Photograph Courtesy Volkswagen
Is getting 13 more of anything desirable? Depends on the context.
Having to fight 13 more horse-sized ducks? Less than ideal.
Gaining 13 more horsepower for the new model year? Yeah, that seems pretty agreeable.
The 2025 Golf R and GTI receive a host of updates, the most notable of which is a 13-horsepower increase for the Golf R, raising total output to 328 horsepower.
[VW Golf R: Proof that hot hatches can still punch above their weight]
A “Black Edition” featuring blacked-out accents, wheels, brake calipers and more joins the Golf R lineup, as well as an optional Euro Style Package that deletes the sunroof while adding fabric seats, an Akrapovič titanium exhaust and new 19-inch wheels that are, according to VW, 20% lighter than the outgoing Golf R’s wheels.
As for the GTI, power output remains unchanged–241 horsepower–and will be available in one of three flavors: S, SE and Autohbahn.
[Video: Mk8 Volkswagen Golf GTI track test and data review]
Both the Golf R and GTI get a revised exterior and interior that includes new headlights and front bumper, an illumiated front badge plus a freestanding 12.9-inch touchscreen featuring the same operating system used in the D. Buzz and ID.4.
Likewise, both models will only be available with a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission.
While pricing for the 2025 Golf R and GTI are expected to be announced closer to the launch of both models, the current Golf R and GTI carry a starting MSRP of $45,665 and $31,965, respectively.
I like the idea of the Euro Style Package. I think it gives more track-minded folk an option package that works for them.
I've also noticed that I think I prefer cloth seats more, at least here in Florida. I don't enjoy having leather (-ish) seats with no ventilation. I get hot and then stay hot.
Colin Wood said:I've also noticed that I think I prefer cloth seats more...
Good cloth seats > leather seats
Driven5 said:Colin Wood said:I've also noticed that I think I prefer cloth seats more...
Good cloth seats > leather seats
I never realized how much I love cloth seats in Florida until I sat down in a friends car that has them after a super hot day and went "Wait, my legs aren't melting to the seats."
Cloth seats are the exact reason I have a GSW 4 Motion and not a Golf R. Instead I have a GSW with Golf R suspension and working for it to be tuned to a golf R power band. VW leather is not climate friendly.
Colin Wood said:I like the idea of the Euro Style Package. I think it gives more track-minded folk an option package that works for them.
I've also noticed that I think I prefer cloth seats more, at least here in Florida. I don't enjoy having leather (-ish) seats with no ventilation. I get hot and then stay hot.
I feel cloth is set for a comeback. I went furniture shopping recently and was surprised at the growth of non-leather surfaces. Still, I prefer leather. Easy to clean, for the most part.
In reply to J.A. Ackley :
I guess it would really come down to the type of car.
Sports car for canyon carving? Cloth seats.
Luxo-barge SUV for eating up highway miles? Leather with vented seats, please and thank you.
J.A. Ackley said:Colin Wood said:I like the idea of the Euro Style Package. I think it gives more track-minded folk an option package that works for them.
I've also noticed that I think I prefer cloth seats more, at least here in Florida. I don't enjoy having leather (-ish) seats with no ventilation. I get hot and then stay hot.
I feel cloth is set for a comeback. I went furniture shopping recently and was surprised at the growth of non-leather surfaces. Still, I prefer leather. Easy to clean, for the most part.
Trouble is that cloth can get stained and kinds gross looking in short order. Still the fake leather on lower end cars is pretty terrible anyways with the top layer cracking and peeling.
theruleslawyer said:J.A. Ackley said:Colin Wood said:I like the idea of the Euro Style Package. I think it gives more track-minded folk an option package that works for them.
I've also noticed that I think I prefer cloth seats more, at least here in Florida. I don't enjoy having leather (-ish) seats with no ventilation. I get hot and then stay hot.
I feel cloth is set for a comeback. I went furniture shopping recently and was surprised at the growth of non-leather surfaces. Still, I prefer leather. Easy to clean, for the most part.
Trouble is that cloth can get stained and kinds gross looking in short order. Still the fake leather on lower end cars is pretty terrible anyways with the top layer cracking and peeling.
Yes, with me taking my car to dirt tracks, southern red clay certainly stains anything other than black leather.
I saw a video drop today of the R and GTi. Love the blue diamond pattern on the cloth seats of the R. For once, I hope VW allows customers in the USA to purchase cloth seats in the R.
As mentioned above, I, too, like the ability to choose a "sunroof delete" option, but the Euro Style package (and the Akrapovič exhaust) are typically not allowed by VW in what may be its single largest market in the world. Never understood that. Canada frequently gets things from VW that we don't. Are the markets and regulations that different?
Of note, the videos I saw were from Redline Reviews. He said the GTi steering wheel now has hard buttons like the prior generations. He also reported that VW said they couldn't do the same for the R because there was an extra "R" function that they would have had to account for and didn't have the time for a redesign, or something like that.
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