Volkswagen Golf
GTI
After
four incarnations of the seminal Golf GTI, Volkswagen has
finally produced a successor worthy of the iconic original
What's
New
Compared to the previous Volkswagen Golf GTI, the only thing
the latest incarnation has in common with its predecessor
might be the three lettered badge on the rear hatch that
clues an on-looker into the car's potential.
Not
that it's the only clue mind. Every where you look, the
fifth generation is chock full of feel good details like
the contrasting black grille surround, xenon headlamps with
projector lenses and those 17-inch wheels that give you
a ringside view of its red brake callipers.
Inside,
the go-faster impression continues with that flat-bottomed
steering wheel rim and the highly-sculpted front seats that
also do a great job of holding you in place when you're
driving the GTI the way its maker intended.
How
it Performs
The last few generations of Golf GTI's were widely criticised
for failing to live up to the 30-year legacy that the original
model left behind.
As
if to reassert its dominance in today's hot hatch arena
of the Mini Cooper S, Renault Megane RS, et al, the latest
Golf GTI responds with a punchy 2.0-litre turbocharged engine
and a 6-speed semi automatic transmission that Volkswagen
calls DSG or Direct Shift Gearbox.
Of
all the alternatives to an automatic gearbox we have tried,
the Golf's self-shifter is the most convincing yet.
Left
to its own devices in 'D', the uninitiated would be hard
pressed to tell that the car they're driving does not use
a conventional automatic gearbox with none of the jack rabbit
starts and jerky shifts that still plague other semi-automatic
systems.
Should
the occasion or mood call for it, manual control is simply
a matter of nudging the gearlever to the left or tugging
either of the two paddles behind the steering wheel, not
unlike an Formula 1 race car where right is for upshifts
and left will find a lower ratio.
Unlike
conventional automatic gearboxes, the DSG unit responds
with more urgency and doesn't second-guess the driver with
reluctant upshifts like those found in so many other cars.
The
DSG also works well with the 200bhp power plant that features
Volkswagen's brand of direct injection technology it calls
FSI or Fuel Stratified Injection that is impressively lag-free
from a turbocharged unit.
Like
the standard 1.6-litre Golf from which this GTI is spawned,
the latter's electric power steering system has been thoroughly
revised to impart a much more direct feel.
Show
the it a twisty road and the GTI comes alive with fluency
and agility that's guaranteed to put a smile on anyone at
the wheel. Passengers however, may not be as appreciative
as the ride can get busy on anything less than a billiard
table smooth surface.
How
it Stacks Up
Compared with its more immediate (and expensive) rivals
from Renault and Mini, the $126,300 Golf GTI looks a bargain
especially when you consider its generous litany of standard
equipment and performance relative to its price. But to
look at this VW as a bang-for-buck proposition would be
to also miss the point as more powerful cars can be had
for less money. The GTI shines by managing to be a serious
driver's car without sacrificing practicality.
| Technical Specifications |
|
MODEL
Volkswagen Golf GTI
ENGINE
Engine: 1,984cc 16v in-line four
Max Power: 200bhp @ 5,100rpm
Max Torque: 280Nm @ 1,800rpm
TRANSMISSION
6-speed semi-automatic
TOP SPEED
235 kmh
0-100km/h
6.9s
|
