Ford Focus ST vs 2015 Volkswagen GTI - Hatching A Revolt (Part 2)

1.    2015 Volkswagen GTI

The late David E. Davis Jr. was fond of asking, “Tony, what’s knocked your hat into the creek lately?” Mr. Davis knew full well that shock and revelation are rare in the car-reviewing business, but if you’d experienced something remarkable, he wanted to know about it. Well, Mr. Davis, the new GTI would have sent your chapeau sailing right into the drink.

From performance to practicality, every aspect of the new GTI is better than before

There wasn’t much wrong with the last GTI. Okay, you couldn’t disable stability control, and recently it was not offered with summer performance tires. Despite the mandatory all-seasons, though, only one point separated the GTI from the victorious ST in last year’s comparison test. Having learned from that misstep, Volkswagen of American promises that when the new GTI arrives, it will come with the same Bridgestone Potenza S001 summer rubber worn by our European test car.

But it’s not the rubber or the now partially defeatable stability control that makes the new GTI remarkable. It’s the ease with which it does everything so well. The last GTI would multitask better than just about any car on the market. Comfortable on long drives, a firebrand on a back road, and marvelously utilitarian, the GTI was an A-student with varsity letters in three sports. But here’s what sent our hats aloft: From performance to practicality, every aspect of the new GTI is better than before.

It is a lot quicker. The acceleration is effortless; the turbo lag and torque steer are nonexistent, and there’s power everywhere on the tachometer. We were startled to discover that our 217-hp Euro-spec GTI took only 5.6 seconds to hit 60 and that the quarter passed in 14.2 seconds at 100 mph. North American versions may be detuned to 210 horsepower to deal with our lower-octane fuel but are expected to deliver the same 258 pound-feet of peak torque.

A serious-looking, upright instrument panel faces the driver

The latest 2.0T is a hot-buttered delight. The engine turns out 80 decibels of snarly music at full whack and is seemingly unfazed by the GTI’s 3057-pound weight – 121 pounds less than the last five-door GTU we tested. While the Ford’s engine remains in your face, the GTI’s four recedes into the background when you don’t want to hear it. The six-speed manual has light shift effort and is more precise than the ST’s. We didn’t flub a shift or crunch a Synchro in more than 100 miles of redline shifts.

A new variable-ratio steering rack that only requires 2.1 turns to go from lock-to-lock enlivens steering response. Slower on-center, the rack quickens near the extremes so that the GTI is dead stable on the highway but wakes up when you start throwing it into corners. Effort builds linearly in response to cornering pressure. Brake feel, a weakness in the previous GTI, is now Porsche strong. Stopping from 70 mph took only 150 feet.

The handling is unflappable, but high fidelity of the GTI’s chassis and controls keeps the experience thrilling

Roll is tightly controlled; the strut front and multilink rear suspension is buttoned down, but the GTI remains lively and fun, even if, unlike the ST, it never indulges in tail-happy antics. Optional electronic dampers can be changed from supple to normal to ST jittery. Even when left in comfort, though, the shocks automatically tighten in response to chassis demands. Our models likely will get a simplified, two-stage version of these shocks as an option. The handling is unflappable, but high fidelity of the GTI’s chassis and controls keeps the experience thrilling.

A serious-looking, upright instrument panel faces the driver. High-quality and expensive-looking materials are consistently and tastefully applied. As in the new Golf, the center stack – complete with massive eight-inch multifunction screen – is canted slightly toward the driver. In the interest of cost cutting, though, our GTIs will have a smaller nav screen. We also won’t get an electric parking brake, but we’re fin with that – at least out GTIs will be able to do donuts in snowy parking lots. Otherwise, we’re promised an identical interior, plaid seats included.

The GTI wins because it can do everything the ST can do, only without the Ever-clear hangover. That’s another thing no one ever tells you: Part of being an adult is knowing when not to overdo it.

The GTI wins because it can do everything the ST can do, only without the Ever-clear hangover.