VW Golf GTI: Not about nostalgia, it's all about performance

Lately the news about the VW Golf GTI have all been about its advertising, the Fast mascot, but also about the Speedy Gonzalez ads.
Time to talk about the car again.

Back then, GTI Generation 1 offered a remarkable amount of performance - very nearly that of the big-name German sports sedans - for remarkably less money, wrapped in a utilitarian three-door hatchback body. It started the hot hatch trend in this country. Like the original, the new GTI has attitude galore for a very reasonable price, and the performance to back it up.

Of course, standards have raised in 23 years, so today's GTI is more refined and considerably quicker. Back at the end of the Automotive Dark Ages, the `83 GTI's 90-horsepower 1.8-liter single overhead cam, fuel-injected engine and five-speed gearbox gave it the ability to go from 0 to 60 mph in 9.7 seconds, with a top speed of just over 100 mph. All for around $8,500. Doesn't sound too impressive today? Back then the other performance value was the Porsche 944 - good for a 0-60 time of 7.5 seconds, with a top speed in the vicinity of 120 mph, and yours for around $20,000. Quicker? You bet. But not by a performance for the dollar measure.

Yes, times have changed, and for the better. The new GTI, based on the same platform as the Jetta, and the upcoming next-generation Golf, is a three-door hatch like the original. In further nods to heritage, it even has the familiar red pinstriping around its grille, and tartan cloth seats. But the newest GTI is not about nostalgia, it's all about performance.

Stylistically, the new GTI is evolutionary, with the most noticeable difference from the previous generation at the front in the form of VW's new-look grille treatment. But rather than the chrome chin trim of the Jetta and Passat, the GTI gets a blackout look that goes well with its red-trimmed matte-black honeycomb grille. A roof spoiler is found at the rear. Standard wheels are 17-inch alloys, with 225/45 WR17 performance tires. Even lower-profile tires on 18-inch rims are available.

Inside, the new GTI is definitely not an exercise in nostalgia. OK, the standard seat cloth is a nod to the past, but the interior design is pure modern Volkswagen, and the car is equipped to a high standard, with power windows, mirrors, and locks with remote locking, single-zone climate control, an AM/FM/6-CD sound system that also plays MP3 CDs, an antitheft alarm system, and two power outlets in the center console and another in the cargo area.

With a price range from $22,620 through $29,590, the 2006 Volkswagen GTI offers a high degree of performance, comfort, and refinement for its price. And it has far more character than is commonly found is today's cars, best exemplified by that cheeky robo-rabbit. Fast, indeed.

Related news: GermanCarBlog, P4MR, VW Golf GTI

Source: The Auto Channel

VW Golf GTI: Not about nostalgia, it's all about performance

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