Used 2019 Volkswagen Golf GTI Pricing - For Sale
Though an all-new model, the 2015 Volkswagen GTI feels more like a very subtle refinement of the formula Volkswagen has been tweaking for decades. It may have slightly more horsepower than the GTI it replaces and the nav screen and interior may have a few more refinements, but this new car doesn't push any boundaries. It looks good, rips through the canyons and doesn't beat you over the head with racy elements. The Volkswagen GTI is the hot hatch that invented the hot-hatch segment, and the formula hasn't changed. Start with a standard Golf hatchback, jack up the horsepower, throw on a sporty suspension and offer a few unique interior details like plaid seats. The 2015 GTI is all new and slightly larger than the car it replaces. It still comes standard with a 2.0-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder but it's a new-generation engine that delivers 10 more horsepower than last year's 200-hp version.
For 2015, there's also an optional Performance Pack that boosts output to 220 hp along with the addition of an electronic limited-slip differential (e-LSD) and larger brakes. Our test car had the Performance Pack and it's a nice addition. Sending 220 horses through the front wheels is often a recipe for disaster (or lame, one-wheel burnouts) so the e-LSD helps the GTI dig itself out of corners with less tire squeal. All GTIs come with a six-speed manual transmission as standard equipment. A six-speed dual-clutch automatic (DSG) is optional across the board and it's what we tested here. What Body Styles and Trims Are Available? As before, you can get a GTI with either two or four doors. The standard equipment list is long and includes 18-inch wheels and tires, LED foglights, tartan cloth upholstery, a touchscreen stereo with iPhone integration and Bluetooth. Step on up, son, to the SE. Sunroof. Automatic headlights. Keyless ignition.
Rearview camera. Leather. More stereo. There's the Autobahn package that adds navigation, a power driver seat and dual-zone climate control. Options include the Driver Assistance package (front and rear parking sensors, a forward collision warning system); the Lighting package (bi-xenon headlights, LED running lights); summer tires; and the Performance Pack that can be bolstered by a further optional adaptive suspension. 1,495 Performance Pack, no charge summer tires and DSG transmission. How Does It Drive Around Town? Remember a few sentences ago when we noted that the GTI comes standard with 18-inch wheels and tires? They do the GTI no favors in the ride quality department. Our test car was equipped with the optional summer tires with relatively short 40-series sidewalls. Roughly translated, this means there was very little rubber between the road and the wheel to help keep the ride smooth. Pair this with the GTI's stiff suspension and you've got a recipe for a Teutonic bounce-house. The ride isn't bad by performance car standards, but the GTI has set a high benchmark for itself, and the sometimes-harsh ride didn't meet our expectations.
How Does It Really Drive? If ride quality is your primary concern, a Golf might be a better choice. When driven the way a GTI was originally intended to be driven, this 2015 is, in a word, terrific. Though we have talented test drivers and spent significant time gathering test numbers, the results don't tell the whole story. Zero to 60 mph comes up in 5.9 seconds (with 1 foot of rollout) and the quarter-mile passes in 14.5 seconds at 97.7 mph. Not bad numbers, especially for the class. The numbers are from a dead stop and in this type of scenario, as well as in slow stop-and-go traffic, Volkswagen's DSG transmission is out of its element. Slow to react and with tons of intentional clutch slippage, the GTI doesn't get out of the hole very quickly. Compounding the issue, the 2.0-liter four-cylinder doesn't make much power below about 2,800 rpm.
