The Golf GTI Clubsport is a 265 horsepower hot hatch that can also give you 290 horses for ten seconds on overboost. Evo went to Portugal to see what’s it like, but unfortunately, it seems that America is not getting any of these über GTIs.
The Golf GTI has 230 horsepower with a mechanical limited-slip differential if you opt for the Performance Pack, but since VW’s Spanish brand will give you 280 horsepower and a very respectable Nürburgring laptime for roughly the same sort of money, the mothership had to step up its game a bit as well.
The GTI’s 40th anniversary gave VW another great reason to build something spicier, and the Clubsport certainly delivers the goods with an aero package that gets rid of lift and puts downforce on the rear axle. That change allowed the chassis guys to use stiffer dampers and springs, which makes the car much more pointy and agile than the more powerful Golf R would be under the same conditions.
Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2s on a family hatchback? Oh yes!
Photo credit: Volkswagen
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