Volkswagen has attended the 24-hour North Loop marathon this weekend with its most powerful mass-produced Golf GTI so far. The car wore a Clubsport badge and hit 267 km/h (166 mph) in a straight line.
Starting with the exterior changes, the hottest hatch ended up with a completely redesigned front end complete with an illuminated logo and refreshed headlights. It also received a large rear wing for extra downforce.
Even the most basic trim now includes 19-inch wheels sporting a pattern of five semi-circles. Those who want more may order same-sized forged wheels weighing as little as 8 kilograms (17.6 lbs) each. Inside, the steering wheel is new and the infotainment system is powered by ChatGPT.
Things get even livelier under the hood, where the 2.0-liter EA888 Evo4 engine enjoys a boost to 300 PS (296 hp / 221 kW) and 400 Nm (295 lb-ft) of torque. An electronic lockable differential is included in the base spec, but buyers will have to pay extra for DCC adaptive suspension. A new drive mode called Nürburgring has been added to help aspiring North Loop racers safely manage every curve of this formidable track.
The top speed stays capped at 250 km/h (155 mph), but you can opt for a limiter removal package and get the 267 km/h (166 mph) mentioned above. In any case, the new Golf GTI Clubsport drives the front wheels through a fast preselector DCT and sprints 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) in 5.6 seconds.