Volkswagen Golf GTI: Which Generation Beats Them All?
Truth is, the Golf did something the earlier French and Italian hot hatches did not: it worked. So 40 years after the Golf GTI, we thought it time to revisit the genre with a mission simply to decide which is best. There have been seven generations to date, but for reasons that will become clear in a separate story (top right), we had few qualms about skipping versions three and four. Six was also left in the lorry because we felt it sufficiently close to five to add little to the debate. No trouble knowing where to start. The Mk1 sits there, quiet and humble yet with an aura beaming out so strong that it blinds your view of its offspring. You are drawn to it naturally and inevitably. Inside and out, it is delightfully, deliciously simple. And small. Compared with a new Golf GTI, it is almost half a metre shorter, 16cm narrower and, most astonishing of all, half a tonne lighter. There are entire cars that weigh less than that.
Our example is a late car so has a 1.8-litre single-cam motor pushing out 112bhp, 2bhp more than the 1.6 original but with a useful additional slug of mid-range torque. Such outputs might seem mere trifles today, but for family hatchbacks 40 years ago, they were a new level. And remember the weight, and lack thereof. There鈥檚 not much scope for achieving the perfect driving position because the wheel is fixed but it鈥檚 comfortable enough and the interior logically arranged and childishly easy to use. Grab that golf ball gearlever and go. It鈥檚 quick. I鈥檝e estimated a conservative 0-60mph time of 8.8sec but I鈥檝e seen plenty of claims that it鈥檚 faster, one suggesting an 8.2sec capability. But it鈥檚 the smoothness of the engine you remember most, combined with its willingness to rev. There鈥檚 more character in this engine note than in an entire showroom of turbocharged Golf motors, backed by a brilliantly swift and precise gearchange.
As if everybody forgot the Golf GTI introduced the range-topping TCR last year at Worthersee, Volkswagen is much obliged to remind us what makes it great. The truth of the matter is, the touring car is based on the road-going Golf GTI. Now that this rant is over, there鈥檚 no denying the Golf GTI TCR is a fun-to-drive hot hatchback. Starting at 38,950 euros in Germany, this pocket rocket features 290 PS (286 horsepower) from 2.0 liters of displacement and 380 Nm (280 pound-feet) available from 1,950 up to 5,300 rpm. There鈥檚 no other way of saying this, but the GTI TCR is the fastest front-wheel-drive Golf that Volkswagen sells these days. Part of this speed (5.6 seconds to 100 km/h; 260 km/h on full song) comes down to the seven-speed DSG, a transmission that鈥檚 also used by the Golf R (4.6 seconds; 267 km/h). The limited-edition Golf GTI Clubsport S might鈥檝e been more hardcore and some people prefer a three-pedal setup, but fret not. There鈥檚 an all-new Golf in the pipeline for before the ID. November 2019, featuring an evolution of the MQB and upgraded engine options. EA288 Evo is the name of the redesigned 2.0 TDI the Golf will use, sporting a 12-volt belt starter-generator system. In addition to mild-hybrid assistance, there鈥檚 talk the Golf R could be pushed to 400 PS or thereabouts. Reports in the German automotive media peg the Golf GTI in the ballpark of 300 PS, also coming courtesy of the 2.0 TSI.
The Volkswagen Touareg is a luxury 4x4 (US: SUV) automobile manufactured by Volkswagen. It is the first of this class ever produced by this manufacturer. It rides on the Volkswagen E platform. The Touareg was co-developed with Porsche, who was also looking to add an SUV to their lineup, as a cost-sharing initiative. Porsche shares this chassis to underpin their Cayenne SUV, although there are numerous styling, equipment and technical differences between the two vehicles. Also, the Touareg replaced the Eurovan for North America as the company's truck. 450 hp (331 kW) 6.0 L gasoline W12, 599 N路m (442 ft路lbf) (somewhat limited-edition. The Diesel V10 was offered in the United States for a limited time in 2004 and 2005, but 鈥?emissions regulations forced it off the market for a temporary period. The W12 version should reach 100 km/h (60 mph) in 5.9 seconds. Production of the W12 Touareg is limited to 500 units.
Of these, 330 are slated for Saudi Arabia, with none going to the United States. The Touareg was a joint project developed by Porsche and Volkswagen, initially called E1. The goal was to create an off-road vehicle that could handle as a sports car. The team, with over 300 people, was lead by Klaus-Gerhard Wolpert and was based in Weissach im Tal, Germany. The Volkswagen Touareg is built in Bratislava, Slovakia. The manufacturing plant shares production with Touareg-cousins Porsche Cayenne and Audi Q7. Due to the demand, and the exchange rates of Euro vs. Dollar, as well as different pricing and environmental policies in the USA, only V6 and V8 are available for the North American market. A very limited number of the 2004 V10 diesel engine units were sent and are currently highly priced, even on the used market. Interestingly enough, diesel is the ecological option used around the world.
