Here's What the VW Golf GTI Mk.8 Will Look Like

It’s a huge cliché to point out the fact that the new Golf looks like a slightly more modern version of the old one, even though it actually has a lot more going on under its skin. That’s what the automaker has been doing for decades now - ever since it launched the Golf, in fact.

The Golf has never been at the cutting edge of automotive design, but it’s never really offended. This eighth-gen model, though, has a face that only a German mother could love, with its plucked LED daytime running light eyebrows and squashed fascia.

To my eyes, this has got to be the ugliest Golf face ever. When they were designing it, it’s as if they looked at the current Polo hatch and said “yes, this is a successful design we should try to emulate.” For the record, I also think the current Polo is the ugliest Polo ever (from the front at least) - whenever I see one out in the wild I always ask myself what were they thinking when they designed its strange, droopy fascia.

But all is not lost for the eighth-gen Golf, because so far we’ve only seen it in regular guise, not as any of the special versions. And once VW shows off the sporty GTI based on it, I’m sure it will have morphed into a much more attractive looking package.

Not sure what they can do about the plucked eyebrow headlights, but they can work its grille and bumper combo to make it more appealing. To my eyes, the GTI (and the R) have always looked considerably better than the regular Golf, and I can trace this back all the way to the fourth-generation of the model (although for that model, it was only the R that looked special, because the fourth-gen GTI was a bit of a joke).

Front fascia aside, though, I think the new Golf’s lower and flatter looking hood, as well as its lower and more planted stance will lend themselves well to the GTI makeover. If only we could see it sooner and not have to wait for VW to unveil it months from now...

Well, to spare you the drudgery of having to wait, I’ve gone ahead and tried to emulate what I think VW may look like. The automaker has revealed absolutely no information on the upcoming hot GTI and R models, but this is a VW product - it’s not that hard to accurately speculate.

The sportiest version revealed so far is the electrified GTE (a performance plug-in hybrid variant) that hints at the styling changes planned for the GTI. The latter’s front bumper will most likely be a more aggressive version of the GTE, (hopefully) complimented by some wider wheel arches and headlights with red accents inside.

Along the sides of the car, VW won’t make too many changes, although you might spot some side skirts that jut out and the obligatory GTI rims, some of which are very good (although, to my eye, not all the rim designs available for the seventh-gen GTI were GTI-ish enough).

The rear end of the Golf GTI won’t be crazy like that of some other hot hatches (I’m looking at you, Honda Civic Type-R). It will be identical to that of the regular Golf, but with a more aggressive bumper with two exhausts sticking out towards its outer edges. Oh, and the obligatory VW badges adorning the hatch in the rear and the grille up front will leave onlookers in no doubt as to what they are looking at.

Can’t picture it? Well, above there's a quick rendering I whipped up to make visualizing the Golf GTI Mk. 8 easier.