2019 Volkswagen GTI Vs. 2019 MINI Cooper Hardtop 2-Door
For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Volkswagen GTI are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The MINI Cooper Hardtop 2-Door doesn鈥檛 offer height-adjustable seat belts. The GTI has standard Automatic Post-Collision Braking System, which automatically apply the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Cooper Hardtop 2-Door doesn鈥檛 offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed. The GTI Autobahn鈥檚 lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane and gently nudges the vehicle back towards its lane. The Cooper Hardtop 2-Door doesn鈥檛 offer a lane departure warning system. The GTI SE/Autobahn鈥檚 blind spot warning system uses digital cameras monitored by computer to alert the driver to moving objects in the vehicle鈥檚 blind spots where the side view mirrors don鈥檛 reveal them. The Cooper Hardtop 2-Door doesn鈥檛 offer a system to reveal objects in the driver鈥檚 blind spots. To help make backing safer, the GTI SE/Autobahn鈥檚 cross-path warning system uses wide-angle radar in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. The Cooper Hardtop 2-Door doesn鈥檛 offer a cross-path warning system. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results.
Front axle differential lock. The electronically controlled lock has a positive effect on active safety and driving dynamics, because it practically prevents the power-related understeer that can occur in powerful front-wheel drive cars. This makes handling precise, and has a stabilising effect in load-alteration induced oversteer. The reason: VAQ increases the power to the wheel on the outside of the curve, which also optimises the vehicle's speed through bends. Traction is also improved when driving on loose and wet road surfaces and in turning situations. Progressive steering. The new progressive steering system is celebrating a world premiere in the Golf GTI. It is a standard feature for both power levels. Thanks to this steering system, the driver can turn the car through a desired radius with fewer turns of the steering wheel. In other words, the driver does not need to reach over the wheel as often. That may sound simple, but it is revolutionary.
The reason is that conventional steering systems work with a constant gear ratio. The new steering of the Volkswagen Golf GTI, meanwhile, operates with a progressive steering gear ratio. This noticeably reduces steering work when manoeuvring and parking. On country roads with lots of bends, and when making turns, the driver experiences a benefit in dynamics due to the more direct layout. Technically, progressive steering differs from the basic steering system due to the rack and pinion's variable tooth spacing and a more powerful electric motor. Its functional difference: unlike with constant steering ratios, which by necessity always represent a compromise between dynamic performance and comfort, here the steering rack's toothing is significantly modified by the steering stroke. Variable ratios have long been known in the area of hydraulic steering systems; however, the tuning of such a steering system is subject to very tight limits, so that the driver is not overtaxed by the transitional behaviour. Like all six Golf GTI generations before it, the seventh generation concept car being shown in Paris is distinguished from other Golf models by numerous additional equipment features and classic GTI insignia.
Overall, the seventh generation Golf is also visually more dynamic than the previous one. The objective of the designers was to develop an even more striking and sporty character into the new Golf GTI - the goal was to give the GTI a lower, wider image with a more challenging character. Volkswagen Design developed numerous individual, detailed solutions for the new Golf GTI and integrated them harmoniously into the overall visual concept. Important here is the fact that the GTI-specific design elements are not simply "add-on" solutions, but are integrated into the overall design of the car. One significant reason for this is that the GTI was designed in parallel to the "normal" Golf - and this made it possible to coordinate perfectly the differentiating characteristics of the two model versions. At the front end, with its LED fog lights specially customised for the GTI, a powerful and significant GTI element attracts attention, which has now been fully reinterpreted: the red stripe. In the first generation of the car it surrounded the rectangular radiator grille completely. On the sixth generation GTI there were two red stripes, which framed the grille at the top and bottom.
Now, on the seventh generation car, the red stripe marks the lower edge of the radiator grille, but for the first time it extends further to the left and right, up to the housings of the bi-xenon headlights. So, the red line now runs completely across the front end. GTI insignia in the interior. The very first GTI had this feature: seat covers in legendary tartan pattern. The sixth generation Golf GTI used "Jacky" fabric, and in the transition to the new GTI generation this has been redesigned and is now named "Clark". Naturally, the tartan pattern was retained. The sport seats (in front, with sliding drawers under the seats) have exceptionally good ergonomic properties. Step in, sit down, adjust the backrest angle and the distance to the steering wheel, buckle up, and you're all ready to drive. Nonetheless, the front seats also have height adjustment and a manually adjustable lumbar support. Red decorative seams in the area of the seats and the gear shift trim provide a sporty contrast; the black roofliner that is always part of the GTI emphasises the sporty layout of the interior. Also making a strong statement is the GTI instrument cluster with a colour display and independent graphics of its instruments. It is no coincidence that it resembles high-end chronographs.
