VW has taken steps to teases would-be buyers of the new Golf GTI. A loose specification has been announced, and a website has been set-up to help buyers choose their specification before ordering the car.
Don't expect the new GTI to be a throwback to the cult status original. The modern Golf is a lot larger and heavier than the first, and fulfils a different role in the market. However, VW has openly boasted that the new Golf GTI will indeed be a driver's car. A new turbocharged 2.0-litre petrol engine will power the GTI. This four-cylinder unit features direct injection and peak power is quoted as 200PS (197bhp). With the aid of turbocharging, and improvements in volumetric efficiency due to direct petrol injection, we expect the engine to provide a significant amount of torque, which perhaps is more useful in real world driving than the need to rev an engine to extract its full power.
The new GTI does not come cheap. Prices will start at £19,995 for the three-door model, with a premium of £500 for 5-door versions. Looking through the specifications on the new site, it seems a little odd that VW's superb DSG gearbox will only be available on 5-door versions. The 3-door 'makes do' with a close ratio six-speed item. Style is an important part of the new GTI ethos: though no images of the production car are provided as yet, the design study shown at the
2003 Frankfurt Motor Show indicates that significant, sporty body modifications will be incorporated, possibly including an Audi-esque full length front grille. We do know that sharp 17-inch alloys will be standard, with 18s as an option.
In the small print of the site, we found the admission that a diesel GTI version will be launched at some future date, boasting between 150 and 160bhp.
The website is found at
www.newgolfgti.co.uk. We will have pictures online next month from the
Paris Show, and hopefully will get our hands on a GTI to review before next summer. UK buyers should start taking delivery in January 2005. Watch out for our review in the main
Road Tests page.
Shane O' Donoghue - 21 Aug 2004
