2023 VW GTI and Golf R get minor updates, anniversary editions

The 2023 Volkswagen GTI and Golf R each get a few updates after the complete redesign for 2022.

Our biggest complaint about the Mk 8 Golf family so far has been difficulty using the infotainment/air conditioning system interface, but there’s no word yet on fixes for that part. of the car. Instead, the GTI adds new “performance LED headlights” and LED fog lights with active cornering technology. VW is also promising minor cosmetic changes, but withholding both details and photos of those changes – note that all images here are of the 2022 model year GTI and Golf R. We’re told to expect more from a later date.

More notable GTI news for the upcoming 2023 model year at a later date involves the reveal of a 40th Anniversary Edition model. There are no official photos or details of this Anniversary Edition besides the tidbit that it will sit between the base S and SE in the trim structure. Europe got a special edition GTI Clubsport 45 to mark 45 years of the GTI across the pond, but it’s still unclear what our 40th Anniversary Edition model will look like (marking 40 years of the GTI in America).

Just like last year, Autobahn will continue to be the best version of the GTI lineup. The S’s new base price is $31,275. If you want the automatic, it will be $32,075.

As for the 2023 Golf R, that’s largely a carryover from last year. Just like the GTI, however, VW says the R will get minor cosmetic changes. The only notable addition to the lineup is a 20th Anniversary Edition to mark 20 years of R in the United States. No details or photos for this model are available at this time, but we have requested more information regarding the GTI and Golf R anniversary editions.

The base price of the 2023 Golf R is now $45,385. Spec the automatic, and it goes up to $46,185.

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