VW Golf Mk2 GTI: Is the '80s icon still a thrill? (video)

In our latest video Ciro De Siena takes one of the '80s ultimate hot hatches, the VW Golf Mk2 GTI for a spin!

It may have been the Mk1 Volkswagen Golf GTI that started the whole Hot Hatch segment, but it was the bigger, more sophisticated and luxurious Mk2 "Jumbo" Golf GTI that really set the iconic hatch on the path to the sophisticated offering it is today. In Europe the Golf Mk2's arrival also coincided with such developments as all-wheel drive and even supercharging, but in South Africa we followed our own path. After the 1.8 8v came the most desirable of the lot (the 1.8 16v) and then there was also a 2.0L variant near the end of the car's production run in South Africa. 

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As much as the Golf Mk2 GTI was bigger and more luxurious than its predecessor, it was still light compared with today's hot hatches, tipping the scales at less than 1000kg, and so its engine doesn't have to work very hard to deliver exciting performance. But most of all, as Ciro De Siena discovers in this video, it is the exciting, planted handling of the car that will still thrill driving enthusiasts today. Will the Mk2 Golf GTI be a future classic? We think it already is! And you? Enjoy the video!