Exactly a week after taking the crown as the fastest production Volkswagen model to lap the Nurburgring Nordschleife, the Volkswagen Golf GTI Edition 50 has now been unveiled in full hot hatch glory.
Unlike the Edition 50 we get here in Malaysia, the real anniversary model does actually get performance upgrades. Taking centre stage on the Edition 50 is the powertrain, which gives it the title of the most powerful production Volkswagen Golf GTI ever made.
Just how powerful, then? Volkswagen has taken the EA888 Evo4 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine from the GTI Clubsport, and given it even more oomph to now make 325 hp and 420 Nm of torque. For comparison, this is just 8 hp shy of its more powerful Golf R sibling.
Paired with a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission driving the front wheels as always, the Volkswagen Golf GTI Edition 50 now dashes to 100 km/h from a standstill in just 5.5 seconds.
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To cope with the extra power, Volkswagen has tweaked the chassis of the Golf GTI Edition 50, with a new suspension set up that makes it 15 mm lower than a standard Golf GTI.
If that is still isn’t sporty enough, Volkswagen is also offering a GTI Performance package as an option, which makes the Golf GTI Edition 50 even more aggressive with the addition of stiffer front and rear axles, plus its ride height further decreased by an additional 5 mm.
The GTI Performance package also includes retuned DCC sports chassis adaptive suspension, a “finely adjusted” electronic locking front differential, and reconfigured steering ratios, which should translate to a very agile hatch around the track.
Rounding off the performance-oriented touches from the GTI Performance package are the semi-slick Bridgestone Potenza race tyres, 19-inch forged Warmenau wheels (which are 3 kg lighter than the standard items), and a lightweight Akrapovic titanium exhaust system that shaves off an additional 11 kg.
In terms of exclusive anniversary equipment, the Volkswagen Golf GTI Edition 50 is equipped with unique trimmings. These include black finishes on the roof, mirror housings, and tailpipes. There’s also a side stripe, which can be optioned in black or Tornado Red, and a GTI 50 logo featured on both the roof spoiler and the insides of the exterior mirrors.
For the interior, expect to see a lot of red-coloured sporty bits, such as the seatbelts and pedals. The check-patterned sporty seats (yes, that’s what Volkswagen calls them) come with red stitching and an embossed “GTI” emblem finished in red as well. Other exclusive interior finishes for the Golf GTI Edition 50 include a multifunction leather sports steering wheel with the “GTI 50” logo.
Five exterior colours are available for the Volkswagen Golf GTI Edition 50. These are Pure White, Moonstone Grey, Grenadilla Black metallic, Dark Moss Green metallic, and Tornado Red, the latter two exclusive to the anniversary model.
Volkswagen did not reveal the pricing for the Golf GTI Edition 50, but states that production of the hot hatch will start by the end of 2025 at its Wolfsburg plant, ahead of customer deliveries at the start of the Golf GTI’s 50th anniversary year in early 2026.
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