The legend is back - VW introduces updated Golf GTI
Volkswagen will introduce the updated Golf GTI to the South African market in the last quarter of 2025. Well over 2.3 million GTIs have been sold worldwide.
- Product News
- 2 September 2025
Just a few days after its official introduction to the South African market, the TopGear SA team, in a convoy of Nissan Navara Warriors, has embarked on a record-breaking expedition into South Africa’s most extreme hinterland.
The record? The Longest Off-Road Journey Ever. That is, to conquer over 1 000km or more of off-road driving. That means, no roads at all, but just a 1 000km of the brutal, harsh but magnificent landscape of the Northern Cape’s Namakwaland.
The record is an official Guinness World Record, fully approved and adjudicated by the UK-based organisation.
Based on the 600km Namaqualand Eco route, the intrepid team in their Warriors will spend the next week trundling through desolate desert conditions, barren mountains and rocky valleys, while hugging the raging Gariep River, Mzansi’s longest waterway, and back out into the desolate expanse as they make their way to the river’s end, the Atlantic Ocean at Alexander Bay.
“What better way to put a vehicle through its paces than take it to one of the hottest and toughest provinces in our country? This undertaking will push both the vehicles and the crew to the extreme,” adds Lerato Matebese, TopGear SA Publishing Editor.
The Warrior, which is a Nissan-approved conversion of the Nissan Pro4X conceived and perfected by Australian after-market specialists Premcar, has created a version of the Navara that is taller, wider and with greater ground clearance than the factory-built vehicle.
Shod with LT 275/65/R17 MAXXIS RAZR AT tyres instead of the factory-specced 255/65 R17 AT, the Navara Warrior has improved approach and ramp breakover angles and increased front and rear tracks, which are ideal for the conditions they’ll be subjected to through the Namaqualand Eco route.
Other additions include the distinctive Warrior styling externally and internally, and the installation of a sports bar at the back. Off-road capabilities are further boosted by off-road-focused shock absorbers and a 40mm higher ground clearance.
The record will culminate with an event on the 4th of April 2025 in Tshwane, where the Nissan Navara Warrior record-breaking vehicles, together with the TopGear SA crew, will be joined by media and other stakeholders to mark and celebrate this milestone.
Volkswagen will introduce the updated Golf GTI to the South African market in the last quarter of 2025. Well over 2.3 million GTIs have been sold worldwide.
Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles is back in the country and has just introduced its all-new Tiago.
The National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) notes that August continued the positive trend for new-vehicle sales in South Africa, reflecting strong consumer demand and activity across the market.
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A light on my car’s dashboard came on, and instead of fixing the problem, I waited for the bulb to burn out. Crisis solved.
Jarod Kintz
The National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) notes that August continued the positive trend for new-vehicle sales in South Africa, reflecting strong consumer demand and activity across the market.
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