The GTI event at Lake Worthersee->ke3882 has officially kicked off, and with that kickoff, Volkswagen->ke94 has debuted the new king of the Golf GTI->ke223 lineup: The Golf GTI Clubsport S. The car is based on the Golf GTI Clubsport, but has gone through numerous upgrades and refinements to make it the fastest and lightest Golf GTI yet. In short, Volkswagen engineers were able to reduce the car’s overall weight to 2,998 pounds while upping permanent engine output to an impressive 306 horsepower – that’s a 30 horsepower increase over the standard Golf Clubsport. The Clubsport S will be produced in just 400 examples.

The whole idea of the Clubsport S came about during the testing of the final version of the Golf GTI Performance. Karsten Schebsdat, the Head of Chassis Tuning, said, “It was obvious to all of us that this GTI had immense potential, so we decided to get the most performance possible out of this car. A small team went through the entire process, from bottom to top, pretty much like it was back when the first Golf GTI came into being.” Needless to say, it wasn’t an easy task and VW engineers had to put in a lot of work, but that work paid off.

The payoff came when the Golf GTI Clubsport S smashed the lap record->ke1948 at the Nürburgring for front-wheel-drive production cars. With Benny Leuchter behind the wheel, the car hit the lap in 07:49:21 – that’s 1.4 seconds faster than the previous record that was set by a Honda Civic Type R. To make this possible, the Clubsport S received a special sport chassis, refined interior, and an extensively adapted engine control unit that all helped to raise the crowned Clubsport S above the standard Golf GTI Clubsport it was based on. So, with that said, let’s take an in-detail look at what makes the Clubsport S so much better than the regular Clubsport.

Continue reading to learn more about the Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport S.

Exterior

If you’re looking at the Clubsport and the Clubsport S side by side, you won’t notice any real difference on the outside. Up front, the Clubsport S has the same aerodynamically enhanced front fascia with the aggressive fins on each corner. Furthermore, the front end has the same honeycomb grille and air dam, with the air dam sporting a small air vent on each side. Outside of this, the Clubsport S shares the same hood, and headlight units as the Clubsport.

Moving over to the sides, the Clubsport S rides on 19-inch Pretoria alloy wheels that are wrapped in Michelin Sport Cup 3 semi-slick tires. The rear windows are also tinted with a film that absorbs 65 percent of light. Down below that black stripe that runs along the side skirts now sports the “Clubsport S” name in front of the rear wheels. According to the press release, the Clubsport S also has a black painted roof, however, in the images we have here both the red and white variants still have a body-colored roof.

Moving to the rear, we can file almost everything under the been here, done that category. The rear hatch sports the same upward sweeping black spoiler with the fins that extend down the sides of the hatch glass. The taillights are the same, as is the red “GTI emblem on the left side of the hatch. Down below, there is a new plate added to the diffuser between the two exhaust pipes, but it isn’t aggressive by any means.

As far as available colors go, the color pallet is limited to the same colors that were available for the original GTI: Tornado Red, Pure White, and Deep Black Pearl Effect. Red and white Clubsport S models are said to come with a black roof. All told, the exterior isn’t that big of a deal, but it gets better as we go, so let’s keep moving.

Interior

On the inside, things get a little more interesting. To help reduce weight, VW engineers have removed the rear seats and the central armrest. Furthermore, the car has a smaller battery and has been stripped of some of the usual amenities. Things like the rear parcel shelf, the floor mats, the variable luggage compartment floor, and acoustic insulating material, have all been left out of the Clubsport S.

Now that you know what has been removed or left out, let’s talk about what is there. Up front, the standard seats have been replaced with racing bucket seats and the shifter has the iconic gold ball shift knob with Alcantara trim. Furthermore, there is a red line in the center of the seatbelts, “Honeycomb 40” decals on the dash and doors, and accents throughout in piano black. The sport steering wheel has been wrapped in Alcantara with red stitching, plus it sports a chrome GTI emblem and the 12-o’clock mark. Volkswagen is also gracing the center console with a plaque that displays the production number of each Clubsport S.

Drivetrain

As you might recall, the standard Clubsport comes with 261 horsepower at its disposal with a temporary boost that is available at certain times. The Clubsport S, however, is set up a little differently. The engineers drew inspiration from the Golf GTI TCR racecar to up the permanent output from the 2.0-liter engine to 305 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque. This output increase was made possible by extensive recalibration of the engine control unit, as well as a new exhaust system that is 10 mm (0.39 inches) larger than on the standard Clubsport. The larger exhaust reduces back pressure and increases performance throughout the rev range. The car was also equipped with a high-flow fuel pump. Being a third-generation EA888 engine, other refinements include water cooling to the turbocharger and variable valve timing with dual camshaft adjustment.

With all the enhancements in mind, engineers also gave the car various driving profiles, including “Comfort,” “Normal,” and “Race.” More importantly, however, is the “Individual” driving profile which has been fine-tuned to suit the unique conditions of the Nürburgring. The individual settings can be altered as the owner sees fit, but can always be restored to the standard Nürburgring settings through the touchscreen menu. Throughout the different driving modes, the engine, steering, and sound parameters are all changed to provide the ultimate driving experience for the profile selected.

All told, the Clubsport S has a power to weight ratio of 9.8 pounds per horsepower. This enables the car to hit the 62 mph sprint in 5.8 seconds on the way to a top speed of 164.5 mph. This, of course, contributed to the record-breaking lap of 07:49:21 around the Nürburgring.

Suspension and Brakes

In addition to the increased performance, and Dynamic Chassis Control system, the Clubsport S is equipped with a special sport chassis, a strut support brace to help cut down body roll, and specially designed hub carriers to create higher camber angles and neutralize understeer. Furthermore, both axles were also reconfigured.

Like the normal Clubsport, the Clubsport S has a front differential lock with a variable degree of locking. This integrates with the ESC, EDS, and XDS+ systems. Because of this design, the negative effects associated with mechanical locking differentials have been avoided altogether. The system is controlled by a switch on the steering wheel. Pressing the button once switches the stability system into sport mode, which allows the system to respond later to create more agile handling characteristics. Pressing the switch for more than three seconds disables the ESC system altogether, allowing the car to be driving without computer intervention if things get a little wonky on the track.

To help keep the Clubsport S under control, it has been equipped with a 17-inch brake rotors that are modified to withstand the high temperatures associated with running race circuits. The calipers are made from aluminum, which added additional weight savings, and the rotors are made from cast steel and are connected via locking pins. This means they are able to expand “radically” when they heat up. Thanks to the aluminum calipers, the unsprung mass of each wheel is down by 2.2 pounds. Furthermore, the Clubsport S leaves the factory with special brake pads at each corner.

Prices

At this point, pricing of the Clubsport S is a complete mystery. That said, the Clubsport S is a limited-production model and is more powerful than even the Golf R, so I would expect the pricing to sit north of the $39,000 VW asks for the fully loaded Golf R. Official pricing may be released at a later date, so stay tuned.

Competition

Ford Focus ST280

We already know all about the Focus ST, but just recently, we got some spy shots of a modified Focus ST doing some track testing. The car had a revised aerodynamic body and is expected to bring the gap between the Focus ST and the bonkers Focus RS. Little is known about this new hatch, as Ford has kept relatively silent about it, but we expect it to come with nearly 300 horses and 295 pound-feet of torque, which would put it right in Clubsport S territory.

We also expect this new hatch to be offered with a six-speed manual, stiffer suspension, and bigger brakes. As of the time of this writing, we’re expecting to see the new model go for somewhere around $27,000. For that price, the car should get the 402A equipment group that is offered with the standard Focus ST, Recaro seats in Charcoal Black leather, and the SYNC 3 infotainment system. The prototype we recently caught on the track was also sporting the stripe option that is also available for the Focus, so it is highly likely that the ST280 will also come with that as a standard option.

Read our full review of the Ford Focus ST280 here.

Conclusion

After seeing a modified Focus testing in April, it’s not surprising to see that Volkswagen is now bringing a similar model to the table. The Golf GTI Clubsport was good enough, but it was too underpowered to compete against the Focus RS and too powerful to compete with the standard ST. The Clubsport S, however, would be right in the same niche as far as power is concerned.

The Clubsport S, however, is a limited model and will undoubtedly be swooped up by Golf fanboys as quickly as they can roll onto the showroom floor. That’s the problem with limited-run models – everybody wants one, but only a few select individuals can get their hands on one.

At this point, I just hope Volkswagen doesn’t toot its own horn too hard and try to charge too much for the car. Sure it will probably top $40,000, as it is more powerful than the Golf R, but too much more and VW is just getting greedy. Either way, I can’t wait to see the Clubsport S in action.