2013 Volkswagen Golf GTI Test Drive Review
With over 30,000,000 units sold since 1974, the Volkswagen Golf is a car that symbolizes both longevity and popularity. Few other cars are as iconic as the Golf, and even fewer have derivatives as universally recognized as the Golf GTI. What started as a covert project by a few engineers, the Golf GTI has grown to acquire its own cult status among enthusiasts.
Out of the 30-odd million Golfs in total around the world, some 1.9 million units are the GTI. It is a small fraction in the grand scheme of things, but still a significant number of units, and one can’t ignore the halo effect of the GTI over its regular TSI- and TDI-powered Golf siblings. Put it this way, if Volkswagen were to discontinue the Golf R, it will elicit only a few murmurs of discontent; but nobody will ever contemplate the end of the Golf GTI, such is its importance.
With the new Golf 7 having made its global debut last year and arriving in Malaysia just months ago, it is inevitable that the seventh-generation Golf GTI will eventually be launched here, and it has. The new Golf GTI will be available for viewing in Volkswagen dealerships beginning this weekend.
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| Externally, the GTI also sports only mild enhancements over the Golf TSI. |
Prices & Variants
The five-door Advanced variant form the basis of Volkswagen’s offering of the seventh generation Golf GTI to Malaysians, and costs RM217,888 before registration and on-road costs are factored in. An optional Tech Pack worth RM10,000 adds adaptive chassis control (DCC), electric driver seat adjust, and leather upholstery. Customers can also opt to upsize their rims to 19 inches (from the standard 18″) at a cost of RM3,000.
Buyers also have the option of selecting a simpler no-frills three-door ‘Pure’ variant at a price of RM209,888 offered on strictly on a ‘per order’ basis with a three-month waiting period. This lower-spec variant makes do with smaller 17″ rims, and does without items such as front fog lamps, auto wipers, parking sensors, auto cruise, dual zone climate control, and self-dimming rear view mirror, although the full range of safety-related equipment remain intact.
Some overseas markets have the added option of a Performance edition, which adds an extra 10 horses under the hood, and meets that added power with bigger front brakes and an electronically-controlled mechanical locking front differential. It is one-step up from the advanced electronic differential lock (XDS+) of the ‘regular’ GTI, which is an extension of the car’s stability programme to mimic a mechanical locking differential. This enhanced specification is not offered for Malaysia at the moment, but it has not been ruled out; enthusiasts can still hope.
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Specifications
Mechanically, we are getting the Golf GTI in its base line spec with 217hp on tap. Currently in its third generation of development, the 1,984cc EA888 mill now incorporates a few technical features that were once exclusive to its Audi applications. The four-cylinder turbocharged engine now has variable valve lift, dual injection (direct & port injection), and auto start/stop.
These enhancements have enabled the latest GTI to gain not only 9hp over its predecessor, but a substantial 70Nm bump in torque to 350Nm whilst slashing fuel consumption by a whole litre for every 100km traveled, averaging 6.4 l/100km on the combined cycle when paired with the wet clutch 6-speed DSG transmission to spin its front wheels.
Besides improved technology, another cornerstone of the new GTI’s development is its reduced kilos, courtesy of lightweight construction techniques and materials native to the new MQB modular transverse platform; the GTI Mk VII is claimed to tip the scales a full 42kg lighter than its predecessor.
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Exterior
Like its forebears, the new GTI continues to restrain itself with only subtle and tasteful enhancements over a regular Golf. It is meant to evoke only the attention of seasoned observers and elicit a knowing respect. At the front, the trademark GTI red highlight stretches out from the front grille and extends into the headlight assembly, and as usual, the unassuming GTI badge is stamped on the grille.
Down on the front bumper, the vertical fog lamp of the Mk VI is carried over, but split by three horizontal slats that uncannily remind us of Wolverine’s claws. On the sides, Volkswagen also slapped a pair of subtle red highlighted GTI badges on the fender, whilst at the four corners, newly-designed 18″ Austin alloy wheels adorn – the new rims resemble a combination of the old ‘telephone dial’ design and that of a spinning turbine. The cliched description appearing to move whilst stationary applies.
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| 18-inch alloys are standard. Optional 19-in for RM3,000. |
Interior
Inside, the theme of subtle enhancement is continued. Unlike most performance specials from other car makers, you are not greeted with an overload of GTI badges all over the cabin. In fact, the three sacred alphabets only make one appearance – on the lower spoke of the steering wheel. What you do get is a touch of nostalgia, and fans of the original GTI Mk I will be pleased to know that the classic Tartan-style fabric seats are offered as standard fit. Of course, you still prefer cow hide, it is packaged into the optional Tech Pack, the merits of which we will discuss later in the article.
The overall control scheme of the dashboard is largely reminiscent of the regular Golf, with the same 5.8″ Composition touchscreen fitted on the dashboard. Ergonomics are largely faultless with one exception – the operation of adaptive dampers. Evidently a legacy of its LHD origins, the DCC switch is placed to the left of the gear lever, in a less than intuitive position for a RHD driver. That on its own is a small problem, but as we reported from testing DCC-equipped Golf TSIs in Italy last year, VW’s interface methodology of using the button to call up the DCC menu on the touchscreen and requiring us to subsequently select our preferred driving mode on the touchscreen is an inconvenient approach.
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| 5.8-in centre touchscreen same size as found in the Golf TSI |
Driving Experience
The Golf GTI has always been about accessible real world performance, and the latest incarnation continues to deliver that. It will not outpace a Renault Megane RS or a Ford Focus ST, but Volkswagen is not worried about that. The GTI’s DNA requires that it retains a high degree of day-to-day usability and that its performance never overwhelms. It is meant to be a forgiving and easy-to-use sports car which you can also use for the daily commute as effectively as a Toyota Corolla.
The uprated engine is pleasingly flexible – it was just as adept cruising at 90kph on the tightly-policed roads of Singapore as it was blasting its way through our network of trunk roads. Its generous spread of torque makes for effortless overtaking, competently aided by a 6-speed DSG that has been painstakingly honed through three generations of refining. Torque steer is noteworthy for its absence; the car powers through corners with a minimum of fuss.
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| The GTI’s trademark red stripe runs into the headlamp cluster. |
I am usually cautious when it comes to recommending options for buyers. I will not, for example, advocate paying RM3,000 for the optional 19-inch rims, simply because it is an unnecessary expense. I will, however, strongly recommend forking out an extra RM10,000 for the Tech Pack, and the reason for this is simple – you need to have DCC with the Golf GTI, which was ironically not the case with the regular Golf 1.4 TSI.
Jumping from a non-DCC to a DCC-equipped car, the latter vehicle boasted a more supple ride and was consequently more composed over poor surfaces. On uneven roads, the non-DCC car felt busy and transmitted a little too much jiggles into the cabin for our liking. It was as if as Volkswagen developed the GTI with DCC as a base line set up, with the non-DCC variant coming as a specced down derivative.
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| Multi-info display has colour and lap-timer function. |
Verdict
The GTI’s dynamic excellence being contingent on the speccing of DCC into the car is perhaps the only blot in an otherwise fine copybook. Whilst not the quickest hot hatch in the market, the GTI excels by being the most usable of them all. In that sense, the new GTI maintains the traditional qualities which we have always associated with the nameplate. The role of a no-compromises all-out attack Golf is now the purview of the Golf R.
The availability of a no-frills option is a pleasant surprise on Volkswagen’s part, and it is an option I highly encourage exploring. Its ‘per order’ basis precludes the likelihood of a media test car, but my suspicion is that with smaller 17″ rims, the busy ride that we reported with the non-DCC equipped cars should also become less of an issue.
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