Unnamed Automotive Podcast · Unnamed Automotive Podcast

Episode 441: 2026 Volkswagen Golf GTI, 2026 Genesis GV70

·51 min·3 clips

The Genesis GV70 3.5T has 375 horsepower and returned 10.1 liters per 100 kilometers.

Sami Haj Asad and Benjamin Hunting greet listeners with their familiar banter and set the tone with a little joking back-and-forth. The show moves quickly from that opening riff into the real subject at hand. They talk about the Volkswagen Golf GTI as a review car, not as a marketing object. A big chunk of the conversation goes to infotainment systems and how little they seem to help the driver. Volkswagen's current interface gets singled out as especially annoying. The hosts suggest that these systems may work better for passengers than for the person behind the wheel. They note that Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, and voice recognition end up doing most of the work anyway. The discussion gets more pointed when they talk about how hard it is to keep selling cars with interfaces this bad. From there, the episode shifts into the real question: is the GTI still fun? One host admits that the car immediately exposes the missing manual transmission. The tiny shift nub becomes part of the joke and part of the complaint. But once the car is moving, the fun starts to come through. The GTI comes across as a sport compact that still reminds you why this kind of car exists. The conversation widens into a comparison with a small sports car used as a personal benchmark for driving feel. That contrast helps the hosts explain why the GTI matters even when the hardware is not ideal. They keep balancing enthusiasm with practical skepticism. The tone stays loose, but the judgment is clear. The episode is happy to wander, and those detours help show what the hosts care about most. They want cars to be enjoyable, usable, and honest about what they are. The whole thing feels like two car people thinking out loud until the verdict lands. The result is less polished than a press review and more useful for it.

As heard by us

A candid GTI discussion stays centered on real driving feel, even as infotainment complaints take up plenty of space.

This episode follows a fast-moving car conversation about whether the Volkswagen GTI still deserves its reputation, with a long stretch spent on infotainment gripes and the pull of a manual transmission.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

You want a blunt take on whether the GTI still feels like a fun sport compact.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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