(Note: Dinesh has tested the Volkswagen Golf GTI before, you can read his take on the hot hatch here.)
The Volkswagen Golf GTI remains one of the more desirable and achievable ‘dream car’ to own. Some want it for the three letters on the grille and the heritage it represents. And some wants it not just for badge snobbery but also for the power this hatchback puts down.
There’s no point arguing about it, the Golf GTI is fast. The 2.0-litre turbocharged engine packs 227hp from 4,700rpm to 6,200rpm and 350Nm between 1,500rpm to 4,600rpm with a six-speed DSG tasked to put it all into quickly to good use. The Golf GTI will make the 0-100kph sprint in 6.4 seconds, and continue pushing hard till it hits the max speed of 250kph.
The torque range of 1,500rpm to 4,600rpm is broad, allowing you to stay within optimum torque for a longer time. Acceleration is instant and overtaking — even fast-moving vehicles — is easy. What’s more important is this hot-hatch can trade blow for blow with the competition and does it best to live up to the GTI’s reputation.
Just as it is fast on the straights, the GTI is as equally rapid around the corners. Concerns that the front-wheel drive, understeering nature of the hatchback disappears as quick as the first corner in your rearview mirror. Unless, of course, you’ve overcooked it.
The chassis is tuned to hunker down and stay flat around the corners. And it does it without stiffening up the ride too much. The GTI’s progressive steering adapts to the speed you’re going, so you’ll have precise control in any driving situation.
Having that said, you could alter the damping, steering and acceleration to suit your driving mood. There are four pre-sets to choose from — ECO, Comfort, Normal and Sport. The fifth in line, Individual, lets you tune the Adaptive Chassis Control to how you want it to be.
You could engage the Adaptive Chassis Control with a button housed near the shift knob but configuring Individual needs to be done on the 8-inch Discover Media touchscreen. The touchscreen is sensitive to your touch and responds as quickly as your smartphone.
Inside, the Golf GTI retains all the benefits of a hatchback while still being ‘hot’. The layout isn’t complicated nor scores high for being stylish, but it is comfortable and practical.
Nevertheless, you will find reminders that you’re driving a GTI. The red stitching on the ‘Vienna’ leather sport seats and steering wheel, as well as three letters on the steering spokes, are all telltale signs. The same goes for the exterior. A thin red line underscores the grille and the headlights, and a GTI badge can be found on all four cardinal points on the car.
As good as the Golf GTI is, this hatchback isn’t as special as it once was. The GTI lost some of its lustre not to the competition but to its siblings.
You see, the standard Golf, although not an outright performance hatch, is adequately powerful and quick for everyday use — the ‘goldilocks’ in the Golf range. And the Golf R’s outright performance is dazzling in every way possible.
So, where does the Golf GTI stand? In the middle, where it is good but not as great as it once was. The GTI deserves to be so much more and with the MK8 just around the corner, let’s see if Volkswagen will use that to return the GTI to its glory days.
Specification: Volkswagen Golf GTI 2.0TSI
Engine 1,984cc., 4-cyl., direct injection, turbocharged | Transmission 6-speed DSG, front-wheel drive | Power & Torque 227hp @ 4,700-6,200rpm / 350Nm @ 1,500-4,600rpm | Performance 6.4s 0-100kph, 250kph max speed, 6.4l/100km combined | Price RM247,662 on-the-road without insurance | Score 7/10
The Volkswagen Golf GTI remains one of the more desirable and achievable ‘dream car’ to own. Some want it for the three letters on the grille and the heritage it represents. And some wants it not just for badge snobbery but also for the power this hatchback puts down.
There’s no point arguing about it, the Golf GTI is fast. The 2.0-litre turbocharged engine packs 227hp from 4,700rpm to 6,200rpm and 350Nm between 1,500rpm to 4,600rpm with a six-speed DSG tasked to put it all into quickly to good use. The Golf GTI will make the 0-100kph sprint in 6.4 seconds, and continue pushing hard till it hits the max speed of 250kph.
The torque range of 1,500rpm to 4,600rpm is broad, allowing you to stay within optimum torque for a longer time. Acceleration is instant and overtaking — even fast-moving vehicles — is easy. What’s more important is this hot-hatch can trade blow for blow with the competition and does it best to live up to the GTI’s reputation.
Just as it is fast on the straights, the GTI is as equally rapid around the corners. Concerns that the front-wheel drive, understeering nature of the hatchback disappears as quick as the first corner in your rearview mirror. Unless, of course, you’ve overcooked it.
The chassis is tuned to hunker down and stay flat around the corners. And it does it without stiffening up the ride too much. The GTI’s progressive steering adapts to the speed you’re going, so you’ll have precise control in any driving situation.
Having that said, you could alter the damping, steering and acceleration to suit your driving mood. There are four pre-sets to choose from — ECO, Comfort, Normal and Sport. The fifth in line, Individual, lets you tune the Adaptive Chassis Control to how you want it to be.
You could engage the Adaptive Chassis Control with a button housed near the shift knob but configuring Individual needs to be done on the 8-inch Discover Media touchscreen. The touchscreen is sensitive to your touch and responds as quickly as your smartphone.
Inside, the Golf GTI retains all the benefits of a hatchback while still being ‘hot’. The layout isn’t complicated nor scores high for being stylish, but it is comfortable and practical.
Nevertheless, you will find reminders that you’re driving a GTI. The red stitching on the ‘Vienna’ leather sport seats and steering wheel, as well as three letters on the steering spokes, are all telltale signs. The same goes for the exterior. A thin red line underscores the grille and the headlights, and a GTI badge can be found on all four cardinal points on the car.
As good as the Golf GTI is, this hatchback isn’t as special as it once was. The GTI lost some of its lustre not to the competition but to its siblings.
You see, the standard Golf, although not an outright performance hatch, is adequately powerful and quick for everyday use — the ‘goldilocks’ in the Golf range. And the Golf R’s outright performance is dazzling in every way possible.
So, where does the Golf GTI stand? In the middle, where it is good but not as great as it once was. The GTI deserves to be so much more and with the MK8 just around the corner, let’s see if Volkswagen will use that to return the GTI to its glory days.
Specification: Volkswagen Golf GTI 2.0TSI
Engine 1,984cc., 4-cyl., direct injection, turbocharged | Transmission 6-speed DSG, front-wheel drive | Power & Torque 227hp @ 4,700-6,200rpm / 350Nm @ 1,500-4,600rpm | Performance 6.4s 0-100kph, 250kph max speed, 6.4l/100km combined | Price RM247,662 on-the-road without insurance | Score 7/10
