2021 Volkswagen Golf GTI Design Fixed With This Simple Trick

What we mean by "objectively bad" is that it feels like Volkswagen designed a bumper that could take the normal Golf grille and replaced it with the one for the GTI. The supposedly hot hatchback just adds a cheap-looking plastic grille with about 2/3 of it being fake, the traditional line between the headlights, new wheels and a double exhaust.

It's perfectly alright just to make minor alterations and keep the money for the engine development. But while Ford gave us a brand new, visibly larger and more powerful 2.3-liter for the Focus ST, the GTI just carries over its old 2.0 TSI with the same output as before.

Sure, by the end of the year, we should have a sharper-looking 300 horsepower GTI TCR, but you should have to pay €50,000 or more for that. Getting back to the rendering at hand, the YouTube artist believes there's something wrong with the headlights and the grille.

More specifically, the lights sit too low, and in combination with the downward curves of the hood, it becomes confusing. The solution is to bring the lights higher. While that is esthetically pleasing, it's not ideal for pedestrian crashes, something the Mk1 GTI didn't have to bargain with.

While the artist says he was inspired by the simplicity of the Mk4-based R32, we find that his redesign looks more like the Passat. But that's still fine. Volkswagen had something interesting going on with that crisp geometric styling.

Other changes include a new lower grille that's meant to be functional and clean. The Golf 8 is a pretty clean car in itself, so why not stick with that philosophy all the way?