It’s been a while since I’ve had a GTI on the show. Instead, I’ve been testing the halo Golf R model over the past several years. But that’s a $40,000 car, minimum. Meanwhile, the Golf GTI slots in from the mid-20s to mid-30s with front-drive performance that’s long since been the gold standard. Now in its 3rd model year since the 2015 redesign, the entire Golf family receives its first major freshening for 2018. But that car isn’t quite here yet, so it’s this 2017 GTI you’ll find on your dealer’s lot.It’s available in 4 flavors; the entry-level S, new for 2017 Sport, the SE I have here and the top-of-the-line Autobahn which is the only way to get the adaptive chassis control.
