For many enthusiasts, the hot hatch is a near perfect solution, blending daily practicality, manageable proportions and relative accessibility; and, of course, they’re just downright fun to drive.

And when we say ‘hot hatch,’ you might just think of this: the Volkswagen Golf GTI. Or maybe this: The Volkswagen Golf R. Both of these caliente compacts have been refreshed for 2025, so we teed off in Reston, Virginia, to gather some first impressions of this duo, including some hot laps at Summit Point Motorsports Park in West Virginia.

“Alright, on track in the Golf GTI. And I guess this is a pretty good time to talk to you about the powertrain. Now, under the hood is a familiar sight. It’s the EA888 engine. It’s the Evo4, so the fourth generation of it. It’s a 2.0-liter inline-four turbo, and it still produces 241 horsepower, 273 lb-ft of torque in the GTI.

Course, it all goes to the front wheels. But you may notice I’m not shifting– well, kind of. I have paddle shifters, and that’s because mated up to it is a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic, the DSG. Now that’s fine; this transmission does know how to shift. This, in the sport mode at least… it’s great.

But that’s the one problem with the Golf. That six-speed manual is no more. You can’t get that anymore in the GTI or the Golf R for that matter, which is a little bit of a bummer, especially considering Volkswagen knows how to make a solid manual transmission. I drove our Jetta GLI long termer here that has the six-speed box, and that transmission is great. It’s so much fun. So to not get that in the Golf GTI or the R, little bit of a bummer.”

Yeah, a Golf without a manual does feel a little off, and we’ll sorely miss the six-speed box; but, of all the automatic transmissions to bolt up to this turbo-four, we’re glad it’s still the seven-speed dual-clutch. It’s inoffensive on the street with smooth shifts, unlike some other, stiffer-feeling DCTs; and on the track, we can’t deny some of this automatic’s advantages, present in the GTI but truly emphasized by the R.

“If you’re really going to track the Golf, the DSG has its advantages. This seven-speed, the downshifts are super quick. Same powertrain, technically. It’s that E888 Evo4, 2.0-liter turbo-four; but, the obvious advantage here: 328 horsepower. That’s 13 HP more than before, which isn’t a huge leap. But hey, more power is always appreciated. It’s backed by 295 lb-ft of torque, the same that you could get previous if you got that DSG.”

Alright, so the extra horsepower is cool, but this 4Motion system’s rear torque vectoring is just rad, dividing rear power based on speed, yaw and other data. It’s able to send 100% of rearwards torque to one individual wheel, like sending all of it to the outside during intense cornering to tighten things up. You can watch our Roebling track test from a few years back for a more complete analysis, but just know that it’s still as impressive with this refresh.

But let’s back off the throttle to talk about what else is new with these Golfs.

A facelifted front for the GTI consists of a reshaped bumper centered around a new grille; a red character line still defines the upper brow, now further characterized by a standard light bar stretching between the sharpened headlights, bisected by an illuminated “Vee-Dub” logo, also on all trims.

The GTI’s cabin has improved thanks to one particular reduction in tech. Gone are the touch-capacitive steering wheel controls, now replaced by physical buttons. There are some tech inclusions, though, like a more powerful 15-watt charging pad that’s also ventilated to keep your device cooler than your EA888, and a 12.9-inch infotainment screen. Reminiscent of the system seen in the ID. Another cool feature are the SE grade’s ArtVelours seats, borrowed from the European Clubsport model.

The Golf R receives its own goodies from over there; the Euro Style Package includes lightweight 19-inch wheels, a sunroof delete, titanium exhaust and unique patterned ArtVelours seats, all adding up to roughly 80 lbs. of weight savings.

The Black Edition also returns with its titular accents, as well as genuine carbon fiber interior bits, able to be combined with the Euro pack. The touch-sensitive steering wheel controls are here in the R, behind which are beefier paddle shifters; and the cabin gains that screen and wireless charging pad, too.

The R sees a similar update outside, including the LED lighting elements, its own redesigned bumper and black mirror caps; and down low, newly designed 19-inch forged wheels shave off 4 lbs. per corner, a set of summer performance tires serving as a mediator between rim and road.

The 2025 Volkswagen Golf GTI starts at $33,670, working up to $38,645 for the SE and $42,105 for the Autobahn. The souped-up R comes at a souped-up price: $48,325. A Black Edition starts at $49,640; throw in the $3,795 Euro pack and you’re tipping well over $50,000.

The 2025 Volkswagen Golf duo is on sale now. We’re looking forward to spending more time with them soon. And hey, if physical buttons can make a comeback, who says the six-speed manual can’t?

Only time will tell, and until then, drive safe and stay tuned to MotorWeek.

The Vietnamese EV startup, VinFast officially entered the U.S. market when it shipped the first VF8 Compact SUVs to California at the end of 2022. In 2023 they broke ground on a production facility in North Carolina and started opening a small number of dealerships around the country.

But as we all know, life as an automotive startup is tough. The opening of the North Carolina plant has since been delayed and their dealer network is limited to say the least.

But, it just so happens one of those dealers is in Maryland. So we headed out to Ourisman of Frederick to grab a First Drive in the 2025 Vinfast VF8.

The 2-row VF8 is one of two models currently available for purchase in the U.S. next to the 3-row VF9. They’ll eventually be joined by the VF6 compact and VF7 midsize. Like every model, the VF8 is available in 2 trims, ECO and Plus. Both use an 87.7 kWh battery pack and 2-electric motors for all-wheel drive. As you’d expect, the Eco offers max range at 256 miles with 349 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque. We grabbed a VF8 Plus, which increases output to 402 horsepower and 457 pound feet, but range drops to 235 miles. VinFast claims a 10-70% charge time of 31 minutes on a DC Fast Charger.

Looking at the exterior, there’s some unmistakable Italian flare. A result of the Pininfarina-aided design, which is accentuated by this rich metallic green paint option that VinFast calls “Deep Ocean.” Plus trim includes 20-inch wheels over the Eco’s 19’s. Length-wise, it’s a little bigger than the Volkswagen ID4 and a little smaller than the Honda Prologue.

Inside, the VF8 follows the minimalist theme of most EV competitors forgoing traditional gauges above the steering wheel for a full color head up display.

The infotainment touchscreen measures over 15-inches and is used to control just about everything with a little help from the steering wheel buttons. It’s pretty responsive, but tech-y folks may still consider it a bit laggy.

The Saddle Brown interior pairs nicely with the green exterior with vegan leather materials that stop short of true luxury, but go well beyond bargain bin. Plus models get more adjustable front seats that add ventilation in addition to just heat, while the steering wheel also gains a heating element as well as power tilt and telescoping.

Second row seats fold flat with a manual pull handle and if you fill up the rear with cargo, there is a frunk with some useful storage compartments.

We found no obvious fit and finish flaws, and instead of checking every nook and crannie, we decided to spend most of our limited time on the road.

“As far as the powertrain goes, I think the VF8 delivers the EV goods. The acceleration is smooth and there’s plenty of it. It’s pretty quiet with nothing on even the air all the way down. There’s a little bit of electric noise, but there’s always going to be some of that, so it is pretty quiet.

I’m probably most impressed with the regenerative braking. That can be a little touchy depending on the brand. Here I think it feels natural. I actually have it off right now, so we’ll go to “high” and it’s bringing me down quite a bit. I turn it off and I’ll go full just brake pedal here. It feels really natural and I think that’s a hard thing to get right. I think VinFast has done that really well.

So we’ll go to the drive modes and we’re in “Normal”. Now, let’s go to “Sport”, see if that ratchets up acceleration, which it does. It definitely adds a little bit of, excitement there. And there is, just a little bit of lag. I wouldn’t even call it lag. There’s just a bit of a delay and then it really delivers it. So there’s, again, there’s plenty of acceleration. That’s not the issue here.

As far as ride and handling goes. I think that’s where the VF8 sort of comes up short compared to some competitors. It feels okay on a nice smooth, straight road, but you start getting in the corners with any kind of speed or even low speed corners. You really start to feel the heft. It rolls a lot. The steering, while it feels good on center, as soon as you start getting off center and turning in here, it gets a little bit light and vague.

And again, that’s all subjective. I tend to like a little bit of a sportier feel. This feels a little bit more comfort oriented.”

To be fair, refining the dynamics of a new EV is difficult even for established brands. In fact, the VF8 reminds us of Honda’s Prologue, which as their first attempt at a mass-market electric utility, also leaves some to be desired when it comes to ride and handling.

Pricing for the 2025 VinFast VF8 starts at just over $47,000 after destination with this VF8 Plus coming in at $55,000. But it’s the warranty that separates VinFast from similarly priced competitors – 10 years, 125,000 miles bumper-to-bumper and 10 years, unlimited miles for the battery. Both best in the biz.

For more on the VinFast VF8 and others, keep it locked right here on MotorWeek!