Should You Buy The Mk8 VW Golf GTI For RM211k Or What?
We share the possible hot hatch rivals to the latest VW Golf GTI in Malaysia.
Volkswagen in Malaysia has just released for sale the Mk8 Golf GTI. An iconic nameplate and also a popular hot hatch around the globe, the GTI has had a strong following in Malaysia since the arrival of the Mk5 GTI some 18 plus years ago.
So, with an asking price of RM211,689.54 the question some Malaysians might have is, which other car competes with this Mk8 Golf? Well, there are only a small number of 4-door hot hatchback options on sale in Malaysia and we would like to share this information with you.
This latest Golf GTI It is powered by a 2.0 TSI turbocharged engine working with 7-speed wet clutch DSG to produce 245PS and 370Nm of torque (Power output has been increased to 230PS and 350Nm of torque from the previous GTI).
Quite surprising is its new selling price of RM211k as the previous Mk7.5 Golf GTI was priced at RM239,990 when it was launched in March 2018 (the price has reduced by RM18k plus).
This GTI continues to use the same engine as with the previous version and so the 0-100km/h acceleration time is still 6.2 seconds.
In this segment, the best selling hot hatchback at the moment is the Mercedes-Benz A-Class 250 AMG Line which delivers 224hp and 350Nm of torque from its turbocharged engine.
This 2-litre will run from 0-100km/h in just 6 seconds (GTI is 6.2 seconds). This is proper hot hatch territory and Mercedes-Benz has nailed the driving performance here perfectly. Selling price is higher than the GTI at RM263,888 (GTI is RM211,689).
Now, until the Peugeot 308 GTI is re-introduced in the Malaysian market under the new brand guardian, Bermaz Auto Alliance, there are no other direct rivals on sale in Malaysia.
This 1.6L 4-cylinder hot hatch was priced at just RM199,888 by the previous brand guardian. It delivered a segment best 270bhp and 330Nm of torque. It accelerated from 0-100kmh in just 6 seconds (like the Benz) and it had a manual 6-speed gearbox.
Some of reading this might wonder why we have not included the recently launched Hyundai i30 N at RM298,000, the Renault MEGANE R.S. 280 Cup which is at RM279,888 for the 6-speed manual version and of course the Honda Civic Type R which arrived in July 2017 at a price of RM320,000 to compete with this new Volkswagen hot hatch?
Well, the three hot hatchbacks mentioned above are closer rivals to the Golf GTI’s bigger brother, the Golf R. Then some might ask why is the BMW M135 x Drive not included. Well, BMW Malaysia only has one version of the 1 Series for Malaysia and it is a high specification model and priced at RM355,646 which puts it completely out of the equation for the Golf GTI and also the Golf R.
So, now you have more information to make the decision between the Mercedes A250 AMG Line and this 2021 model VW Golf GTI Mk8 for your hot hatch needs.
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