Since the mid-1970s, Volkswagen’s replacement for the iconic Beetle found its niche as an affordable little hatchback. Adding the Golf GTI with a stronger engine and a sporty interior for 1983 — called the Rabbit GTI in North America — began a series that existed through seven generations.
The eighth iteration of the front-wheel-drive GTI, along with the hardcore all-wheel-drive Golf R, have arrived here, but without the accompanying basic Golf models tagging along. It would seem that VW buyers in this bracket prefer the somewhat larger Jetta sedan or the new Taos utility vehicle.