Our Long-Term VW GTI Has One Major Flaw
After one year of driving it, we hope Volkswagen fixes it so that future drivers don’t have to suffer as much.
Our 2023 Volkswagen Golf GTI yearlong review hatchback has been with us for a little over a year. During that time, we’ve taken it on cross-country road trips and numerous local getaways, and we’ve enjoyed its zippy performance and hot hatch charisma. But throughout this year, we’ve complained multiple times about one thing—its ride. Even with the adaptive dampers and installing smoother-riding tires, the GTI’s ride remains too stiff for everyday driving. That’s why the one thing we’d change immediately are its 19-inch wheels.
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And it’s not just me, its long-term chaperone, saying it. Multiple staffers have complained about its ride quality. SEO manager Tom Rosquin said the 19-inch wheels “totally kill the ride quality and add massive road noise,” while associate editor Billy Rehbock said it “exhibits a harsher ride over rough surfaces” than the standard model on 18-inch wheels.
Let us pause for a second and acknowledge the GTI’s ride has always been tuned to be sporty. It’s a hot hatch, and we certainly want it to feel like one—but there’s a difference between sporty and stiff, and our GTI is just on the wrong side of that. And a few of the changes Volkswagen made to the current generation Mk VIII GTI, including making the spring rate 5 percent stiffer in the front and 15 percent stiffer in the rear versus the MK VII GTI and adding fashionable 19-inch wheels that worsen the ride quality over rough surfaces, work to push it over the line.
We knew these wheels were part of the issue, though we also blamed the Hankook Ventus tires for the poor ride. When we swapped to the Bridgestone Potenzas, we felt an increase in ride quality, but they didn’t solve the entire problem. The short sidewall from the summer performance tires makes it tough when driving over broken pavement, bumps, or potholes, things common in Los Angeles’ roads. Our GTI is also equipped with adaptive dampers, which we have set to the most comfortable setting, but even then, the ride quality is flinty.
Looking at the GTI’s competition, the 2025 Honda Civic Si comes with 18-inch wheels (though technically it’s a sedan), while the 2024 Subaru WRX TR switched to 19-inch wheels. We’d take the Honda’s ride, especially after driving the updated Si; its ride quality is much nicer than the Volkswagen’s. And after spending time in the WRX TR, we noted its tire and suspension changes are well-tailored for the track, though on rougher roads we experienced some head-toss.
All in all, we wish Volkswagen reconsidered its decision to only offer 18-inch wheels on the S and SE trims. While customer demand and looks may be the primary driver behind these changes, we believe the 19-inch wheels’ ride penalty outweighs their aesthetic benefits, especially when it comes to daily driving. If we were to drive the GTI on the track only, we wouldn’t be complaining as much, but we long for a quieter and smoother commute.
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
- 3 Things We’re Looking Forward to About the 2025 Volkswagen Golf GTI
- Our Volkswagen Golf GTI is Delivering Sensational Fuel Economy
- We Drove the Last VW Golf GTI With a Manual Transmission. We Don’t Want It to Go Away.
- Nerd Out on Tires With Us and Our 2023 Volkswagen Golf GTI
Miguel Cortina is Mexico Editor at MotorTrend, covering the auto industry in the U.S. and south of the border. He joined MotorTrend in January 2015 and is an avid automotive enthusiast who enjoys playing golf, surfing, and running in his free time.
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