Golf GTI: the legend continues

...and while the team responsible for the car did not know it at the time, they had not only produced a great little car but had created a whole new motoring genre.

We know it as the hot hatch segment and today it's populated by a raft of cars from the likes of Ford, Citroen, Subaru, Mazda, Honda, Peugeot, Mini, Mitsubishi and Renault. The original GTI's 81kW was, by today's standards, not exactly stove hot, but the car was the first to breathe a touch of motoring excitement into the Volkswagen brand. While in recent years it's been joined in the German company's line-up by things like the Golf R32 and the Passat R36, it's a role the GTI continues to play to this day. Unlike the outgoing GTI that was built in South Africa, the new model is German built and it is powered by a great two-litre, four-cylinder, turbocharged engine that delivers 155kW of peak power between 5300 and 6200rpm and 280Nm of torque is on tap between a lazy 1700 and 5200rpm. While torque is the same, power has risen slightly from the outgoing model's 147kW and the new model can now run on 95RON premium unleaded rather than the expensive 98RON. VW puts the car's combined fuel consumption figure at 7.7-litres/100km - a 0.5-litre improvement - and CO2 emissions have been cut by 14g/km and now come in at 180g/km for the manual and 178g/km with the DSG transmission.

Three and five door versions are on offer and the good news is that pricing remains unchanged from the fifth generation model. The three door six-speed manual opens the batting at $38,990 and if you specify the five door version you're up for $40,490. The slick shifting dual clutch DSG version adds $2,500 to both variants. Styling wise the new GTI is hard to pick from its predecessor but the most noticeable upgrades are the new red grille surround, different side skirts, a rear diffuser and different alloy wheels. Among new standard features is a great new electronic goodie that improves handling and all but eliminates understeer in the front-wheel drive car. Dubbed the XDL, it's a transverse electronic differential lock that during enthusiastic cornering boosts the traction of the inside front wheel to counteract the load shift to the outside wheel.

The GTI's remarkable handling has also been tweaked by legendary German race driver Hans-Joachim Stuck and the result is seriously impressive, sure footed cornering and overall driving dynamics. Stuck has driven just about every kind of race car in categories including F1, F2, touring cars, Germany's DTM series and sports cars. He also has two Le Mans victories on his CV.

During an outstanding media launch drive program through the Victorian high country, I was lucky enough to spend more than 100km with Herr Stuck - about half as a passenger and the other half as his chauffeur. Being driven by someone of his experience and skill is a great, if humbling, experience and while we motoring scribes all think we are pretty good behind the wheel, being piloted by such a driver delivers a great reality check. That said, a few minutes after I took over the wheel, Hans said, "I'm not a good passenger but after two kilometres I could tell you know what you're doing so go for it and I'll sit back and relax." Flattering stuff.

In the standard kit department there are supportive, heavily bolstered sports seats with tartan cloth trim (leather is optional), cruise control, air conditioning, remote central locking, power windows and exterior mirrors, front and rear fog lights, an immobiliser/alarm system, an MP3-compatible AM/FM/CD system, automatic on headlights and a great to hold multi-function, leather wrapped sports steering wheel. The classy, stylish interior features goodies such as stainless steel sports pedals, an aluminium-look gear shifter, leather gear-shift "boot", a leather wrapped hand-brake lever and black lining for the roof and pillars.

During the launch drive program we sampled both the three and five door versions and both transmissions - the six-speed manual and the six-speed DSG - and both are great.

The real delight of the double clutch DSG is the great sounding "whomp" it gives during changes - not to mention the dazzling speed with which the next gear is selected. If you drive the DSG manually you can use the centre console shifter or steering wheel mounted paddles. The rather small paddles work a treat but during tight cornering if you move your hands from the quarter to three position on the wheel you can loose them.

The car has beautifully weighted electro-mechanical power steering and there is a 10.9 metre turning circle.
The car's MacPherson strut front suspension set-up sits the car 22mm lower than a standard Golf and the multi-link rear arrangement drops things by 15mm.

There are also GTI only springs, dampers and anti-roll bars and the standard 17-inch alloys are shod with 225/45 R17 Bridgestone Potenza tyres. Optional 18-inch alloys add $1,200.

Other options include adaptive chassis control ($1,500) that gives the driver normal, comfort and sport settings, an electric glass sunroof ($1,900), satellite navigation ($2,500), park assist ($1,400), a rear-vision camera ($500), leather trim ($3,300), a $600 electrically adjustable driver's seat (five-door only), a premium audio system ($1,300), bi-xenon headlights with a dynamic cornering system ($2,000), tinted side and rear glass ($400) and $270 will add a media device interface. Pushed hard through the great roads of Victoria's high country the new GTI really shone. It's hard to believe it is a front-wheel drive car and the way it turns in without understeer is a revelation. The combination of a beautifully sorted sports suspension and the Bridgestone Potenza rubber meant outstanding grip levels on winding mountain roads and a feeling of sure footedness that's found in few cars. The heavily bolstered sports seats and height and reach-adjustable steering ensure the perfect driving position and the rest of the cabin's ergonomics are spot on.

In summary, the sixth generation GTI continues a 33-year tradition with style and excitement. It remains the hot-hatch benchmark that the other pretenders have to meet.
Ian Crawford