The next-generation Volkswagen Golf GTI has been spied for the first time.

It will keep using a turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four that might have more than 250 horsepower.

The GTI could be the lowest-end version of the Mark 8 Golf that comes to the United States.

We've already seen the eighth-generation Volkswagen Golf with almost no camo at all, but the next-gen GTI, a perennial favorite of ours, has been somewhat of a mystery. Our spy photographers have now gotten the first photos of the GTI, giving us a good look at the performance version of the new Golf. Like the standard car, the GTI is getting an evolutionary redesign that doesn't take many risks.

View Photos Chris Doane Automotive

Despite the camouflage wrap, we can see that the new GTI has a much racier look than the regular Mark 8 Golf. At the front there's a larger lower grille with a honeycomb pattern, integrated fog lights, and a lower splitter, and the upper grille should get the GTI's ubiquitous red stripe. We can also see deeper side skirts, wheels nabbed from the Mark 7 Rabbit Edition, a bigger rear spoiler, and a new diffuser with dual exhaust tips.

View Photos Chris Doane Automotive

Although our spy photographer didn't get a shot of the inside, it should stick pretty close in design to the regular Golf, which is getting a radical interior redesign. The GTI will likely get plaid cloth seats, a golf-ball-like shifter, additional red accents, and a sportier steering wheel to distinguish it from the standard car.

View Photos Chris Doane Automotive

The Mark 8 should use an evolution of the current GTI's EA888 engine, a turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four. In the U.S.-market Mark 7 that powertrain produces 228 horsepower, but special models in Europe like the TCR make 286 horsepower. Rumors suggest the "base" Mark 8 GTI could make 250 horsepower, while a higher-end model will offer closer to 300. Transmission choices should remain the same, meaning a six-speed manual and a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic.

View Photos Chris Doane Automotive

The standard Golf will be revealed in a few months, with the GTI following soon after. Recently, a report came out saying the GTI would be the lowest-end version of the Mark 8 Golf that will be sold in the U.S., meaning no base Golf—that was slightly debunked by a VW spokesperson, but it could still be true. We think that if the Mark 8 GTI does become the entry-level Golf, its cost could come down a bit from the 2019 model's $28,490 base price.

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