SUMMIT POINT, West Virginia — At West Virginia’s premier Summit Point Motorsports complex, I wrung the 2025 Volkswagen Golf GTI’s neck through the Jefferson Circuit’s technical Turn 2-3-4-5 complex. The V-dub proved remarkably poised for an oversized shoebox.

At $33K, GTI is an appetizer to an industry performance menu that includes $100K filet mignon steaks like the Porsche 911. But Golf is plenty filling. Savor its recipe of limited-slip front wheel-drive, 273 pound-feet of torque, intuitive steering. Yum.

This talk of food reminds me of a recent dinner conversation with friends that turned to cars.

“Which car should I buy?” asked a successful 27-year-old New Yorker at the table who was about to venture beyond the comfort of Gotham’s public transit system into the vast American frontier of personal transportation.

He wanted something peppy — but with good fuel economy. With utility — but not a cookie-cutter SUV. Stylish — but under $50,000. Around the table we went with suggestions:

BMW 3-series

Ford Mustang GT

Tesla Model 3

When the conversation came to me, I offered my stock response: a hot hatch. Specifically, Golf GTI/Golf R. The OGs.

Like their Honda Civic Si/Type R peers, the twin hotties have it all: fun-to-drive, 30 mpg, cargo utility, cool design, all for $33,000-$50,000. Affordable hot hatches are the Cade Cunninghams of autodom. They can do it all.

“I’ve heard those are really good,” our New York colleague commented.

I offered one caveat: The eighth-generation-and-a-half Golf GTI and Golf R are the first of the V-dub hot hatches to ditch the stick.

“I don’t need a manual transmission anyway,” he replied with a shrug.

But the other enthusiasts at the table went ashen.

A hot hatch without a stick shift?! Especially the sainted Golf GTI? Would Townsend be the same without a guitar? Picasso without a paint brush? Thor without a hammer?

For enthusiasts, GTI’s (and Golf R, which joined the lineup in 2012) stick shift was the straw that stirred the drink. Just as the stick is at the heart of rival pocket rockets like Civic Si, Acura Integra Type S, Subaru WRX, even the Johnny-come-lately to the segment, GR Corolla.

American consumers in particular coveted the stick, which made up a healthy 35-40% of sales in a car market that has few manual transmissions. But Europe, VW’s home market, has largely moved on from the stick shift with just 3% take. Just 3% in the land of Nürburgring? Was gibt?

VW explains that it is simply following economics — it makes little sense to offer a stick for one market in a small-volume car. And I suspect the brand’s move to electrification is a contributor as well. But this is no average small-volume car. Like the Mazda Miata (also available in stick) it’s the soul of the VW brand.

Even Porsche has flirted with ending the manual, but continues with the GT3 and T models. If GTI/R see a big drop-off in sales as buyers flee to Civic and Corolla (even sibling sedan Jetta GLI still offers a stick) expect the manual to return. Perhaps as a premium upgrade (see Mazda 3).

In the meantime, whether you are a hot hatch neophyte or a grizzled veteran, we’ll have to live with the seven-speed, dual-clutch automatic transmission. The GTI and R are still a hoot.

Performance

Back at Summit’s Jefferson Circuit, I warmed to GTI’s stick substitute — shift paddles behind the steering wheel to shift the dual-clutch automatic's gears yourself.

Not as much fun to row — but quicker on the upshift so I could better maintain momentum. WHAP! I grabbed 4th gear on the back straight and — cresting 100 mph — the uphill, right-to-left Turn 13/14 complex came up in a hurry.

Stab the brakes. Downshift to third. The summer tires (standard on the Autobahn model) chirped as I stood the car on its nose. The magic of the GTI’s front, limited slip diff rotated the car and I shot out of the corner with all four tires squealing on to the front straight.

Want more capability? Opt for the 328-horse, all-wheel-drive Golf R — its hind legs augmented by a sophisticated twin clutch pack that can throw 100% of torque to the outside real wheel to rotate on a dime.

Utility

When the track day is done, GTI/Golf R will get you home in comfort. If I brought my three dinner pals along, they would have fit comfortably in the front and rear seats, the Golf’s square back design easy on the neck even for six-footers. Plenty of room in back for folding chairs and picnic food.

When the snow comes, just fold down the second-row sets and throw in four Blizzack winter tires to be mounted at, say, Belle Tire.

Design

The Golf bros are easy on the eyes. Like their Porsche and Audi stablemates, the hot hatch design is simple, timeless. I especially like the GTI’s five fog-light cluster — one on each front corner — a unique design trait. The higher-cost (by a whopping 15 grand) Golf R looks more blunt instrument with its gaping front air dams for better engine breathing — and cannon-sized quad pipes out back. For 2025, it even gets a new Black edition for added menace.

Open the door, however, and the Teutons offer similar, rich interiors with practical living space. New for its 2025 mid-cycle refresh, GTI gets a full red “eyebrow” across the fascia as well as a suite of standard features, including twin digital screens, 12.9 infotainment display, wireless phone apps, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot assist. Echoing the exterior, designers have opted for a simple, streamlined look devoid of volume/climate buttons, which will irk purists.

Again, GTI outdoes Golf R with intuitive, raised steering wheel buttons. Both vehicles sport voice commands so you can order changes like:

Hey, Volkswagen, change the temperature to 70 degrees.

The Germans even have a sense of humor.

“Hey, Volkswagen, tell me a joke,” I said.

“What has four legs and flies?” responded my tester. “Two birds.”

My favorite package? The base GTI S model dressed in Moonstone Grey with classic plaid seats and phone-dial wheels. It all makes for a compelling package that — like its hot hatch competitors — reaffirms GTI/Golf R as two of the best all-around players in the U.S. market.

Now, if we all just write lots of emails to VW urging they #SaveTheManual.

2025 Volkswagen Golf GTI and Golf R

Vehicle type: Front-engine, front-wheel-drive (GTI) and all-wheel-drive (Golf R), five-passenger hot hatches

Price: $33,670, including $1,225 destination fee (GTI, $42,295 Autobahn model as tested); $48,325, including $1,225 destination fee (Golf R, $53,731 Black Edition as tested)

Powerplant: 2.0-liter turbo-4 cylinder

Power:  241 horsepower, 273 pound-feet of torque (GTI); 328 horsepower, 310 pound-feet of torque (Golf R)

Transmission: seven-speed dual-clutch automatic

Performance: 0-60 mph, 5.5 seconds (GTI, Car and Driver); 4.0 seconds (Golf R, Car and Driver); top speed, 130 mph (GTI), 155 mph (Golf R)

Weight: 3,250 pounds (GTI, est.); 3,400 pounds (Golf R, est.)

Fuel economy: EPA, 25 mpg city/34 highway/28 combined (GTI); 25 mpg city/34 highway/28 combined (Golf R)

Report card

Highs: Superb chassis control; premium, utilitarian, digital interiors

Lows: Golf R gets pricey; no stick shift

Overall: 3 stars

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