VW Golf GTI: First drive report

VWvortex has a great first drive report about the VW Golf GTI with the US specifications.

The new GTI is a solid and aggressive sports model with a unique automatic manual DSGTM transmission that utilizes direct shifting which essentially automatically depresses clutch-shift points more efficiently and quicker than even a professional driver can. But the GTI today is all purity, and for those who want the unique control of a clutch, the all-new GTI comes with a standard six-speed manual transmission. Top speed is electronically governed at 130 miles per hour in the U.S.

As always, the GTI is based wholly on one of the world’s most popular and enduring models—the Volkswagen Golf. This fifth-generation Golf platform is renowned for its solidity and sophistication that make it one of the best selling models in the world. Built in Wolfsburg, Germany, the home of Volkswagen, the GTI benefits from Volkswagen’s high-tech production process that includes industry-leading robotics in its assembly technology and sequences.

Based on its already solid predecessor, the new GTI records double-digit improvements in its dynamic and tensional rigidity—15 percent and 35 percent, respectively, to be exact. This is partially achieved through the use of more high-strength body panels, Volkswagen world-class design and engineering, and during production, advanced laser-welding systems that require a new-generation of robotics and elaborate laser-driven measuring check points. The result is a dramatic increase in precise laser-welded seams, normally reserved for cars in much higher segments of the market. The net benefit of the Gate’s laser bonding process is a class-leading fit and finish, heightened body strength, crash protection, dialed-in driving dynamics, and reduced interior noise—all key components that set the GTI apart from its hatchback competitors. The heart of the 2006 GTI is Volkswagen’s new and highly regarded 2.0T turbocharged four-cylinder engine producing 200 hp at 5,100 to 6,000 revolutions per minute and 207 ft.-lbs. of torque from 1,800 to 5.000 rpm.