2019 Volkswagen Golf GTI
Wolfsburg / Paris, 23. September 2004. The Golf GTI is a cult object. Number produced: more than 1.5 million. 93.2 percent of all Europeans recognise it. To them, Grand Tourisme Injection means driving pleasure and great handling. And now the new Golf GTI is here: Its launch phase is being started at the Paris Motor Show. The new model was shown for the first time as a study at the IAA in Frankfurt. Volkswagen is keeping its word and - as announced precisely one year ago - is launching the fifth Golf GTI generation on the first European markets in the autumn. It is thus closing the circle by linking back up to the original version in the series. Faster, more powerful and more independent than ever this Golf is, in the pure sporting tradition, honest and striking. Available in both a two-door and four-door version, the Golf GTI is powered by the 2.0 T-FSI. It has a high compression ratio of 10.5:1 and stands out because of its powerful torque from 1,800 and 5,000 rpm which makes it the ideal sports car engine. Also, for the first time, Volkswagen is using a direct injection petrol engine with exhaust turbo charger. In design terms, the new engine harks back to the 2.0 FSI Series EA-113 with coated direct petrol injection, as already used in the Golf. The main objectives in the development of the turbocharged FSI were, in terms of typical GTI characteristics, a clear improvement in performance whilst retaining the existing low consumption and emission values. Thanks to the core technologies of direction injection, turbocharging, continuous intake camshaft adjustment, variable controlled intake manifold and further modifications inside the engine, a very high level of efficiency was achieved. Like all Golf engines, the 2.0 T-FSI meets the requirements of the EU4 standard.
Before you point the finger at us, know this: We always kept a tire pressure gauge in the car, and we routinely checked it, every time the light went off. But the tire pressure monitoring system was a constant issue with the GTI. Unlike other systems, Volkswagen requires you to manually reset the TPMS yourself after ensuring the pressures are correct, and does not factor in variances for things like changes in temperature. The phrase "tire pressure" is mentioned several times throughout our logbook. What we don't get is, if the system can detect low pressure, can't it then detect correct readings and adjust? Our long-term 2014 Jeep Cherokee could do this. Actually, we had a few other weird issues. As soon as it got warm outside, the GTI's air conditioner stopped working. There was a leak in the air compressor/condenser line - a new one was installed and the system was recharged, after two trips to the dealership. But then the car started clicking - another air conditioning-related problem that you can hear in the video above.
More fighting with the dealership eventually led to more work being done inside the dash, and for the rest of the year, the GTI remained mostly issue-free. The only other issue cropped up right at the end - the low washer fluid warning light would illuminate even when the reservoir was completely full. We turned in the car before having the problem fully evaluated, but we assume it's a faulty sensor, since sometimes it'd be on, other times it'd be off, and the washer fluid tank always had plenty of blue liquid. Otherwise, routine 10,000-mile maintenance and a new windshield (we cracked the first one) were the only reasons the GTI went to the dealership. The tire pressure and air conditioning problems were annoying - and unusual that they happened during the first 20,000 miles of use - but they didn't ruin our overall impressions of the car one bit. This is one of the best everyday performance cars you can buy.
Everyone liked the GTI. Even after 12 months in the fleet, staffers genuinely looked forward to driving it. In the end, we averaged 28.6 miles per gallon, which is dead in the middle of the EPA ratings of 25 city and 34 highway. At times on freeway runs, we even saw numbers in excess of 36 mpg with ease. We used the GTI for commuting, moving, road-tripping, grocery-getting, or just bombing around with our friends, and every time, it was the right choice. Back to the earlier point about Volkswagen as a whole. A couple of weeks before turning in the GTI, a fellow VW driver struck up a conversation at a gas station near my home in Detroit. I replied. And it is. There is perhaps no car our staff has recommended more over the past year than the GTI. It can be everything to everyone, and it truly checks all the right boxes. Super fun to drive? We'd answer yes to all, without hesitation. And even with our tester's small issues, that opinion never changed. Say what you will about Volkswagen, the GTI is still one of the best cars on the road today.
High-end golf courses use a 8.0-inch screen with even more features. The golf range sees the addition of new LED taillights on all models for 2018, but they are otherwise indistinguishable from the range of last year. Even the five-door base, a compact euro-style car, boasts PERT, Continental looks. The real soloists, in terms of human capacity and material transport, are the family and Alltrack models. They are also spacious inside as a crossover, but much more enjoyable to drive. The Alltrack was a new model added last year that echoes the Subaru Outback in a more compact package: a hint of off-road capacity and a little more Butch looks like. There is a dizzying range of models and propeller groups on offer, but VW has simplified things a bit for 2018 with less trim levels. A 1.8-liter turbo-4 that puts out 170 horses and 199 pounds-feet of torque (a figure dropped to 184 lb-ft with the standard stick-Shift) comes on tailgate and carriage versions.
