Volkswagen GTI Price, Images, Review & Specs
Volkswagen was arguably the pioneer of the hot hatch with the very first Golf GTI. It was a simple matter of putting more power in a small hatchback to make a simple, relatively inexpensive and fun-to-drive car. Over the years, Volkswagen has given the GTI treatment to the consecutive generations of their small cars. In 2016, they finally brought one to the Indian market - the Polo GTI for Rs 19.99 lakh (ex-showroom). The fifth-gen Polo GTI is powered by a 1.8-litre TSI engine that produces 192PS of max power and 250Nm of peak torque. This three-door, five-seat hatchback, listed by Volkswagen India as the Volkswagen GTI, is capable of doing 0-100kph in 7.2 seconds with power being sent to the front wheels via Volkswagen鈥檚 7-speed PDK automatic transmission. Unfortunately, only a small number of units were allocated for the Indian market and Volkswagen has no plans to bring more to the country.
I have to say this was one of those cars I have experienced that actually allowed me to have a normal conversation with my co-driver feeling relaxed at those speeds on the highway. Some premium sedans priced slightly higher than this felt a little twitchier than this hatchback. This had rock solid tracking at close to full chat on the highway. In terms of outright handling in the corners, the car is forgiving. It corners with a more neutral to a slightly rearward balance in terms of overall cornering attitude even though it is a front wheel drive. This is the XDS working its magic as it allows power to be channelled to where it is needed the most during cornering. Couple this with other stability controls and the GTI corner well indeed. The steering is fast enough for mid-corner correction and in tight corners; you feel the car working with you with the tail assisting you through the corners. I would actually suggest taking a more out-in to the apex-out type of cornering on a tight hillside road rather than keeping to the middle lines as the car does have a looser rear end than you might expect.
This actually means that this is a traditional driver鈥檚 car in this aspect. In short, there are no major faults in terms of the New Golf GTI鈥檚 outright pace and performance. As it is, the car may have no direct competitors at this price. Renault does not have its latest Megane RS here yet. The current Mercedes-Benz A250 AMG Line is actually on its way out as the new generation one has recently been launched overseas, but it does not work as well as the GTI overall. Honda has forsaken this hot hatch category for the hyper hatch category. Subaru has gone fully sedan with the current WRX and STI. Mitsubishi now sells SUVs only. So the Golf GTI could actually be the best of the lot in terms of price, performance and that driver鈥檚 experience as well as being refined for the daily commute. And it also still looks good after all these years with its little bit of red highlights here and there.
The Golf 1.4 TSI R-Line is the better looking of the two entry level Golfs sold in Malaysia. There is the plain Jane Golf TSI Sportline with its smaller wheels, more basic headlights and has no dynamic indicators. This R-Line gets larger 17 inch 225/45/17 tyres and wheels, a bodykit, LED lights with dynamic indicators and also XDS electronic diff lock to name a few. You pay RM159,888 for it compared to RM146,888 for the Sportline. I must say in this case I would actually put my money down for the extra bits of the R-Line. The wheels and XDS (Extended Differential Lock) system actually make the Golf TSI a much more interesting drive if you鈥檙e really pushing it. It also looks so much better than the plain Jane Golf TSI. Make-up is good. Lots of women attest to this simple fact. Add the bright yellow paintjob that our test car had and the TSI R-Line is interesting to look at.
Anyway, it is fun to drive. Not as powerful as the GTI or R, but it still brought a lot to the plate. Things do not feel as tied down as the GTI but its all good. On the autocross course Volkswagen Malaysia put together in Puteri Harbour, it was all smooth flowing through the corners and braked well too. It may only have 150PS and 250Nm torque from the 1.4liter turbocharged engine, but it is actually enough to have a bit of fun inside the TSI R-Line. There is a nice balance in terms of tyre size and performance. You get a decent amount of traction and it works well for high speed stability over the smaller tyres you get in the Sportline. I remember trying out the pre-facelifted 1.4 TSI on the smaller 16inch wheels and whilst it was good, this one is much better in terms of its overall balance.
