Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport 2021, the GTI for the track

Miguel Lorente 14 October 2020 4 min.

The Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport of 2021 will feature modifications that will improve both the performance and the on-track handling of the standard model

Not a few of us blame the Volkswagen Golf GTI for a certain imbalance between comfort and everyday usability on one side and sportiness and emotion behind the wheel on the other. It is true that if there is one thing this car has achieved, generation after generation, it is being more delightful in everyday use, but, for the author of this article, at the cost of losing a bit of fun with each new ‘box’ when it is asked to be more hard-hitting.

Many will tell me that for the track there is the Volkswagen Golf R, true, but with its all-wheel-drive layout, the GTI’s two driven wheels and a lower weight, it could become even more exciting. Something that Volkswagen has answered, through special editions produced in drops, and through the different variants built in limited numbers. That will not happen with the Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport of 2021, since its availability depends only on the buyer’s budget and not on a run restricted to a fixed quantity.

And so, with a Volkswagen Golf GTI that is related in performance to the GTE, there is no doubt that the letters GTI represent an iconic reference among compact cars with a relatively sporty focus and maximum practicality, but the new Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport is its brazen, cunning and irreverent twin.

A more powerful and demanding Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport 2021

That is why, despite sharing the 2.0-litre EA888 evo4 TSI petrol engine, the Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport 2021 has 300 CV and 400 Nm of torque, which puts it almost on a par with the now-discontinued Volkswagen Golf R we mentioned earlier, with the caveat that all that power goes to two wheels instead of four.

In fact, this new Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport is half a second quicker than the aforementioned R in the 0-100 km/h sprint and two tenths quicker than the new Volkswagen Golf GTI, as it stops the clock at 6 seconds. Since its top speed is electronically limited, the 250 km/h maximum is identical, until the electronics are released…

Be that as it may, it also features other modifications, such as the seven-speed automatic DSG gearbox with shorter ratios than the original variant, the recalibration of the ABS and ESP systems, and other ‘goodies’ such as the braking package with two-piston calipers and 357 mm diameter discs, a new intercooler, a different turbocharger, an electromechanical limited-slip differential, a suspension with exclusive geometry on the front axle, and a dedicated spring and strut kit for the rear. All of this is electronically controlled, offering up to 15 different configurations, among which stands out a dedicated setup for heading to the mecca of lap sessions, the Nürburgring circuit.

As for the aesthetic side, which also contributes its share to the dynamic and aerodynamic behaviour, the Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport 2021 is fitted with the almost obligatory front bumper with a more pronounced grille and rear bumpers of its own design, 19-inch wheels shod with Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres, and a spoiler on the rear glass in the style of the one unashamedly displayed by the updated Hyundai i30 N. The rear view is completed by a lower diffuser flanked by two large exhaust tailpipes that give warning of this car’s nature.

In its interior, the development team has seen fit to keep the sublime original look of the Volkswagen Golf GTI, and for the Clubsport it retains practically the same layout.

A new Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport that will arrive, but we do not know when or for how much

Regarding sales, delivery and the price of the Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport 2021, none of this has been announced yet. It is estimated that the vehicle will open its order book before the end of this year and that the first units will be delivered in 2021.