Starts at $31,965
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What's New for 2024?
The GTI is fundamentally unchanged this year, but note that there's a special GTI 380 designation that officially bids farewell to the three-pedal manual transmission. In addition to the stick shift, every GTI 380 comes with special gray paint, 19-inch wheels and adaptive suspension dampers, and the 380 bundle can be paired with any of the GTI’s regular trim levels.
FAST FACTS
"The GTI has become such an accomplished performance car that it could be a player in Super Sport Compact Cars, too, except that the Golf R lives over there. But it definitely reigns supreme in this category, even if we could do without this generation's fiddly touch-based climate and infotainment controls (improvements are reportedly on the way for the 2025 model year). No other sport compact can match the GTI's combination of joyous acceleration, nimble handling, thrifty fuel economy and luxury-grade refinement, while the almost SUV-grade versatility afforded by its hatchback body style comes as a welcome bonus. In a more sensible world, this VW would be one of the best-selling cars on the market."—Ranked #1 out of 7 Sport Compact Cars
MotorDonkey's proprietary vehicle data identifies every significant version of each model so that you can compare and decide. Ordered by price from low to high, here are the versions of the 2024 Volkswagen Golf GTI that you need to be aware of, along with our expert analysis and recommendations.
The 2024 GTI is undoubtedly quicker when equipped with VW's standard-setting DSG automated manual gearbox. You can't go wrong with either transmission; just know that only the DSG will be available beyond 2024. Acceleration gap aside, the two variants are virtually the same, whether you're talking fuel economy (identical mpg combined) or curb weight (DSG only adds about 50 pounds).
Get one while you can. The shift-it-yourself GTI says sayonara — well, auf wiedersehen — after 2024. Note that you're looking for the number "380" in the model designation, as all 2024 GTIs with the manual have that number in front of the trim level. Here are your options, in full: 2024 GTI 380 S, 2024 GTI 380 SE, 2024 GTI 380 Autobahn. That means you can have the stick on every GTI trim level, so pick the one you want and look for the 380 in front of it.
Publisher and Donkey-in-Chief
Josh has been reviewing cars professionally since joining Edmunds.com fresh out of grad school in 2008, personally driving most new cars on the market every year since. He also served as the project manager for Edmunds' expert vehicle rankings from their inception in 2018, building the product out from the back end to the front end. Josh is a card-carrying member of the Motor Press Guild and a lifelong car nut who has tested, compared and critiqued a ridiculous number of cars in his career.
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