2016 Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport Euro-Spec Review

In this particular GTI application, the European-spec Clubsport delivers 265 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque. Not good enough? Then stick the drive mode selector in Sport and floor the throttle in third to sixth gear. The effect is an instant power boost to 290 horses and 280 lb-ft, bringing the Clubsport to within striking distance of the Golf R. That’s the good news. The bad news is that it is subject to a 10-second time limit. When the turbocharger has recovered, you can repeat the process for another kick in the butt. Overboost is not a digital on-off action but a seamless process. Noticeable, yes; intrusive, no. The main real-life benefit is a small but useful dose of additional overtaking urge.

In contrast to the composed, competent, and grown-up Golf R, the Clubsport is a bag full of hornets, a pool full of sharks, a terrarium full of black widows. With ESP active, the fun is reduced to oodles of straightline grunt. With stability control switched off, however, this car dons its boxing gloves before the sparring partner can say hold on a sec, standard e-diff notwithstanding. Take off on dry tarmac is a spectacle in several acts. Wheelspin in first depends entirely on one´s tire budget and the relationship with the next-door neighbors.

The Clubsport’s modular cornering attitude responds emphatically to every stab on the throttle, every tug at the wheel, in second, third, and when it rains even in fourth gear. No, this Uber-Golf is neither a 205GTi reborn, nor a meaner Megane RS or a wilder Focus ST. This car is not about overt hooliganism, but it will nonetheless capture sporty drivers, because it operates with accuracy and consideration. Kind of a less is more approach, even though on a track the Mr. Niceguy mask would come off quite quickly.

Although it avoids crass taste violations, the boy-racer design of the Clubsport is an acquired taste. On the plus side, the front air dam, bespoke rocker panels, nasal air curtains, black rear diffuser, and the substantial roof spoiler with lateral flaps that ensure double-figure downforce on both ends and at any speed. Although no other Golf can lay that claim, its usefulness doesn’t really come into play until 100 mph. But when high speed, ambitious g-force and strong vertical irritations join force, one is suddenly quite grateful for all that conspicuous wing work. Contributing feel-good factors are the 10 percent faster steering, a 10 percent higher lateral acceleration, a lower ride height by .6 inches, stiffer rear springs for reduced rebound and available 225/35 and 235/35R-19 Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 semi-slicks. Deceleration is by steel discs all-round, which blend five-star stopping power with finely dosed feedback.

Which GTI to choose? While the Performance Pack makes more sense than base model, the stealth Golf R is in its own performance class. The Clubsport is an oddball alternative for those who prefer two-wheel drive and a livery styled in high-school. Its strong points are its superior aerodynamic balance, the confidence-building high-speed stability, linear steering, and its chaste roll/yaw/pitch behavior. Unlike previous go-faster Golfs such as the G60 or the Limited, the Clubsport can be ordered while stock lasts. Which is another way of saying that the production will end next summer, when the face-lifted Golf gets into gear for an even more complete encore. Let´s hope that by then the VW group will have summoned the purifying power essential for a new beginning. Unlike the black sheep within R&D who were responsible for the software crime, Wolfsburg and the VW workforce deserve a second chance, if only to get the exciting next Golf GTI family under way.