Those early TDI engines also had a big advantage in terms of
torque output, and in-gear response times were significantly better. If you
were driving a Mk 4 GTI 1.8T and wanted to keep up with a well-driven GT TDI
then you’d need to have been in a lower gear the whole time to keep the revs up
and the turbo boosting strongly. It was a very different style of driving, the
GT TDI cruising along on a tidal wave of torque, changing up early to keep it
flowing, while the GTI had to be driven hard and fast to cover the ground at
the same pace.
The GTD’s classy
dashboard is near-enough identical to range-topping GTI's
On a long journey, of course, the GT TDI also had the huge
advantage of a much greater range between refuelling. The GTI might just have
managed to get its nose ahead by a few fractions of a second at the traffic
lights, but think how much time it takes to pull in to a motorway service
station and refuel while the GT TDI sails past at 80 mph in top gear with just
2000 rpm on the tachometer. By our reckoning, the GT TDI had a range of at
least an extra 100, maybe 150 miles, between pit stops.
Things have changed quite a bit since then, of course. Not
only have the later GT TDI / GTD models not been as powerful in comparison to
the contemporary GTI, but with the advent of the 2.0-litre TFSI engine in the
Mk 5 GTI, the petrol-engined versions started to develop much higher torque
figures, and peak power too was produced over a much broader range, improving
both driveability and fuel efficiency.
The GTI’s front
seats are supportive, even for larger folk, with plenty of adjustment in the
seat and steering wheel
For the Mk 5 and Mk 6 generations, the GTD remained at 170
PS and 350 Nm while the GTI improved from 150 and 180 to 200 and then 210 PS
and its torque was hiked up to 280 Nm over a wide range between 1750 and 5000
rpm. In terms of driving characteristics, the Mk 5 and Mk 6 GTIs were much more
flexible and driveable, capable both of running to the redline at 6200 rpm
without flagging, and also carrying a much higher gear at lower speeds.
But the GTD was still way ahead in terms of fuel-efficiency.
Our test of the (170 PS) Mk 6 GTD returned nearly 70 mpg when it was driven
very conservatively, and it averaged 47 mpg overall, compared with 47.3 mpg and
35.2 respectively for the Mk 6 GTI, although the GTI was over a second quicker
to 60 mph and nearly 3 seconds faster to 80 mph, from a standing start. The GTI
would undoubtedly dominate on the drag strip, but whether that kind of
full-bore driving performance is really relevant to modern road conditions is
quite another matter…
Tartan sports
seats make GTD's cabin feel a bit special
Which brings us neatly back to our comparison of the latest
models, the 230 PS /350 Nm Mk 7 GTI and the 184 PS / 380 Nm GTD. That the GTI
has a 46 PS power advantage over the GTD should be enough to decide the
performance battle, but its torque figure has also swollen substantially.
Indeed, compare the figures in our table and you’ll note that the Mk 7 GTI now
has the same peak torque figure as the Mk 6 GTD, with its 350 Nm (258 lb.ft)
also developed over a much wider range, from 1500 to 4600 rpm. Never mind the
figures, you only have to look at the shape of the power plots on the graphs to
see how well endowed the GTI now is, with much more power and torque not just
at a peak but right throughout the rev range.
