The Volkswagen Golf GTI with the manual transmission is going away. To honor the gearbox before it’s gone, the automaker has announced the new 2024 Golf GTI 380 package for manual-equipped models regardless of the trim, celebrating the gearbox’s heritage.
The equipment set is standard on every Golf GTI trim with the six-speed manual and features several visual enhancements. It rides on the 19-inch gloss black aluminum-alloy wheels from the Golf R 20th Anniversary Edition that the company wraps in summer performance tires. Volkswagen also paints the roof and mirror caps in gloss black, which contrasts with the GTI’s standard exterior red accents.
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The car’s gloss-black bits will stand out against various exterior colors. Exclusive to the GTI 380 is Graphite Gray Metallic, but customers can also select Atlantic Blue Metallic, Deep Black Pearl, Kings Red Metallic, Moonstone Gray, Opal White Pearl, or Reflex Silver Metallic.
Inside, a golf-ball-inspired shift knob sits between the seats – a staple of the model since its inception. On the GTI S and GTI SE trims, VW offers the classic Scalepaper Plaid cloth seats as standard. Vienna leather seats are standard on the Autobahn trim and optional on the SE.
The package gets its name from the Mk8’s internal model code. It pays homage to 2002’s GTI 337, which cribbed the internal designation from the Mk1 GTI.
Under the hood of the GTI 380 is the model’s EA888 turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine. The mill produces 241 horsepower and 273 pound-feet of torque, which is also available with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic that Volkswagen will continue to offer in the hot hatch and Golf R variants.
Yup, even the R is losing the stick shift after the 2024 model year. While the 380 doesn’t receive any engine updates, it does come standard with the DCC adaptive damping system.
The 2024 Volkswagen Golf GTI 380 S will start at $32,485 (all prices exclude the destination charge) when the model goes on sale in early fall. The SE will cost $37,285, while the top Autobahn spec will command $40,625 to start.
While the loss of the manual-equipped GTI is sad, it’s certainly not the end for the model. A trademark filing suggests the automaker has plans to electrify the iconic hot-hatch, with the “I” in the word mark changing to a lightning bolt, but we don’t expect such a model to launch until closer to the end of the decade. The eight-generation Golf is still new and about to undergo its mid-cycle refresh, so the next-gen version is likely several years away from becoming reality.
