The Volkswagen Golf GTI is the coolest. Nearly every iteration of this car has been cool. Well, VW has just announced the latest version, the 2021 Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport. You may be wondering how the announcement of the coolest GTI could possibly be sad news. Take a seat, and I’ll tell you.

All this water and nothing to drink

The Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport will not be coming to America. Sorry, I know. We are all tired of hearing about the awesome cars that we won’t get here. We have so many roads and fewer laws than Europe, but we can’t get any cool cars? How that sound? Anyhow, for the next few minutes, we can at least pretend–or start planning our color scheme in 25 years when we can import one.

What’s new with the Golf GTI Clubsport?

Autoblog reports the Golf GTI Clubsport the regular GTI’s 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that’s turbocharged to 296 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. Volkswagen has specifically set up the Clubsport to be a Golf R killer. The Clubsport has 54 hp more than the regular 2022 Volkswagen GTI and even managed to squeeze 8 more horsepower than the R. The Golf GTI Clubsport will only be front-wheel drive and be paired with an 8-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox. 

Here’s the wild part

Engineers at Volkswagen wanted a mix of a road car and race car. Hence the power and dual-clutch gearbox and all. The biggest and most unique feature of this car is the model-specific driving mode called “Nürburgring.” Yep. It is a driving mode that is specifically tuned to help drivers work out the infamous German road/race track. Although VW hasn’t posted the Clubsport’s time around the ring yet, the Nürburgring mode is rumored to help the Clubsport reclaim the front-wheel-drive record lap time set at 7.40.1 last year by the Renault Megane. 

Volkswagen did more than just give it some fancy new software. The Golf GTI Clubsport got lower suspension to help with the high speeds of the ring. Autoblog reports, the only other ways to tell the Clubsport from the normal 2022 Golf GTI is the beefy front bumper with a deeper air dam and the sizeable two-piece spoiler mounted above the rear window. 

For those of us not in America…

The Golf GTI Clubsport should be hitting showrooms in the following months. There are still promises of a few new models from the Golf family over the next few years, most likely. Autoblog also mentions, VW will be making the Golf GTI R with all-wheel drive and then some unverified rumors of a super-powered GTI with nearly 400 horsepower that would live at the top of the food chain, but who knows if and when that is happening. Until then, enjoy the Clubsport, Europe.