VW Claims the GTI EV Will Be ‘More Exciting,’ But Can It Actually Be?

Volkswagen believes that it can make the upcoming electric version of the GTI more fun to drive than any ICE-powered model that’s come before. VW CEO Thomas Schäfer told Motor1 that the GTI EV, which will reportedly share similarities with the ID. GTI Concept, will boast a better chassis and suspension than any GTI in history, making it “even more exciting to experience and drive.” Naturally, we want to know if you buy that. Do you think a GTI EV can actually be more thrilling than its combustion-powered predecessors?

A bit of skepticism is healthy when it comes to automakers’ claims, but EVs are at a relatively early point in their lives—and that goes double for performance EVs, like the supposedly forthcoming fully electric GTI. People have always been quick to dismiss new technologies that deviate from familiar formulas, going back to arguments of front- versus rear-wheel drive, or manual versus dual-clutch transmissions. But progress doesn’t have to be boring, and VW is betting that it won’t be for its first EV hot hatch.

The GTI has hardly ever been about brute force, taking a more deft approach to performance thanks to the excellent handling and chassis feel of models like the Mk7 GTI. As my colleague Nico notes, the standout engine of the GTI’s lineage is arguably the VR6, and a lack of that engine across many generations didn’t put a damper on their perceived performance.

Volkswagen says that it’s aiming to make an EV with outstanding feel and handling, going back to classics like the Mk1 and Mk5 GTIs, per Autocar. VW’s R&D boss, Kai Grünitz, says that the goal is “an agile steering feel and a very smooth way of driving it through […] curves.” He goes on to say, “We want to make it agile, really direct and so you can feel the road with the damper settings. It’ll be fast but smooth…”

VW could already be off to a good start by making the ID. GTI smaller than recent versions of the GTI, and by paying attention to the EV’s weight, too, which ought to be optimized to take into account the electric drivetrain. Do you think an EV GTI could truly be more exciting to drive?

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