Electrive writes that the revised Golf also comes with DC charging capabilities, which can juice up the 19.7kWh battery fairly quickly at 50kW speeds. The car can also be charged in AC mode at 11kW, higher than the previous 3.6kW. The previous hybrid version of the Golf 8 had a 13kWh battery, meaning that the new model has an approximately 50% larger cell.

The new PHEV also uses a different engine, the 1.5 TSI instead of the old 1.4 TSI and the eHybrid Golf comes in two performance trims, either the standard version, with 150kW of system output or the Golf GTE200. As expected, the GTE200 is the sportier model, with some elements, such as the seats, borrowed from the GTI.

The facelift Golf 8 offers sharper lines overall, a different aspect to the LED headlights, as well as a lit-up VW logo, a first for the model.

The infotainment system was also upgraded, with a revised menu and a larger touchscreen, with the bottom touch-sliders now being illuminated for better legibility. Volskwagen's IDA assistant has received the AI treatment, courtesy of ChatGPT, as presented in January at CES 2024.

VW brand CEO Thomas Schäfer said that "the Golf has been at the heart of the Volkswagen brand for half a century now, offering affordable mobility for all at the highest technical level. This is precisely what we are now building on with the new evolutionary stage – with even higher efficiency, comfort and quality and a new operating concept. The Golf does not get any better than this."

Volkswagen officials did not yet disclose when the revised Golf 8 will hit the market or the price of the new model.

Photo source: Volkswagen