2019 VW Golf GTI TCR Price, Specs And Release Date
Volkswagen has revealed the race-inspired Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR (which stands for Touring Car Racing) concept at a Volkswagen festival in Austria. It鈥檚 tipped to preview a new hardcore version of the GTI, which is expected to go on sale in the next 12 months. Before this high-performance model goes on sale, see how much you can save on the standard (but still very speedy) VW Golf GTI. Click 鈥榣ogin鈥?in the top-right-hand corner to sign in and configure a brand-new car, or browse our extensive range of pre-reg, ex-demo, new, nearly new and used in-stock cars. To find out more about the 2019 VW Golf GTI TCR, read our review of it here. The Golf GTI TCR takes its name from the TCR international motor-racing series - a championship contested by racing cars based on road-going models. Thankfully, not everything in the TCR costs extra. It comes with more powerful brakes and remodelled front and rear bumpers to help channel air more efficiently around the car. Inside, you get supportive sports seats with bright red trims that give a modern twist on the traditional tartan pattern you get in the standard GTI. This red theme continues on the dashboard, steering wheel, gear lever and doors, and even the seatbelts come with red stitching down each side. VW hasn鈥檛 confirmed when the TCR will go on sale or how much it鈥檒l cost, but you can expect to see it in showrooms in late-2018 or early-2019.
I floored the clutch pedal, held the brake, and fired up the VR6. It was smooth and refined, exactly what you鈥檇 expect from a European car, discreetly rumbling underneath me. It was at that moment that I wished I had a Big Shiny Tunes CD to throw into that period-correct Bose sound system. As I grabbed the sloppy shifter, I noticed a sticker next to it explaining how to drive stick, complete with what is possibly the worst French translation on Earth. I checked my blind spots using my neck. No fancy blind spot monitoring here. The road was clear. I depressed the friction-less clutch pedal, and off I went, sitting upright in my little green bread box, attracting absolutely no attention to myself. Most of my disappointments came from the fact that this is an old car, and that we鈥檝e become used to the creature comforts of modern automobiles.
We鈥檝e made a lot of progress in terms of ergonomics and cabin space. New cars are also enormous, so getting back into an actual compact from 20 years ago felt cramped. I mentioned the clutch earlier. It鈥檚 the biggest letdown. I was expecting something with a little more bite, but this one feels like your foot is going through a bucket of liquid fat. Perhaps Volkswagen wanted to market this as a luxury car? 28,000 (CAD) price tag at the time. That鈥檚 41 grand in today鈥檚 money, for a damn Jetta! But apart from that, seriously, this car didn鈥檛 disappoint me much. There鈥檚 an overall sensation of solidity, from how the doors thump shut, or how the entire car鈥檚 structure reacts to potholes and thawing spring roads. While I felt enormous in the car, front seat pulled back to destroy whatever rear passenger would have sat there, it was a comfortable ride. If not for the 19 mpg fuel consumption average, this would be a fantastic daily driver.
Plus, the VR6 isn鈥檛 just melodious, it has plenty of low-end grunt, so no need to downshift to obtain forward thrust. The entire car鈥檚 chassis was still impeccably well held together too, no unwanted rattles or cabin noises you鈥檇 expect from a twenty year-old car, which says a lot about the build quality of Volkswagens at the time. At least, its engine doesn鈥檛. I was impressed at how quick this thing felt after all the modern turbocharged machines I drive. Prior to driving this, I had just gotten out of a 2019 BMW 330i; a quick sedan, yet the old Volks didn鈥檛 let me down. The VR6 isn鈥檛 just filled with low end twist, it loves to rev and has fantastic throttle response, all while remaining smooth and rumbly until it hits redline. God I love that exhaust note, though. Makes you notice what we鈥檝e lost through turbocharging. Sure, the shift knob is a little wobbly by today鈥檚 standards, but gears click into each other in a satisfying, almost addictive matter.
