Volkswagen Golf GTI Original announced for under $40K

Volkswagen Australia has announced a new member of the Golf range, the VW Golf GTI Original.

The Original takes the title of cheapest Golf GTI available to buy new, with its standard manual version available for $37,490. A DSG can be optioned for an extra $2500, totalling $39,990.

VW Australia says a stripped-down three-door GTI is something customers have been asking about since the Mk.7 was revealed in 2013.

While the GTI Performance Edition 1 fulfilled the ‘three-door’ part of the brief, it’s top-spec trim level didn’t fill the void.

“By contrast, the GTI Original provides not only an accessible entry point to the range, it satisfies the purist who maintains that a "true" GTI should be near to unadulterated,” VW Australia says.

The Golf GTI Original is available in red or white, with the only optional extra available being a driver assistance pack for $1600.

In terms of features, the standard 169kW and 350Nm is drawn from the 2.0-litre four-pot, while the interior upholstery is the GTI’s iconic clark tartan.

Black 18-inch alloys feature a red pinstripe, while the ‘Original’ badge on the rear acts as an extra layer of identification.

VW Australia communications director Paul Pottinger says that this is the cheapest Golf GTI sold in Australia since a three-door version of the Mk.5 GTI around a decade ago.

“It’s something our customers have been clamouring for, and something we’ve been asked about a lot.

“We’re one of the biggest markets for the R, but we decided it might be nice to remind our customers of the car where it started.”

The Volkwagen Golf GTI Original is available in dealers as of this week.