The Volkswagen GTI Two-Door Is Dead
The two-door Volkswagen GTI is dead, we learned at the brand鈥檚 full-line launch event today. Production of the model has ended, VW confirmed upon our inquiry: 鈥淭he trend is clearly shifting toward four-door models,鈥?said Volkswagen of America鈥檚 marketing chief, Hendrik Muth. Previously, VW had indicated that the two-door would continue for 2017 but in base trim only. The decision mirrors VW鈥檚 Golf R offering, which also comes as a four-door only; the two-door Golf already had been dropped. At Audi, CEO Rupert Stadler has publicly questioned the wisdom of the two-door versions of the Audi A1 and A3, both of which are not available in the United States. What hasn鈥檛 ended, fortunately, is production of the manual transmission for the GTI. And VW has upgraded content of the GTI for the 2017 model year. 600 cheaper than the corresponding four-door. It was available by order only, which could make it hard for anyone seeking the body style of the original GTI to hunt down one of the remaining two-doors.
It鈥檚 truly a beast. For reference, my Golf R is putting 350 horsepower and 370ft/lbs of torque to the wheels. Specs below are crank, not wheel horsepower. The GTI takes 87 Octane fuel. No. The R is going to cost 3-5K more than a maxed out GTI depending on how you spec it. I went with 19鈥?wheels, DCC, Navigation and that means a Golf R at 39.5K USD a full 4K more than the highest configured GTI with every bell and whistle short of a GTI roof rack. 550 depending on where you live (city dealerships charge more) and it is required on the Golf R / S3 but not the GTI. The Golf R having larger wheels & tires will cost you as well as the insurance cost will be slightly higher. A few years ago, my insurance company put the Golf R down as a regular TSI Golf. They鈥檝e learned their lesson and now charge appropriately putting the cost about 15% higher than a GTI despite the car not being 15% more expensive. I guess Golf R drivers are living up to the performance available to them.
The R has larger brakes than the GTI but not the GTI w/ PP. In the past, that鈥檚 been correct and yes, a more expensive car up front should logically sell for more than the cheaper car assuming similar age & miles. But, the R models from VW used to be every 4 years. Now, the Golf R will see a regular production cycle on a yearly basis. More Golf R in the world, less resale retention than previous Golf R models. Anyone guaranteeing resale values doesn鈥檛 know what they鈥檙e talking about. The GTI has an electronically controlled limited slip differential. So people will tell you the front wheel issues of yesteryear are no longer an issue. They鈥檙e less pronounced but they鈥檙e certainly not eliminated. Golf R also suffers from understeer being a front-biased AWD system. Aside from aftermarket parts, there鈥檚 not much you can do to defeat physics. Sorry Subaru guys. You might receive a new engine in your STI next year but for now, these statements are horrible.
The Golf R stock is a 4.4 second car 0-60. Unless you weigh 400 pounds with a trunk full of concrete, you鈥檒l do that the moment you roll off the lot. VWoA under-sold the speed in their marketing materials. Probably to maintain the superior Audi brand image but the truth is, this car is very fast. No stock Subaru can do that. STI had received a new engine this year, maybe. The GTI on the other hand, it鈥檚 pretty close to the WRX if only it had the ability to send power to all 4 wheels. My Stage II Golf R will hit 60 in 3.5, sometimes 3.3 seconds. There are obviously some cars omitted here but that鈥檚 how I see the breakdown in sheer lap times and overall grocery getter fun level. A couple of these can be switched around but with a 30K USD gap between all of them, it really comes down to budget. If I couldn鈥檛 afford the Golf R, I鈥檇 probably go WRX.
If I couldn鈥檛 afford that, I鈥檇 go BRZ or GTI. Are you in Europe? A USA buyer can purchase these things from Europe on eBay and install them quite easily but they are not options here. Something I didn鈥檛 touch on earlier is the Golf R for now is still made in Wolfsburg. The reason primarily is Puebla Mexico isn鈥檛 tooled for All Wheel Drive (4-Motion / Haldex) so any AWD VWs are made in Germany. Bringing a Golf R here with those features would put the MSRP up to Audi S3 territory and VW AG doesn鈥檛 want that. That鈥檚 the most likely reason. If you鈥檙e buying a Golf R today (2016 model year), expect dealers to be jerks. Further, don鈥檛 buy an R if the dealer has added a 鈥渕arket valuation increase鈥?to the sticker. 4,500 to the sticker price due to demand. I bought mine for Invoice cost. You can as well. At the end of the day, the Golf R is the better car but does the extra price make sense to you? Make sure you factor in the insurance increase, fuel economy, higher octane requirements, Haldex service, larger wheels and tires and the up front costs. Golf R. You鈥檒l love AWD and while I didn鈥檛 do a good job of selling it, the AWD is an improvement over GTI in dry, wet and snow handling. I鈥檇 recommend test driving both fully expecting to buy the R if you love it. Email me if you have any more questions.
