Volkswagen has officially introduced the facelifted Golf lineup in Europe. Pre-orders will be opening in a few weeks, so let’s take a look.
All Golf variants now sport redesigned bumpers and new light signatures. Opting for IQ.Light Matrix LEDs gives you powerful headlights illuminating up to 500 m (1,640 feet) ahead. The flagship trims stand out thanks to fang-like inserts in the front bumper and honeycomb patterns in the air intakes. The VW badge is illuminated and a light bar running under the hood rim connects the headlights.
Inside, the head unit comes in sizes ranging from 10.4 to 12.9 inches. The digital dashboard is now configurable. The steering wheel shakes off capacitive controls, welcoming back normal physical buttons. The climate control and volume sliders are now backlit for convenience. The infotainment system should support ChatGPT in the future, but the current version of the Golf still doesn’t.
Power for the hatchback comes from a variety of petrol and diesel engines rated between 116 and 204 PS (114–201 hp; 85–150 kW). The top ICE version gets a seven-speed DSG transmission by default, while all others make do with a six-speed manual gearbox unless you pay extra.
There are also two turbo options – one rated at 116 PS (114 hp / 85 kW) and the other one at 150 PS (148 hp / 110 kW). Both receive assistance from a 48V starter-generator and exclusively support the DSG gearbox.
If you are looking for an affordable plug-in hybrid, the old one is still available. It makes the same 204 PS (201 hp / 150 kW) and uses the same six-speed DSG as before, but the battery size has grown from 10.6 to 19.7 kilowatt-hours. As a result, it now covers up to 100 km (62 miles) per charge.
The Golf GTE benefits from a 27-horsepower boost and makes 272 PS (268 hp / 200 kW) in the new version. The Golf GTI also gets a mild power boost to 265 PS (261 hp / 195 kW), but you can no longer buy it with a manual transmission. All hybrids charge faster than before, Volkswagen claims.
By default, the entire 2025 VW Golf lineup is front-wheel-drive. You will have to wait for AWD to become available.