The next (Mk8) Volkswagen Golf is on its way, meaning GTI and hopefully R versions will soon follow. The word on the street today is that it might jump up to 296 hp (300 ps), if the German publication AutoBild is correct.

It says that the new Golf, which you can see in a spy shot here, will have a standard GTI version with today’s power (228 hp here, 245 hp in Europe) and a GTI Performance model with almost 300 ponies. That puts the GTI right on the Golf Rs bumper, which doesn’t make much sense. But there have been rumors of a road-going Golf R420, which would use Audi’s turbocharged I5 under the hood. That mill makes around 400 hp.

As for changes, the Mk8 Golf gets a slightly modified bumper with larger intakes, extra red accents and a few other bits. Obviously, nothing big changes and that’s fine. The Golf GTI is about as good a car you can get, taking everything, including price, into account.

I do worry just a teeny bit that a 300 hp GTI might ruin the magic. I've been saying for years that the GTI used to be a sneaky, secret deal for power and speed and now it’s so good it feels somehow less special. Or maybe 300 hp will make it seem more special, depending on the cost. AutoBild thinks at least the base GTI will stay around the same price, for what it’s worth.

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