Which way will VW leap with the new Golf
GTI? It's a question they ask themselves every seven years or so and, as this
is their seventh attempt in 37 years, you'd think they'd have it n ailed by
now. But the answer always seems to be different. Will the Mk7 be a step-change
like the fondly remembered original back in 1976, a bland, under-achieving blob
like the Mk4, or a thorough, techy evolution of the Mk6 GTI, which pulled off
the trick of being both a great drive and a properly emphatic all-rounder?
To find out, we've borrowed a
pre-production GTI-the first magazine in the world to do so-for a revealing
350km shakedown experience in the Ile de France region around Paris. The car's
as near as dammit production ready. They call it a 'zero series' model. In this
case that seems to mean zero deviation from the end product which will go on
sale in SA in early July.
The
Golf GTI has grown up alongside its target audience. Like them, it's more
mature, less shouty, more subtle and, in every measurable sense, much better
At first glance it may look evolutionary –
derivative even- but there's a lot going on here. For a start, the new Golf
sits on the VW Group's much talked about new chassis known as 'MQB', which
radically reinvents the way cars are designed and built (see panel opposite).
Then there's a new variable-ratio steering system, a heavily upgraded engine,
and a raft of extra abilities contained within a new 'Performance Pack'.
Golf
keeps its tartan seat covers, but seems to have switched from Stewart to Clark,
or similar. Everything else black with red stitching. Appealing as ever
Look closer and the subtle changes start to
roll our. The trademark red stripe now stretches across the entire front end
into the headlamp housings, the extended rear roof spoiler sears an extra
couple of pigeons, the 19-inch alloy wheels have swapped telephone dials for
axe-heads and there's a starter button.
The
steering wheel's GTI badge is neat enough, but also redundant if you've already
spotted the stitching
The 2.0-litre sounds growly, even at idle.
I rap the accelerator, and it snarls up the rev ladder, vocal and
self-conscious, a politician preparing its re-election speech. The lever of the
six-speed DSG slides into D and then further down into S-after all I didn't
come here to pick the daisies. Rated at 162kW and redlined at 6,200rpm, the
engine differs from the Mk6's power plant: it has reinforced crankshaft
bearings, modified direct fuel-injection , reduced friction, improved
efficiency and an exhaust manifold integrated in the cylinder head. While seven
extra kilowatts are certainly nice to have, what makes the real difference is
the massive increase in torque from 280Nm to 350Nm at 1500 to 4,400rpm. At the
same time fuel consumption is claimed to be 14% better, top speed has squeaked
up from 237kph to 246, and the 0-100kph sprint now rakes 6.5 sec- 0.4 less than
before.
