, of all the car models ever produced, VW's Golf sits third in sales at 35 million units, yielding only to the Toyota Corolla and the Ford F-Series. The Golf was introduced in 1974 as the successor to the Beetle and updated  seven times, most recently in 2022. That year, the Golf GTI got a major redesign and a new 241-horsepower turbocharged four-cylinder engine.

Even more changes are on the way for the 2025 model year. Volkswagen unveiled a camouflaged prototype version of the upcoming Golf GTI at the ongoing Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, and that setting was appropriate for a car that will be loaded with high-tech systems. The 2025 Golf GTI will be one of several Volkswagen models to integrate ChatGPT with its infotainment system (the Tiguan, ID4, and ID7 will also get OpenAI's large language model software). ChatGPT will be accessible via a voice prompt or steering wheel button, and can assist with basic functions like climate control or audio system changes and help with navigation.

The system will also be able to access the internet to answer basic informational queries, but Volkswagen insists that drivers need not be concerned about privacy breaches. The company notes via a press release that "ChatGPT does not gain any access to vehicle data; questions and answers are deleted immediately to ensure the highest possible level of data protection."

One common frustration for 8th generation Golf owners involves the touch-capacitive steering wheel controls, which are easy to inadvertently activate during spirited driving. They'll be eliminated for the 2025 model in favor of more driver-friendly buttons, although touch-sensitive slider controls for audio volume and cabin temperature remain at the bottom of the 15-inch main touchscreen. Since VW is dropping the six-speed manual transmission as an option on the Golf GTI after the current model year, the 2025 model will only be available with VW's seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox.

Photos from the CES presentation show a customizable digital instrument panel, front seats with substantial side bolsters, and controls to configure a heads-up display on the main touchscreen. The model on display also has a large glass sunroof and Akrapovic twin exhausts. The seats are finished in grey with red stitching, and there are ample door pockets, armrests, and cupholders throughout the cabin.

The touchscreen provides much more than a way to adjust climate control and audio settings. A walkthrough video from the German YouTube channel The Car Crash Review shows a menu with settings for steering and drivetrain adjustments, along with the ability to adjust the ambient audio inside and outside the vehicle. These audio settings indicate that future versions of the Golf GTI could be Electric Vehicles; this isn't entirely surprising given VW's recent shift in focus toward EV development and production.