The all-new Volkswagen Golf GTI will be available exclusively as a five-door model in Australia following confirmation from the local division that it has axed the three-door body style.
Volkswagen Australia broke the news of the three-door's discontinuation on its Facebook page while teasing the new Mk7 Golf GTI, which lands in showrooms next month.
Volkswagen Australia communications general manager Karl Gehling told CarAdvice the decision to drop the three-door was a case of rationalising the range and an acknowledgement of the overwhelming popularity of the five-door variant.
The three-door offered GTI fans a lower entry point into the iconic hot-hatch, with its $38,990 before on-road costs starting price undercutting the five-door by $1500, though CarAdvice understands the three-door accounted for only about five per cent of total Australian Golf GTI sales.
The news follows CarAdvice's exclusive report from earlier this month that revealed the new five-door Golf GTI would cost $47,900 driveaway in six-speed manual form and $50,700 driveaway with the six-speed 'DSG' dual-clutch automatic.
The new pricing represents a hike of a few thousand dollars over the outgoing five-door, which costs $40,490 as a manual and $42,990 with the DSG (both before on-road costs).
Compensating for the price rise is a boost in the GTI's standard equipment, with the new model boasting adaptive dampers (previously a $1500 option), 18-inch alloy wheels (up from 17s), satellite navigation, rear-view camera, parking sensors, and fully integrated Bluetooth connectivity.
The Volkswagen Golf GTI will be available in two power outputs for the first time: the standard 162kW/350Nm version and the 169kW Performance Pack variant, which cuts one-tenth of a second off the base car's 0-100km/h sprint time, stopping the clock in 6.4sec.
Stay tuned for CarAdvice's review of the all-new Golf GTI following its launch in Tasmania on October 1.
