VW Golf GTI Tears Up The American Autobahn
Last Memorial Day weekend, I drove a base Volkswagen Golf -- with a five-speed manual transmission -- all across Indiana and Illinois to visit family and friends. It rode comfortably, handled well, and very-much enjoyed the left lane at pretty-much whatever speed I chose. But, I had to think how much more I might have liked all of that driving in the sportier and more powerful Golf GTI. Last weekend, I found out. While it looks sleeker and meaner, the GTI is encapsulated in the same streamlined two-boxish design as other Golfs. That鈥檚 fine, because it looks like an evolution of the original Giugiaro-designed GTI from the '70s and is as practical for daily use as any other Golf. In GTI trim, the front sports the iconic red line grille surround, aggressive lower facia, and adaptive LED headlamps, Monochrome paint and 18-inch alloys dominate the side profile while large bright twin exhaust outlets announce its pedigree.
Flip open the rear hatch and fling down the split/fold rear seats to toss in a bicycle, camping gear, or your big panting dog. You may not want that beast to dribble on the deeply-bolstered heated leather sport seats with red stitching up front. Keep him away from the thick flat-bottom steering wheel too. No need to chew that up. The rest of the interior is deceptively simple, but nothing fells cheap. Infotainment, including crisp Fender audio and navigation, can be controlled with the big swipe-sensitive touchscreen, voice, or via actual volume and tuning knobs. Dual-zone automatic climate control blows ice cold, even while sitting in traffic on a 100-degree day. The power sunroof, Bluetooth, and Apple Carplay make drives more enjoyable. They鈥檙e also safer given the full suite of crash-avoidance technology aboard the GTI Autobahn. A rearview camera is expected, but the car also comes with radar-adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning with crash mitigation, rear cross path detection, blind spot warning, and lane keep assist systems. It even has an automated parallel parking system.
Enough talk; let鈥檚 get on the road. Base Golfs come with a 170 horsepower 1.8-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine, but the GTI hammers highways with a 2.0-liter turbo-four generating 220 horsepower and 258 lb.-ft. The six-speed manual would be fantastic if it had slightly shorter throws. There鈥檚 enough power to get off the line swiftly and kick it up on-ramps and onto freeways with ease, but that same turbo sweeps the car forward when you want to pass or clip through mountains. A limited slip front differential gets power to the ground with a minimum of fuss. Fuel economy is rated 25/33-MPG city/highway. The car can definitely swallow long distances in single gulps鈥ith adjustments. The Mode select button allows drivers to configure the throttle and chassis from Eco to Comfort, Normal, and Sport. There鈥檚 even a custom screen that allows you to select your own preferences. Want the sensitive throttle with a comfortable ride? No problem. After a few hours on the Interstate, the throaty exhaust tone and stiff suspension was starting to wear, so I clicked from Sport to Comfort and it transformed into an entirely calmer experience. Any car with 鈥淎utobahn鈥?in its name better be capable of covering vast distances in a big hurry. And, nobody driving a GTI will be disappointed in its capability to zap miles with laser focus (or at least radar focus). Even better, it is as practical as any other Golf. It looks especially fetching in red, but that鈥檚 probably not the best color for annihilating America鈥檚 Autobahns. 35,920. For even more performance, step up to the Golf R and enjoy its 292 horsepower connected to AWD. However you take your Golf, there鈥檚 plenty of left-lane driving in your future.
That鈥檚 3.0 litres per 100km in case you鈥檇 forgotten, not 3.0 litres of swept volume. So the Bluemotion uses the Polo鈥檚 existing 1.4-litre TDI triple, but adds a variable geometry blower to improve torque just above idle. Presumably that flush grille plays some sort of part? Yes - the grille, front bumper and rear lip spoiler are all the result of wind-tunnel work although the drag co-efficient can鈥檛 be that much different. Inside the Bluemotion receives unique seat trims and blue interior lighting and a multifunction computer to help you keep tabs on your fuel consumption. Does it drive like a regular planet-killing Polo? It鈥檚 certainly noisy, a mixture of wind and engine roar although no sound proofing has been removed. And what about this Passat Bluemotion you said was unveiled at Geneva? Fast it isn鈥檛, which is no surprise given it鈥檚 powered by a 105bhp TDI engine. But it does do 55.4mpg and produces 137g/km of CO2. The best the next greenest Passat can do is 50.4mpg and 148g/km, but that鈥檚 what you鈥檙e stuck with for now because the Bluemotion version doesn鈥檛 arrive here until Christmas. At an estimated 拢11,500 when it arrives here in July (within 拢250 of an equivalent ordinary Polo TDI), the Polo Bluemotion is bound to find fans. But unless you鈥檙e hell-bent on minimising your carbon footprint, the sums don鈥檛 really add up. The difference in fuel bills between the 72mpg Polo Bluemotion and an ordinary 63mpg Polo TDI would be just 拢80 per year for the average driver, although company car users would save a few pounds on tax. It鈥檚 a good effort but it鈥檚 no miracle worker.
