U.S. 2025 Volkswagen Golf GTI misses out on 262-horsepower European engine

The 2025 GTI makes 242 hp instead of last year’s 241 hp, but the R gains 13 hp; both are available only with a DSG transmission

Volkswagen has revealed details of its popular 2025 Golf range in the United States, and there’s good news and bad news, depending on whether you’re looking at the GTI or the R.

The bad news for Golf GTI fans is that the world’s most famous GTI is coming to the United States, and the power upgrades that European buyers enjoyed in 2025 will be cancelled. There, the GTI’s power is boosted from 242 hp (245 PS) to 262 hp (265 PS), bringing it closer to the Clubsport, which produces 296 hp (300 PS).

RELATED: Volkswagen Golf R May Get Hottest Clubsport Model

But the 2025 GTI in the U.S. is rated at 242 horsepower this year, which is a little more powerful than last year’s car. There’s no mention of Clubsport, and to make matters worse, you can no longer buy the GTI with a six-speed manual gearbox. Seven-speed DSG is mandatory.

The R also loses the manual option, but at least you can take comfort in the fact that it promises more power than any production Golf. Last year’s R made 315 hp (319 PS), but the 2025 hatchback makes 328 hp (333 PS), the same as Europe’s 2025 R and last year’s 333 Special Edition (not available in the U.S.).

Both Mk8.5 Golfs benefit from a larger 12.9-inch touchscreen, which is a more useful size and solves one of the problems with the old Mk8, which was that the touch-sensitive temperature slider at the bottom of the display was previously invisible at night. They’re both illuminated now, although we’d still like to have physical control over them, as well as volume control between them. It seems that American Volkswagen has not chosen to adopt the ChatGPT voice assistant equipped in European cars.

Thankfully, the Mk8 GTI’s poor tactile steering wheel buttons have also been replaced with old-school physical buttons. But based on our experience with the new Golf R in Europe last week, it seems the R is stuck with those annoying switches.

Both the GTI and R now feature illuminated VW round lights in the middle of the standard light bar across the front, new headlights and bumpers and improved equipment levels. As in 2024, the GTI is available in S, SE and Autobahn trims, while the R is available in standard trim or a black version with dark details, black wheels, brakes and a bit of carbon fiber.

Or, if you’d rather make noise than travel in stealth, there’s the Euro package, which includes fabric seats, sunroof delete, 19-inch forged alloy wheels (20 percent lighter than stock) and Akrapovic titanium exhaust tips.

Pricing will be announced later this year, but based on figures for the 2024 DSG versions, we expect the GTI to start around $34-35,000 and the R around $49,000.

NOTE: These pictures are of European size golf balls