An Eighth-Gen VW Golf GTI Has Been Caught On Camera And It's Barely Disguised

The version of the VW Golf 8 we’ve all been waiting for should soon be upon us. But if you’d rather know how it’ll look right now, we’ve good news - a prototype has been papped undergoing testing in the Arctic Circle.

What’s more, it’s barely disguised. Add some spanglier wheels and a red stripe across the grille (most likely hiding under some gaffer tape on this example), and you’ll have your go-faster Golf 8.

Like most of its predecessors, it doesn’t deviate all that much in terms of styling compared to its less sporty siblings. The exhaust arrangement is a dead giveaway, however, with two sizeable tailpipes protruding from the car’s rear bumper. Inside, we can see what look to be a set of sports seats with integrated headrests.

VW has already confirmed that the GTI will be powered by a 2.0-litre engine, most likely an evolution of the widely-used EA888 TSI. The output is an unknown at this stage, but with the GTE now producing 242bhp - the same as the old GTI Performance - we suspect the GTI will be comfortably more powerful than its predecessor to compensate.

For anyone wanting more, it’s worth pointing out that a TCR is definitely on the cards, with the derivative name-checked (along with the R) in the Golf 8 press release that went out a few weeks ago. It should be at least as powerful as the outgoing version - which makes 286bhp - although we suspect it’ll be good for a little more.

It was previously thought that the Golf GTI range would be given mild-hybrid powertrains, although Wolfsburg has reportedly abandoned these plans. Instead, the Golf 8 GTI will be the last pure ICE version of the car.

And yes, it should still have tartan on the options menu.