 This is hope you guys welcome back to another one. If you're new to the channel, I am Gold Pony, I do new car truck SUV reviews on YouTube. And today we are in the new 2021 Volkswagen Golf GTI, courtesy of Hanover Volkswagen in Hanover PA. For more information on their inventory, please feel free to check out the link in the description box below. And so wanted to hop in this one today because the 2021 model year actually marks the final year before the redesign model comes for the 2022 model year. So therefore there may be some deals to be had quite possibly for the 2021. That's always something everybody always likes to look for, of course. Also Volkswagen does have a good warranty being four years, 50,000 miles on the bumper to bumper, which beats the standard three year 36,000. So that's always good. Not only that, you'll also get two years of free maintenance. You're gonna save a little bit of money there as well. And so in this video, I will be going over everything about this one, testing out acceleration, braking, steering feel, ride quality, sound system, exhaust clip, all of that. So what do you guys say? Let's just go ahead and jump right into it. And as always, let's start with pricing. And so there will be a few different trim levels for the 2021 Volkswagen Golf GTI. First one being the S starting at $28,695. SE for $32,665. And lastly, the Autobahn, which actually is the one we have today starting at $36,945. And so regardless of trim level that you go with, the power plant on this one is going to be the same. Powering this little beast is going to be a two liter turbocharged inline four cylinder engine, putting out 228 horsepower at 5,000 RPM, 258 pound feet of torque, they'll build around 1500 RPM. Power sent to the front wheels through two excellent transmission options. I could already tell you from having test driven both of them in the past, six speed manual or seven speed DSG with paddle shifters, which actually is the one we have today. And I'm going to test out these paddle shifters once again just to make sure they still react quickly for us here. But all in all, zero to 60 time comes in at approximately six seconds flat with MPG numbers coming in at 25 in the city, 33 on the highway. And this one actually can take regular or premium unleaded fuel. Obviously premium is going to give you the better horsepower and torque numbers. If you put regular unleaded fuel in this thing, you are going to see a slight decrease in those numbers. It's open now before we do any kind of paddle shifter test or acceleration test in this one. Did want to mention there are of course some drive modes. So the drive mode button is located just to the left of the shifter that will include eco comfort, normal sport and custom, adjusting things like the throttle response and the shift points and the steering sensitivity actually as well. So having now said all of that since we're coming up to a stop sign, let me go ahead and put it in sport driving mode here. And let's find a straightaway and let's test out the paddle shifters here first. Just want to make sure they still react as quickly as they used to when I test driven this thing in the past. So before I do this, I did want to mention if you put the shifter all the way to the back to the right, that is going to be your full manual shift mode. It's actually going to tell you what gear you're in up on the digital portion of the gauges as well. And so now I think we found our straightaway here. Let's go ahead and put these paddle shifters to the test and see how quickly they react for us here. Instant, instantaneous, Volkswagen, Audi, Porsche, they always get it right when it comes to paddle shifters. I swear I've test driven all of those and these are no different. I feel like these paddle shifters are just as quick as maybe an Audi S4 and Audi S3. So absolutely insane paddle shifter reaction times. I absolutely love it. When you got paddle shifters, you might as well have them work well and they definitely work very well here. In the Golf GTI, so I am not surprised and I absolutely love it. But let's now go ahead and give back full control to the Golf. I'm just going to slide the shifter to the left here and once again, let's find a straightaway and let's see how quickly this thing can get us up to speed. All right, we had nobody else around us. Three, two, one. No torque steer. Oh, there it is. Oh my gosh. Yeah, baby. This thing is fun. 0-60 in six seconds feels wonderful in the Golf GTI. I will say that. And again, there was no torque steer. A lot of times when you put a decent amount of power just to the front wheels without it being all-wheel drive, you kind of slide off the road when you really hit it and there's slippage and it sucks. But with this thing, there was no slippage and there was no torque steer. That was a wonderful acceleration, very well done Volkswagen with the Golf GTI, paired up with the DSG that we have here today. So I'm still loving it. But anyways, to go along with that acceleration as always, braking is equally important. And so in front, you will find 13.4 inch ventilated front discs in the back, 12.2 inch ventilated rear discs. As far as that 60 to zero stopping distance goes, comes in at 124 feet, which quite honestly isn't quite as good as the competition. For example, the Veloster N comes in at 111. Civic Type R, not that you're really comparing this to the Type R, you're comparing the Golf R. But anyway, Civic Type R comes in at 99 feet even, which is absolutely insane, quite honestly. But still, having said that, the braking feel is perfectly fine. There's no brake pedal delay or anything like that. But still, it's not quite as good as some of the competition. That's all I'm saying. But anyways, the touching on suspension and handling upfront, you're gonna get to make fierce and strut front suspension in the back, independent multi-link rear suspension, front and rear stabilizer bars. And if you were to go with the Autobahn that we have today, you're also going to get an adaptive damping suspension, which quite honestly isn't doing a whole lot. I gotta be honest. In this car, I will say when it comes to ride quality, it's pretty much as expected, which essentially means you're gonna feel a good bit of the road in this thing because of the type of setup it has, because of the larger wheels and the small vehicle, you definitely feel a good bit of the road. And we have some punishing roads here. I will say that in Pennsylvania. So that is maybe the one trade-off. But if you don't mind it, like, I don't really mind it. I had 20-inch wheels on my Mustang that was lowered and I was perfectly fine with that. If you're that type of person, you're not gonna mind it. So I just wanna say that. As far as steering feel goes, it is great. Definitely has a heavier weight when you put it in that support driving mill, which I've left it in, because I do like that heavier weight to the steering. So we'll say that. So steering feel is definitely perfectly fine in the Golf GTI. So no issues there. As far as cabin noise goes, again, it's pretty much as expected. Meaning you can hear a decent amount of road noise coming into the cabin. So it's not luxury vehicle. It's not like we're driving to RTN or anything like that. So it's as expected. You can hear a decent amount. Not too bad on the wind noise, though. We'll say that. I've heard worse there, but anyways. Touch of visibility, that is absolutely excellent. I can see perfectly fine out the back and that's pretty much as expected. We do have a smaller car here. Also wanted to mention though, rain sensing windshield wipers do come standard on every single trim level across the board. Still to this day, not every manufacturer is doing that. So I absolutely love that. It comes standard on the Golf GTI. So another big plus there and that is about it for the performance section of this review, you guys. Let's now go ahead and go back to the dealership and let's check out the exterior of our brand new 2021 Volkswagen Golf GTI. All right, you guys. Here she is, the new 2021 Volkswagen Golf GTI in this beautiful snowy day here with an iced over lake in Pennsylvania. And so let's go ahead and start up front of the GTI here. First thing that pops out to me as it does every year is the GTI emblem with the red line just underneath of it, found on that upper portion of the front grill. As far as the lighting goes, halogen headlights actually come standard on the S trim level. Did you come with the automatic feature, meaning when it starts to get dark at night, those headlights will turn on automatically for you there. Fog lights also coming standard with LED daytime running lights then as well. Then if you were to go with the SE or Autobahn trim that we have today, you will find LED headlights actually with active bending as well. That's kind of impressive. That means when you're going around the bend at night those headlights are going to swivel dependent upon the angle of your steering better help illuminating what is around the bend. So you're less likely to hit a deer or a possum or really anything else. So that's a big win right there. Fog lights with low speed corner illuminating feature also coming with those two trim levels as well being the SE and Autobahn. That's pretty cool. And you will find front air curtains down at the bottom portions of that front bumper there as well, helping direct air around the wheel and tire combination. So that's always nice for aerodynamics as well. But now let's go ahead and make our way to the side of this one. So now since we are around to the side black windows surrounds do come standard when it comes to the side mirrors they are power adjustable gloss black side mirrors that you actually do come heated that comes standard for all trims as well with LED integrated turd signals as well. You guys could probably see on this front fenders there there is some GTI badging to go along with the GTI badging in the front. That's pretty cool. Taking a look down at the wheel setup 18 inch alloys coming with the S 18 inch double five spoke alloys little different design there with the SE. And then if you were to go with the Autobahn you do have 18 inch multi spoke alloys with summer tires by the way is the standard configuration at least. So wanted to mention that but that about rounds out the side. Let's now go ahead and make our way to the back of this one. So now since we are around back starting up top you guys can see that shark fin antenna body colored of course just below that rear spoiler with an integrated brake light just below that rear window wiper as well. LED tail lights actually come standard across the board for every single trim level. That's a big win right there. Also you got some GTI badging once again found on the hatch itself as expected there I suppose. And just below it all dual exhaust outlets with chrome tips. And they are pretty large dual exhaust outlets at that. So that's pretty cool. But either way you guys know what we have to do next as always here is that exhaust clip. So now since we are around back of the Golf GTI and when it comes to opening that rear hatch there are a few different ways to go ahead and do that. There is a button on the key fob itself that is one way but the best way to open up that rear hatch though is the Volkswagen logo itself. A lot of people don't even know about that. You're not a Volkswagen person you probably don't but if you press in on the upper portion of that Volkswagen logo and lift up then underneath that is the coolest way to go ahead and open the rear hatch. But nonetheless once opened up cargo capacity comes in at 17.4 cubic feet which is a decent amount for a hatchback. If that wasn't enough space out there is a 6040 split meaning the rear seats do fold down for quite a bit of extra space then if you needed it. Then make our way to the rear legroom that comes in at 35.6 inches. So for reference I am an even six feet tall. This is how much space I had sitting behind my own driving position. So for anybody who wants a little reference there. So not as much as a Passat of course but certainly not bad for what this car is. Front seat mat pockets also coming standard back there. Rear center armrest with cup holders as well and you can actually find rear ventilation back there which is pretty cool as well. And make our way to the front seats. Six way power adjustable front seats coming with the S and SE heated front seats actually coming standard on every single trim level that is pretty cool. And those heated seat buns located just above the climate control options there in case anybody was curious where they are at. Clark plaid cloth seating coming with the S that is probably the best seating setup quite honestly in my personal opinion they look so cool. Autobahn actually adds to that 12 way power adjustable driver seat which I gotta say is extremely comfy. You do have lumbar adjustments along with that as well. So really it's impossible not to find your perfect driving position in this. Not to mention the bolstering on these seats are ridiculous. I absolutely love it. It holds you in place so freakishly well when you're going around the turns a little bit faster. So I love that. Not only that the steering wheel between the steering wheel and the seats the steering wheel telescopes out so far more so than just about every other car that I've tested. So really you will find your perfect driving position. I can pretty much guarantee you that. But speaking of steering wheel again is tilt and telescoping and it is leather wrapped for every single trim level on that across the board with some GTI badging found on the bottom portion of the flat bottom steering wheel there. But now let's go ahead and make our way to the startup. Let me start by showing you guys the key. You do have your Volkswagen logo on the one side. It is technically a switchblade key although you're not going to need that because it is keyless entry with a push button start. If you go with the SE or Autobahn the S trim level you will need it because it is a regular traditional startup there. But anyways, wanted to mention that so I'm just going to put my foot on the brake and press that engine start button located just to the left of this shifter then. And so once started up when it comes to the gauges tachometer is all the way to your left speedometer to your right. There is a small digital display front and center to control what is on that digital display. There are steering wheel mounted controls on the right side of the steering wheel. Giving you things like how many miles you'll have left until you hit empty. There's your outside temperature trip A trip B of course Bluetooth information when you need your next oil change is actually a lap timer up there. Of course since we're in a golf GTI that's pretty cool and you can check out your driving statistics or some navigation information. The list goes on so really quite a bit you can check out up there if you wanted to. But now let's go ahead and make our way to overall interior quality. First thing I want to mention there is a panoramic sunroof that comes with the SE and Autobahn not the S. So wanted to mention that to you guys. Also I'm looking at a frameless rear view mirror which has a compass in the upper right hand corner and home link controls for up to three different garage doors. You don't have to flappy garage door opener on the sun visor here. So that's always good because that gets annoying when it rattles going down the highway. So that is pretty cool. Illuminated door sales come standard on all trim levels, interior ambient lighting. All trims get that as well. Dual zone climate control coming only with the Autobahn meaning both driver and passenger can set their own temperatures there. You do have some rubberized storage directly in front of the shifter along with a phone charging port there. Just behind the shifter you have a 12 volt power outlet, dual cup holders and of course a very little bit of cargo space within that center armrest. It is a tiny little bit, but it's there. Nonetheless, that's pretty cool. I do like the kind of carbon fiber-ish look. It's not authentic carbon fiber but just above the passenger side glove box it ties onto the doors as well. That looks pretty good. But perhaps what I like the most, oh yeah, overhead sunglasses so I don't want to forget to mention that, but. Perhaps what I like the most but first caught my attention when I jumped in this one is the massive touchscreen display front and center and so this is going to differ dependent upon the trim level that you go with. If you go with that S you're going to get a 6.5 inch color touchscreen display. However, if you go with the SE or Autobahn you're going to get this one which is an eight inch color touchscreen display. Either way you get Bluetooth and audio streaming. Either way you still get Android Auto and Apple CarPlay which is a big one. That means you can hook your smartphone up to the Golf GTI and therefore you get free navigation displayed. Up on that tech screen that is a pretty cool feature. Factory navigation system coming with the SE and Autobahn although you don't need it as long as you have a smartphone anyways. You can check out your fuel information up there as well. There's a pretty cool looking clock up there if you wanted to leave that up there. Weather information and of course your radio settings as well. And so when it comes to the sound systems again of course they're going to differ dependent upon the trim level that you go with. Six speakers coming with the S and SE trims. However, Autobahn trim is going to give you a Fender premium sound system. So having said that I think you guys know what we have to do next. Let's go ahead and turn on the radio so you can see what we've got playing today and let's test out the clarity of this one. I'm a little bit of tar and wells for you guys. Comment below if you like Christian Rock. But anyways that is a wonderful song. Ton of bass with that sound system. Definitely plenty of clarity. And I do own a Fender guitar and I absolutely love it. And this Fender sound system is just as good. So well done Volkswagen for putting that sound system in there. But last thing I wanted to mention to you guys on that tech display at least is when you do put the Golf GTI in reverse you will find a rear view camera coming standard across the board for every single trim level. Letting you know who or what is behind you which is always is going to lead us into safety. And so first thing I wanted to mention IIHS top safety pick if you were to go with the SE or Autobahn that's because of the LED headlights. But front side side current aerobags do come standard. In the back you're going to have latch aka lower anchors and Heather's children for the rear car seats. Rear child door locks back there as well. Tire pressure monitoring system. And that's all pretty boring stuff at this point. But some of the more fun advanced safety features include blind spot monitoring system with rear cross traffic alert that comes standard. Forward collision warning system with automatic emergency braking also standard. Pedestrian monitoring system also standard as well. And then if you were to go up to the Autobahn trim level that we have today you were going to get in addition to that an adaptive cruise control system, lane keep assist and active blind spot monitoring system and parking sensors then as well. And so when it comes to my final thoughts I think what makes this one truly a nice pick is the driving dynamics. Not because it's the very quickest thing in the world although zero to 60 in six seconds flat is quite good. But it's everything else that comes with it. It's the transmission option. So both the six speed manual and the seven speed dual clutch are excellent. The paddle shifters are insanely quick when it's paired up with the seven speed dual clutch. Not only that the six speed manual is a blaster drive as well. Not to mention you get the golf ball shifter since we're in the golf then if you were to go with that six speed. So I've driven that and that's amazing as well. Clark plaid seats are awesome although we don't have them today but I will say that's an awesome setup for this thing. Two years free maintenance also a huge plus as well. As far as room for improvement goes I would have liked to have seen a full digital gauge cluster at least on the Autobahn trim level of this one just because Volkswagen is doing it on so many of the other vehicles right now and the Autobahn is kind of closing in on 40 grand so you would think if the RTN can do it if the Tiguan can do it they could probably put it in at least on the Autobahn trim level there but somewhat harsh ride as well and I mentioned that to you guys so that's kind of the trade off for this type of vehicle in general so it didn't surprise me there but braking could also be a little bit better at least compared to the competition not that the braking's bad it's just not as sporty as some of the competition that's all I'm saying but overall an extremely fun car to drive honestly had a blast driving it it's been awhile since I've been in one of these and it just reminded me how much fun these cars truly are so anyways let me know what you guys think of the Golf GTI in the comments section below and if you're gonna wait for the 2022 or if you're possibly gonna try to get a deal on the 2021 but feel free to follow me on TikTok at the bottom of the screen there if you like, if you wanna see what's coming next on the channel before it hits YouTube be sure to hit the subscribe and the bell notification button if you're in the new car reviews that is what we do here on this channel after all, do appreciate you guys watching more than you know when I will see you guys all in the next video. 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