2025 Volkswagen Golf GTI: 3 Things We’re Looking Forward to, and 2 We’ll Miss

Eight months in our 2023 Volkswagen Golf GTI yearlong test car have flown by, and since we took delivery, VW has revealed a midcycle refresh for the 2025 model year. We were a bit torn about our long-termer not feeling as fresh anymore, but we’re eager to see new upgrades coming to one of the most fun to drive and affordable cars in the market. Besides getting new headlights, taillights, and wheel designs, the 2025 Golf GTI is getting a host of technology updates, including bigger screens and a ChatGPT AI assistant. Here are the features we’re most looking forward to in the 2025 car, and what we’ll miss most about our pre-refresh example.

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iPad-Like Displays

The new Golf will be available globally with either a 10.4- or 12.9-inch touchscreen, and it’s a safe bet these screens will make their way into our 2025 Golf GTI and Golf R. The new displays come with an updated infotainment system with new graphics and menu structure, according to VW. We expect standard wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

One of our chief complaints about our Golf GTI is its puny 8.25-inch infotainment display, which is on the small end of screens found on the market. Regardless of the size, the GTI is also in deep need of a new infotainment system, so we’re happy to see the hatchback get it.

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New Volkswagen Digital Cockpit

Our long-term Golf GTI has a 10.25-inch configurable digital instrument cluster that has cool graphics to suit differing tastes, but the new Digital Cockpit takes a page from Audi, offering the ability to display the navigation map between the speedo and the tachometer. This is a small addition to what is already a great digital instrument cluster, but we’re happy to see even more ways to personalize your experience inside the car.

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ChatGPT

With AI taking a bigger role in today’s world, Volkswagen is one of a handful of automakers adopting ChatGPT in their infotainment systems. GTI drivers will be able to access ChatGPT via voice commands with the Cerence Chat Pro voice integration, which is similar to Google Built-In found in cars like our Polestar 2. The goal is to have a conversation with the voice assistant, asking questions and getting answers in a natural way.

This feature is also coming to the Tiguan, so we’re sure we’ll see it in more Volkswagen models down the line. Last year we had a quick chance to try this tech in a Mercedes-Benz, and although the feature was in Beta at the time, we didn’t really think we’d use it daily. We’ll have to sample VW’s system and see whether ChatGPT evolves to become more useful down the line.

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The Two Things We’ll Miss

One thing we’re sad about is the volume knob going away, as both new displays will come with touch slider controls for volume and temperature. Currently, lower-spec Golf GTIs with the small infotainment screen have volume and tuning knobs (like ours), but loaded versions come with the touch slider function. We expected the volume knob to go away at some point, and that time is regrettably now. Volkswagen has been replacing knobs with touch sliders for years now, starting with the ID4. It seems like the era of these rotary controls is coming to an end—until enough customers complain about it that VW brings knobs back.

The other thing we’re sad about is the manual transmission going away. While our car is equipped with the seven-speed dual clutch automatic, we don’t want fewer manuals on the road. A hot hatch like the GTI should offer a manual for enthusiasts, just like the Honda Civic Type R and the Toyota GR Corolla do. It will be tough to see a GTI with no manual being offered.

For More on Our Long-Term 2023 Volkswagen Golf GTI 40th Anniversary Edition:

• Forty, Flirty, and Thriving
• Technology Isn't Its Strongest Suit
• The Long Way Home
• Our Golf GTI is Practical and Fun