Road Test: Volkswagen Golf GTI

By Feann Torr - 18/11/05

Having already tested the highly competent Golf GTI equipped with the quick-shifting twin-clutch DSG gearbox, we thought it would only be fair to to take the 6-speed manual GTI for a spin.

The DSG gearbox was very impressive, there's no denying such a fact, but we just couldn't resist giving the manual version a workout. And at the end of the day, we're glad we did.

The new Golf GTI, for those who are unaware, is the most powerful GTI that Volkswagen has ever built, and with almost 30 years of heritage to the GTI moniker, the German hot hatch's pedigree is without equal in the performance hatch arena.

Comparing two cars with different gearboxes - one of them technologically advanced, the other about as old as the hills - raises a pertinent question: does the GTI loses some of its spark with the less advanced transmission, or is it still one of the best urban sports cars on the market?

We'll get these questions during this road test, and again explore how the GTI performs on the road, and before I end up waxing lyrical about the car's heritage too much more, let's have a geezer:

Black, white or red - the Golf GTI displays a sporty-but-subtle image

After driving the DSG or automatic model, complete with the leather interior option ($2,990), sat nav ($2,990) electric sunroof ($1,890) and of course the twin clutch gearbox ($2,300), the plaid-pattern cloth trim on the bare-bones model looks a bit low rent as you clamber into the roomy cabin, but is surprisingly comfy.

Sure, there's no fancy gizmos in the entry-level model, but the extra clutch pedal and slightly reduced weight appealed to me for some reason.

Like most people who drive I do like to be pampered with luxury materials and time-saving technology, but give me a scaled back car with a obnoxiously powerful powertrain and I'll be just as happy.

The steering wheel is one of the nicest things about the interior, featuring brilliant contouring and a racy flat-bottomed design, one that gets the motoring juices flowing before you even start the engine, and the blue back-lit dials are also give the car a suitably sporty feel when the sun goes down.

And Gods teeth; is it a good looking car! It's got a certain civility to it that the standard Golf V models donate, and can blend in to the crowd without being to gregarious when needed (such as when you have to report for jury duty).

At the same token, performance car types will appreciate the deep front apron with blacked out fog-light surrounds, large central air dam, and lower ride height. They lend the car a quiet authority that few other hot hatches achieve, and together with chunky wheels, twin exhaust tips and roof spoiler the entire package is very nice to look. We came across very few people who didn't like what they saw (except one jealous Alfa Romeo 147 GTA driver who realised he may have purchased the wrong car).

In everyday operation - such as commuting to work and pottering lazily around the suburbs - the manual shift isn't so heavy that it'll work your forearms into an anaerobic frenzy, but the DSG is the clear leader in this respect as you can just pop into "Drive" and forget about switching ratios manually.

Does it justify the extra $2,300 the automatic gearbox will cost you? If commuting has a higher priority for you than hurtling around corners, then yes, I think so.

In my opinion, this is the only real area where the DSG wins out. I felt more in control of proceedings when driving the manual through the snaking roads of Gippsland in Victoria, as it just felt more natural (habitual?) working my way through the manual gates than using the the DSG's tiptronic shifter or the steering wheel paddles.

With the 6-speed manual shifter, the Golf GTI is a brilliant performer, able to accelerate, turn and decelerate with the utmost confidence

There's also the variability of a manually-operated clutch that increases the scope of engine output to the front wheels.

I also found driving it enthusiastically more rewarding than the automatic version and for this reason, I suppose, it felt faster through corners.

Granted, there may be a few extra picoseconds between shifts in the manual Veedub, but at the same time I felt more confident to work the chassis to its limits, whereas driving the DSG it took a lot longer before I felt comfortable with the incredulously quick-shifting gearbox to happily thrash it through corners with confidence.

The chassis hasn't changed though, and being able to exploit it more thoroughly with a more familiar transmission was highly memorable. Believe the hype: the GTI is a manic little performer.

Though not perfect, the electro-mechanical power steering does a very good job at communicating the relationship the wheels and the road surface are having, and the suspension tune is very impressive, minimising body roll and ensuring initial turn-in is crisper than a freshly printed hundred dollar note. I really liked the way the GTI changed direction too - even at higher speeds. The chassis needs to be brutally punished before it starts to lose its composure, and even fools like myself would be hard pressed to achieve this.

It has a very secure feel on the road with appreciable grip and, despite the engine's power being transferred to the front hoops, the car's mild understeer characteristics are easily overcome with more steering lock. As was mentioned in the DSG review, one wheel sometimes spins up through corners when you dial in more steering and squirt more petrol into the combustion chamber, but it does little to upset to the cars balance. In fact, it often makes you smile.

And then there's the the Golf GTI's power delivery, best described as unfussy-but-potent.

After igniting the engine, and again being greeted with the 2.0-litre engine's distinct and somewhat gruff note, I was pleased with both the way the clutch felt underfoot and short-throw gearshift.

With six forward ratios, the manual GTI feels just as quick as the DSG when accelerating from standstill, but having an understanding of how the more advanced twin-clutch gearbox works, one has to concede that the latter is quicker - if only by a grasshoppers knob.

In the Golf GTI DSG review, I mentioned that "the new VW 2.0-litre turbo engine with fuel stratified injection (FSI) - or direct petrol injection in layman's terms - ... accelerates from standstill in a very linear, unflustered, yet eminently forceful manner."

The blue and red-lit instrument cluster is sporty with just a dash of elegance thanks to the chrome

I stand by that comment, but again, the engine's kinetic energy felt more controlled with the manual model and as a driver I felt more connected to the car. At times one had to be judicious with throttle applications, particularly in low gears and round tightening corners as the tractable engine can override the not-insignificant grip if you're not paying attention, as mentioned above.

In and around the city, and for all the boy racers who can't wait to get their hands on the GTI's stylised steering wheel, the engine hits peak torque very quickly, and feels much quicker than the 0-100km/h times quoted by VW (see the grey breakout panel).

As soon as you floor the throttle from standstill you get a very real feeling of the torque building as the turbo spools up, working its pressurised magic on the 16-valve engine.

Of course, the addition of a manually operated clutch means that you build turbo pressure before you start moving, which can prove to be amusing/expensive depending on who is watching.

Deceleration is handled by 312mm and 286mm discs brakes at the front and rear respectively, and while they may sound a bit small for a performance car, the GTI isn't particularly lardy (it weighs 1336kg), and as a result it pulls up rather convincingly. I wouldn't call it's braking abilities forceful, but it's more than enough to wash off speed rapidly when the times calls for it.

There are very few things to complain about in the base $40k Volkswagen Golf GTI. I could cite things such as the scratches on the alloy wheel rims, perhaps the sweaty stains on the steering wheel or marks on the front apron - but they were all my fault really...

Sometimes fuel efficiency isn't brilliant, but you could say that about any car when driven hard - it'll travel 100 kilometres on about 8.0 litres of fuel when driven conservatively and adheres to a strict diet of high octane fuel, 98 RON only. I'm scraping the bottom of the barrel here trying to look like an even-handed writer, but I can find few faults with the car.

Overall: 4.5/5

With Deutsche badge value, a celebrated history and not to mention a very healthy pricepoint that begins at under $40k, the barebones manual is, in my opinion, the better option for purists.

It's a persuasively capable performance vehicle in both manual or automatic guises, but I felt ever-so-slightly detached from proceedings in the DSG, while the manual impressed me from beginning to end. It's a bundle of fun, no doubt about that, and one that has not forgone practicality in favour of performance (yeah, I'm looking at you Mister 350Z).

In the hot hatch arena the GTI has a good deal of competition - some of it Japanese, some of it French - but the punchy style in which the force-fed Golf motivates gives it a unique character, one that may not be the quickest, but will leave you with a unbridled sense of satisfaction at the end of it all.

Its power reserves are supremely accessible, the chassis is nicely balanced and even the interior is above par for this sort of hot hatch. My hat goes off to VW - this is one of most well-thought out vehicles I've ever driven.