So the Volkswagen Golf received one of the most confusing facelifts/new generations earlier this year, which made the "Mark 7.5" monicker stick, even though previous facelifts were not attributed the 0.5 increase in their numerical designation.
The special treatment this refreshment received isn't entirely deserved, and it might make Mk. 7 Golf owners a bit frustrated thinking they are missing a lot. In reality, the most important improvements come inside the cabin where there's a slightly redesigned center console with a larger display and the option for a digital instrument cluster.
On the outside, you get those horrendous fake exhaust tips that everyone seems to go for these days as well as the much more useful LED headlights - unavailable on the Mk. 7 where even the LED daytime running lights were a costly optional.
The facelift affected the GTI model as well, only here it brought one slightly more important change: the addition of a limited slip differential for the front axle. In theory, it should improve handling and make cornering a much more fluent affair.
To test the new model, the Fast Lane Car decided to compare it with the old generation, one of Paul Gerrard's - the channel's test driver - favorites. With 220 hp and a six-speed manual, the GTI certainly wasn't the fastest, but it was a hoot to drive, and that's what should matter the most in a hot hatch.
The new one came equipped with a six-speed automatic dual-clutch transmission, as well as the performance package which adds 10 more hp and bigger brakes, among other things. Does that mean it's better prepared for circuit work? Well, it sure would seem that way.
They didn't actually bring the two cars in but used the recording and the data from the old video for comparison. The 7.5 GTI easily aced the 0-60 mph acceleration time thanks to its auto tranny and launch control feature, though 7.19 seconds isn't that far away from the new Volkswagen Golf GTI's time of 6.57 seconds.
However, it's the circuit lap that reveals the biggest problem: the 2018 hot hatch is wearing Pirelli all-season tires, an absolutely unexplainable choice for a vehicle that's supposed to focus on performance. That's precisely what led to the new GTI coming up short compared to the Mk. 7 in the track test. All the extra power and the quicker shifts were rendered useless by the copious amounts of understeering in what could serve as a guideline to the importance of the tires.
"Boy meets car, boy loves car, boy gets journalism degree and starts job writing and editing at a car magazine" - 5/5. (Vlad Mitrache if he was a movie) Full profile
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