16:12 13-01-2026
Volkswagen Golf GTI Edition 50 goes on sale in the UK
Discover the UK Golf GTI Edition 50: 320 hp, DSG, 0–100 km/h in 5.3 s. From £47,995 with optional Performance Pack, Akrapovic exhaust and Nürburgring mode.
Volkswagen has opened sales of the anniversary Golf GTI Edition 50 in the UK and is positioning it as the most powerful and most expensive GTI in the model’s history.
How the Edition 50 differs from a regular GTI
Under the bonnet sits the familiar 2.0-litre TSI petrol engine, turned up for the occasion. It produces 320 hp—24 hp more than the standard GTI—and 420 Nm of torque. The transmission is non-negotiable: a seven-speed automated gearbox, with drive sent exclusively to the front wheels.
Hardware, performance and price
It sprints from 0 to 100 km/h in 5.3 seconds and reaches a top speed of 270 km/h. The car sits 15 mm lower than a regular GTI and weighs about 1,930 kg, much like the Clubsport. In the UK it starts at £47,995, making the Edition 50 pricier than the GTI Clubsport and only a few hundred pounds shy of the Golf R. For a front-drive hot hatch, those are serious numbers.
Track focus and equipment
The optional Performance Pack adds an even stiffer suspension setup, an Akrapovic titanium exhaust and 19-inch wheels with semi-slick tyres. There is also a dedicated Nürburgring mode—fitting, given that a pre-series car lapped the Nordschleife in 7:46.13. Visually, it stands out with exclusive paint options, GTI 50 badging and bespoke interior trim.
The Golf GTI Edition 50 comes across as a logical, if costly, evolution of the GTI formula. It is quicker and more sophisticated than before, yet its price nudges dangerously close to the all-wheel-drive Golf R, turning the choice between raw front-drive engagement and rational all-weather pace into a genuine dilemma.