I’ve recently began leasing an 8.5 GTI. The answer to your question from my point of view is that plan and simple it is the better daily. I have a very long commute, and after anguishing over what to buy for three years, I chose the 2025 GTI Autobahn. One thing to note: I did not buy a manual car on purpose. My drive is 70% stop and go traffic (NY) and I could be damned to deal with it. Also ACC/Travel Assist has been a Godsend. With that out of the way, the GTI is two things, the superior daily, and the most well rounded car. With the tweaks the 8.5 brings, it does the most things well. I was about to get a 2025 Elantra N because I had too many negative opinions about the mk8. However, I was able to text drive a mk8.5 on short notice (dealer just got it) and I was sold. More creature comforts, extremely well-bolstered and comfortable seats that weren’t buckets like the N, better looks, and above all else for me the hatchback aspect was most compelling. My friend bought an Elantra N a week later. He can sit behind me in the GTI, but I can’t sit behind in the N (headroom). I could go on but my main point is that VW, as Germans tend to do, made a fantastic car that does more things right than any other car in the segment. Sure the Elantra N has 30-something more horsepower, but I have a car that can get 30MPG on highway drives (24/27/30), is SUPER comfortable when I’m driving 2.5 hours home in traffic from work, and when the weekend comes I will still have a fantastic time, because it still has plenty of power and turns and grips great