Volkswagen Golf GTI Original 2017 pricing and spec confirmed

Volkswagen Australia has satisfied customer demand for a permanent Golf GTI variant in a three-door hatch body style, announcing the entry-level GTI Original will kick off from $37,490 before on-road costs when it arrives in January.

This price point makes the GTI Original $4000 cheaper than its five-door GTI counterpart, which starts from $41,490 following its mid-life update in August.

Both front-wheel drive GTI variants come with a six-speed manual gearbox as standard, with the optional six-speed 'DSG' dual-clutch automatic transmission adding $2500 to their respective list prices.

Despite its lower starting price, the GTI Original maintains the same engine tune as the GTI.

Coinciding with the release of the Golf '7.5' facelift, Volkswagen introduced the GTI Performance Edition 1, a three-door, DSG-only special that cost $47,990 and was limited to 150 units.

According to Volkswagen Australia, the addition of the GTI Original comes in response "to demand for a variant with three doors and minimal embellishment", as opposed to the highly-specified GTI Performance Edition 1.

Despite its lower starting price, the GTI Original maintains the same engine tune as the GTI, pumping out 169kW of power from 4500rpm to 6200rpm and 350Nm of torque between 1500rpm and 4400rpm from its 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol unit.

Official acceleration, top speed, fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions claims for the three-door model have not been revealed yet.

Standard equipment in the GTI Original includes black 18-inch 'Sevilla' alloy wheels with red pinstripes, sports suspension, driving profile selection, 'Original' tailgate badge, bi-LED headlights and LED front fog lights.

Inside, the three-door features 'Clark' tartan upholstery, leather sports steering wheel, 8.0-inch touchscreen multimedia system, Apple CarPlay/Android Auto support and dual-zone climate control.

Safety and driver assistance technologies extend to auto emergency braking, pedestrian detection, reversing camera, front and rear parking sensors, driver fatigue detection system and an alarm system.

Inside, the three-door features 'Clark' tartan upholstery and a leather sports steering wheel.

An optional 'Driver Assistance' package costs $1600 and further adds adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, lane keeping assist, lane departure warning, rear cross-traffic alert, dynamic LED headlights, park assist and a proactive occupant protection system.

Notable omissions from the five-door GTI's features list include adaptive chassis control, keyless entry/start and ambient lighting.

In keeping with its purist mantra, the GTI Original is only offered with either red or white solid exterior paint.

The Golf GTI Original can now be ordered nation-wide from Volkswagen dealerships, with deliveries to commence in the new year.

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