VW Golf GTI priced from £25,845 in UK

The new Mk7 VW Golf GTI is now on sale in the UK priced from £25,845. That’s only a £195 rise over the old Mk6 Golf GTI, despite the extra power, performance, and a 2.2mpg improvement in economy.

Hang on – nearly £26k for a VW Golf GTI is a bit steep, isn’t it? 

Actually, it’s better value than the old Mk6 Golf GTI. For a start, the new Mk7 Golf GTI’s 29E insurance group rating is five groups lower than the old model’s, so you should save on premium renewals as well as road tax and fuel fill-ups. And with that extra cash to spend, you’ve no excuse not to invest in a little extra poke… The new GTI’s Performance Pack, which ups engine power by a further 10bhp to 227bhp, and adds bigger brakes and a front limited-slip differential, is just £980.

Standard Golf GTI equipment includes bi-xenon lights, parking sensors, tartan seats, and a 5in touchscreen infotainment system with DAB digital radio, Bluetooth and iPod connectivity. Tasty options include 19-inch ‘Santiago’ alloy wheels, leather upholstery, keyless entry, a rear view camera, an auto-parking system, VW’s Adaptive Chassis Control, 8in touchscreen satellite navigation and a sound pack with eight speakers.

Five-door Golf GTIs command a £55 premium over the three-door bodystyle. You’ll pay £1415 extra to equip your GTI with the six-speed DSG dual-clutch auto gearbox.

You can spec your ideal Mk7 Golf GTi on VW’s website by clicking here. Strangely, the £980 Performance pack is hidden away in ‘Driver assistance’ options. The perfect GTI is (we reckon) a white five-door manual model, with the Performance pack, smaller 18in rims, and tartan seats. Can you do better? Tell us your perfect GTI spec in the comments below.

CAR magazine’s April 2013 issue has the world’s first drive of the new Mk7 VW Golf GTI. For a digital preview of the April 2013 edition of CAR, click here.

VW’s Mk7 Golf GTI: the range breakdown