The driver-focused Japanese sports
coupe and the very different German hot hatch go head-to-head. Both are in
upgraded form, but which comes out on top?
These two cars perfectly represent the
rational and the irrational. The Golf GTI, fitted here with the Performance
Pack, is probably the most rational performance car on sale today. Constructing
an argument to buy a Golf GTI is very simple. It goes like this: ‘It’s a Golf
GTI.’ The Toyota GT86 TRD on the other hand, is almost impossible to justify.
Now, the basic Toyota GT86 is a fun, laudable car, and at $42,790 it’s a pretty
convincing package, too. But the Toyota Racing Developments upgrade seems to have
been engineered while the engine boys were on holiday, consisting of nothing
more than a body kit of dubious taste, some 18in wheels and a quad-exit exhaust
that offers precisely zero bhp benefit. And yet it costs $53,915. In other
words, it’s all mouth and ill- fitting trousers.
The
GT86 has been created to lure young, fun-loving drivers back to the Toyota
brand
Of course, a life lived by rational
decisions alone would be very dull indeed. So here we are, wondering whether a
Golf GTI fitted with the DSG gearbox ($2,422), Adaptive Chassis Control
switchable dampers (DCC, $1,395) and the Performance Pack ($1,305, taking the
total to $50,245) is more than just the rational choice. The Performance Pack
adds an electronically controlled mechanical limited-slip differential, larger
front brakes and a 10bhp boost in power to 227bhp at 4,500rpm as well as 258lb
ft at 1,500-4,400rpm. VW claims it’ll execute a launch control-assisted 0-62mph
in 6.4sec and run to 155mph and yet it does 44.1mpg on the combined cycle (47.1mpg
for the six-speed manual). That’s the sort of sensible we can deal with. On
paper it eats up the TRD, which manages 197bhp at 7,000rpm and 151lb ft at
6,400-6,600rpm from its normally aspirated 2-litre boxer engine. With a 0-62mph
time of 7.6sec and such a torque deficit, the 95kg lighter Toyota probably
won’t see which way the Golf went on your average B-road.
The
VW Golf GTI PP has impeccable body control
Then again, that’s sort of the point. The
GT86 is not a car that chases numbers but instead focuses on the quality of the
driving experience. And with the TRD kit, that quality is almost inexplicably
raised up a notch. I know we’re almost alone in this opinion but having
revisited the TRD on road and track over the course of a week, we’re sticking
to our guns. The bigger wheels and more performance-orientated rubber make a
much bigger difference than you’d credit – and for the better. The last time we
tried the TRD it was on Yokohama Advan Sport tyres, and the Michelin Pilot
Sport 3 tyres fitted this time create the same effect: more turn-in response,
greater accuracy and, crucially, more progressive handling at the outer edges
of grip.
The
GT86’s cabin materials is not the best
That last point might seem
counter-intuitive, but we’ve found the standard Michelin Primacy boots fitted
to the regular GT86 don’t only lack grip, but also precision and finesse as
they give up and howl into slightly fudgy oversteer. With more bite at the
front, the 10mm wider 225/45 ZR18s certainly swing the power-to-grip ratio
slightly further in favour of the latter, but the chassis remains wonderfully
adjustable and feels more controlled and satisfying . In fact the way you can
dictate to the chassis with pinpoint accuracy is incredibly addictive. Perhaps
the TRD doesn’t give up its ultimate secrets quite so freely as the standard
car, but we much prefer the consistency of feedback and the challenge of
driving it in this precise, tail-led but not dominated style.
The
GTI’s cabin finish is superior to the Toyota’s
Once you’re in tune with the TRD, it really
is a fun car to hustle along. The engine is rather at and needs merciless
flogging to deliver its claimed 197bhp, but the short, knuckly gearshift is
excellent, the brake feel is nothing short of superb and the steering has a
meaty weightiness about it that only heightens your connection with the front
axle. The ride is a little stiffer with the bigger wheels, but that just adds
an edge to the experience, and in combination with the palpably low centre of
gravity and excellent balance, it really feels like a special little sports
car. If only the engine revved with more vim and sounded a bit less strained…
