The 2024 VW Golf GTI is the last of its kind with a manual transmission

"They won't make them like this much longer" is a pretty hackneyed aphorism, but it certainly applies to the Volkswagen Golf GTI. The Mk 8 Golf is due for a mid-life refresh next year, and when that happens, VW will be simplifying things by dropping the manual transmission option. That means model year 2024 is the final chance anyone will have to buy a GTI with three pedals. Yes, it has some flaws, but it's also small and nimble, both attributes lacking in so much of what the automotive industry has to offer these days.

We've been a bit deficient in not reviewing the Mk 8 Golf GTI until now. I reviewed the more expensive, more powerful Golf R in 2022, but the last GTI we drove was the outgoing Mk 7 car in mid-2020. That time, we were only able to source a GTI with the two-pedal, dual-clutch gearbox, a transmission I felt didn't quite suit the engine it was mated to. On the other hand, I was effusive about the old GTI's infotainment, calling it "one of the best systems on the market." Well, it was 2020, remember.

Under the hood, you'll find yet another version of VW Group's venerable EA888 four-cylinder engine, here with a turbocharger and direct injection. It generates 241 hp (180 kW) and 273 lb-ft (370 Nm), with that peak torque arriving at just 1,750 rpm. This sends its power to the front wheels via a seven-speed DSG or the soon-to-be-retired six-speed manual.

You can blame enlightened Europe for the six-speed's demise. Over there, buyers prefer the two-pedal version by a massive margin, which even the high take rate for three-pedal GTIs in the US and Canada couldn't make up for. (This is, of course, contrary to popular wisdom, which has it that all Europeans shun auto 'boxes as a matter of course.) On top of that, getting the six-speed to comply with incoming Euro 7 emissions regulations proved to be just too much, according to VW, so it decided to drop the option.

Here in the US, both transmissions are rated at a combined 27 mpg (8.7 L/100 km), with the DSG getting the edge in city driving (24 mpg/9.8 L/100 km) and the manual beating it slightly for highway (34 mpg/6.9 L/100 km). In practice, I saw as high as 36 mpg (6.5 L/100 km) on highway trips with the three-pedal GTI.

A smarter GTI

A more modern electronic architecture was one of the improvements to the Golf from Mk 7 to Mk 8. On the plus side, it enables some clever vehicle dynamics control via the torque-sensing limited slip differential, the GTI's stability and traction control, and the adaptive dampers, if fitted. Very keen drivers might prefer a mechanical limited slip diff, but in day-to-day driving, you'd never have an issue with the Mk 8 GTI's electronic version.

The new electronics meant a big tech upgrade for the interior, too. Out went the physical analog gauges, which were replaced by a 10.25-inch digital display with various different user-configurable views. A move to capacitive control panels instead of discrete buttons adds an extra level of minimalism to VW's traditionally spartan approach to cabin design, but they're far too easy to activate by mistake.

I assume this problem would ease with familiarity and time, but it apparently needs longer than the couple of weeks I've spent driving Golfs this year. And no amount of muscle memory will change the fact that the temperature and volume controls are not backlit, so they're impossible to see at night.

There are also new infotainment systems running VW's current MIB III system. It's an 8-inch touchscreen in the base car or a 10-inch version in the other trims, with ChatGPT arriving this month via update. While I don't love the GTI's bright red infotainment UI, it's not objectionable, though I wouldn't call this one class-leading. Realistically, most drivers will spend their time in Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, either wired via USB-C or wirelessly, for the 10-inch system.

Get the 380

There are three different trim levels to choose from, starting with the $31,965 Golf GTI S all the way up to the $40,505 Golf GTI Autobahn. In the past, the manual GTI was slightly cheaper than the DSG version, but for model year 2024, you'll pay a few hundred dollars more, depending on trim. That's because VW is fitting all three-pedal GTIs with the "380" package, which also includes the adaptive dampers as standard, as well as 19-inch alloy wheels and summer tires.

And you should pick that option. The DSG can feel a little sluggish while shifting at times, something we criticized the previous car for, too. Changing gears yourself, with your leg and your arm working the pedal, the lever is undoubtedly slower still, but it also gives the turbo time to spool again, and since you're an active participant in the process, it's not like you notice any delay.

It's not the best manual gearshift in the world, or even on sale today—a Mazda MX-5 review is more likely to feature cliches about the stickshift's "rifle bolt action" than this Golf. And it's a real shame that the knob at the end of the stick doesn't still resemble an actual golf ball, although it is dimpled in places. But it's also such a refreshing rarity to have a car where you need to drive with both feet. To put it another way, the DSG car didn't make me take the long route home after going to Cars and Coffee, but the manual did.

I would also not bother breaking the bank for the Autobahn version. The head-up display is nice to have, as are ventilated front seats and a heated rear bench seat. But I don't much like the leather seats, particularly when the Golf S and SE come with the far more appropriate, far cooler gray and black "Scalepaper" tartan fabric instead.

Spending time with the GTI was something of a refreshing tonic, which is as much a damning indictment on the state of the new vehicle market in 2024 as it is the Golf's charms and merits. The UI really does annoy me, and I think it represents a step back in usability, but not enough to overcome the right-sized packaging of this hot hatch or the level of driver engagement it still provides compared to increasingly anesthetized compact crossovers.