Road Test: Volkswagen Golf GTI DSG

By Feann Torr - 22/7/05

It was in June of 1976 in Germany that Volkswagen's Golf GTI made its first appearance - an 820kg, 81kW hot hatch. Planned as a limited edition model, restricted to a short production run of 5000 units, it's now quite obvious that something went very right - as here we are, testing the fifth generation 2005 model Golf GTI.

That first generation Mk1 GTI from the mid '70s had a top speed of 182km/h, was equipped with a 4-speed transmission and sat on 13-inch wheels with 175/70 profile tyres.

Today the technologically advanced Golf GTI peaks at 235km/h, can be equipped with a dual-clutch direct shift 6-speed gearbox and sits on rotund 17-inch, 225/45 aspect ratio tyres.

In the past 29 years, the Golf GTI has seen many iterations, including some red hot diesel models as well, and Volkswagen has made it abundantly clear that heritage is a vital part of the GTI's allure, and no doubt it will help fuel the car's popularity.

But from where we sit, there's only a few things that matter, mainly because we've not driven past models, and have no yardstick for comparison. As such, we're more interested in A) how it corners, B) how it accelerates, and C) whether or not it will spill chai tea all over ones freshly ironed wool gabardines at 212km/h. All very important criterions, and all of them will be investigated in this article, as well as the usefulness and feel of the new direct shift gearbox (DSG).

Because if the new GTI fails to excite, then you can just about forget almost 30 years of hard work that's gone into the GTI badge. Ergo, let's have a look:

The Golf GTI is one very handsome hot hatch

The Golf GTI is just as happy to pootle along casually in the suburbs as it is wringing every last kilowatt from its smooth 147kW turbo mill

It's not everyday that I get to drive a vehicle with two clutches, so when Volkswagen announced its power packed GTI would be available with the DSG (direct shift gearbox), I jumped at the chance to have a fang.

And fang it does. But more on that in just a jiffy.

After acquainting myself with the controls, aligning the mirrors and finding a comfy seating position, I eased out the handbrake and tickled the throttle, noticing good response - it's neither too sensitive nor overly slow to respond to input.

Seeing as the VW pickup was a dealership in Hawthorn - an old, pleasant, leafy suburb ten minutes out of the Melbourne CBD - I had plenty of peak hour traffic to contend with on the way back to the office, but the Golf proved itself more than up to the task.

It's short wheelbase and compact proportions enable it to dart in and out of the traffic flow with ease, while the smart looking exterior - low slung with stylish 17-inch wheels - was cause enough for many drivers to courteously let me in.

Rearward vision is good via the rear view and wing mirrors, and the small steering wheel and sharp steering makes for effortless lane changes and smooth 90° cornering.

Leaving the transmission in 'D' mode was perfect for the stop start of commuter traffic - the gear changes were barely noticed and my initial impressions of the DSG were very positive indeed.

And even in motion the direct shift gearbox has an aggressive gear change pattern in 'D'; it will gear down rapidly when you stick your foot in, dropping smack bang into the large wave of torque that peaks at 280Nm from as low as 1800rpm (see graph below for torque curve).

Before long I decided to take the 'scenic' way to Wombat HQ, which included a dash down the highway, and it was here that I got a sense of just how athletic this new GTI is.

Powered by the new VW 2.0-litre turbo engine with fuel stratified injection (FSI) - or direct petrol injection in layman's terms - the lowered, front-wheel drive hot hatch accelerates from standstill in a very linear, unflustered, yet eminently forceful manner.

I foresaw fireworks, torque steer and some manhandling of the tiller as a by product of the big power going to the front hoops, and though the front wheels would squeal right through first gear until about 65km/h (always good for a lark) the GTI always feels quite solid and sure of itself, and far from the underweight/overpowered precocious child I was expecting.

The electro-mechanical power steering helps in some respects towards keeping things from going haywire under full throttle, and I should mention that the steering wheel itself is a very nice piece of work with motorsports connotations in its flat underside (see photos).

The go-fast Golf feels very rapid, no doubt about that; the turbocharged nature of the engine supplies occupants with a very discernible 'build-up' of power as the turbocharger recirculates exhaust gases and engine hits its fat torque curve that's as flat as ruler from 1800rpm to 5000rpm. This torque is pretty much consistent across the mid range, and means you can change gears at around 4500rpm while still steaming ahead with what feels like maximum velocity.

Straight line acceleration is one thing, but when the road starts to curve the overabundance of torque becomes a hindrance, and without the electronic stability programme (ESP) turned on the wheels perpetually spin. Yet even when the car's computer brain decides to retard power delivery in corners to avoid loss of traction, the Golf GTI proves its worth, and will no doubt make the traditionalists and long-time GTI fans very happy with its high levels of grip.

Safety features abound in the GTI, including airbags for front and rear passengers and a plethora of driving aids: ABS, ASR, ESP, EDL

Responsive handling combine with a supple ride, making this a more forgiving car than the WRX

The multi-function steering wheel is practical and looks very sporty, and the horn is two tone jobbie (note: European manual interior shown, not DSG)

It handles very nicely - the speed sensitive steering works tremendously well - carving up smooth surfaced bends with glee and it even manages to deal with the rough surfaces of poorly maintained country and B-roads rather well.

Being front wheel drive - and with big 17-inch 225/45 tyres - the VW pocket rocket grips and goes. It feels so planted, so confident in its ability to just turn and go, you can almost drive like moron, you clomping on the throttle as the corner's radius eases. There's a little bit of understeer at times, but for a front wheel drive turbo it's got a very balanced chassis.

The McPherson independent struts up front track faithfully through corners, yet they don't communicate as crisply what's happening underneath the front wheels as say the Peugeot 206 GTI, which I reckon is due to the over mechanisation of the steering.

That said, at the end of the day I'd gladly sacrifice a touch of feedback for the variances in slow and fast speed steering response the electromechanical power steering offers, which to my mind makes this issue more than excusable.

There's little body roll as the GTI goes about cranking up the lateral g-forces through faster, tighter corners, and the front seats are great at keeping bodies in place during such manoeuvres.

Compared to the standard Golf models, the GTI is lowered some 15mm and with its already short front and rear overhangs, its dimensions are easy to adjust to and it doesn't take long before you feel comfortable with pushing it harder and harder.

The brakes are pretty good too (though they felt a bit lacking in initial bite after testing the Ford GT with its Brembos), and manage to wash off speed convincingly. The car weighs 1336kg, and with front ventilated discs measuring 312mm (the rear are solid 286mm discs) the result is predictable and even levels of deceleration and only low levels of brake fade after extended punishment.

Getting back to the DSG, and shifting with the steering-wheel mounted paddles is quite a lot of fun, and even though it allows for faster shifts than a manual I still found myself yearning for a clutch pedal to play with. Call me traditional, call me old school, but there's something about manual shifting that makes me happy.

According to Volkswagen, the DSG takes about 0.04 seconds to make a shift, or four hundredths of a second, and I can back up this claim - it's virtually instantaneous in both up and down shifts.

There are a number of modes available to the DSG, which will set you back $2300 (not bad for a 0.3 second 0-100km/h performance gain), including the standard drive mode, plus a sports mode, and two tiptronic modes - one shifted with the gear lever, the other with the steering wheel paddles.

I must say I do prefer the feeling of shifting gears manually, but there's no denying this electronically controlled twin clutch transmission is astonishingly efficient. If you're all about performance, spend the cash and tick the DSG box - it's money well spent.

Inside, the GTI is very well equipped, and has just the right mix of luxury and sportiness to match the handsome exterior. The front leather sports seats have the ideal levels of lateral support, and the leather quality is very nice indeed and sporty blue-lit, chrome-rimmed dials are very easy on the eye. The head rests actually do as their name suggests, and all the switchgear feels great underhand; each button, knob and switch has its own quality level of tactility that you just don't get in Japanese cars.

It's also a very spacious car, with heaps of head room (good for taller drivers), good levels of leg room and though shoulder room could be better, the cars overall width governs this so instead of 'good', it's merely 'adequate'. And addressing the issue of spilt drinks at high speeds - not to worry. There's two cup holders up front and two in the back, and better yet there's even a bonafide 'VW' bottle opener in the front.

On the whole the interior is very classy - the plastics are high quality, the dashboard material isn't too bad either, and there's a level of workmanship that made me really want to drop what I was doing and just go for a drive. It's a very pleasant place to spend time.

I found very little to fault in this car, save for minor quibbles like a small boot (347 litres), cramped rear seats and the space saver spare wheel, but this is a small car after all. And when I realised it cost less than Subaru WRX I almost choked on my chai tea....

Overall: 4.5/5

I really enjoyed driving the new GTI. It's got a lot more power than you'd expect from a 2.0-litre 16-valve engine, it steers well and it's got a lovely, high quality interior that the Subaru WRX can't touch.

And all for under $40 thou for the 6-speed manual? Bargain.

Even though this is a serious performance car, and I am quite partial to hard charging motor vehicles, more than anything else it's the level of craftsmanship that's gone into the car inside and out that appealed to me - it just looks so street savvy and feels so solid and well built. There's no rattles, there's no shakes and every little knob and lever has a quality feel to it.

It's a hot hatch in every sense of the phrase and excites almost every sense, but it's also an accomplished transportation device - everything works well and it's enjoyable to drive, whether heading off into the hills, or stuck in the daily grinder that is commuter traffic. I guess that's what they call German engineering - very impressive.