It took nearly 40 years, but it’s finally happended The VW Golf VII GTI has twice the power of the original GTI: 220 hp And, there’s also this GTI Performance which adds another 10 hp Plus, the €1.500 package also adds better brakes and a limited slip differential It appears the allrounder has become more serious and will attempt to take on the Mégane RS No small task Well to start with that last remark: It’s not as sharp as a Mégane But that doesn’t change the fact that it’s quite a bit better than before Compared tot the previous GTI this feels lighter, which it is by 40 kg But more importantly: it feels more enthusiastic It has progressive steering so at first it feels indirect But then it quickly gets more direct It takes some getting used to but then you can place the car very accurately And because it steers in quicker it is more fun to go fast with than before Corner exit speed is greatly helped by the differential You can mash the throttle and it digs in and goes This makes it more fun, more enthusiastic And it makes you want to take every corner a bit faster, a bit better everytime The Golf VI didn’t have this, nor did the V and before that I’m told it was even worse So this may well be the most fun Golf GTI since the 80’s That’s an impressive achievement, well done Engine-wise the change is less significant, it is an evolution Under the bonnet is a 2-litre TSI with either 220 or 230 hp Torque from both is the same at 350 Nm Which is quite a lot, so it’s impressively fast, especially in-gear 0-60 takes 6,5 seconds More than enough to get away quickly at traffic lights It just never feels especially spectacular It’s just as the Golf VI GTI Although it IS fast, it’s so torquey it never feels sensational It sounds okay, if not very special There are two gearboxes, both familiar A six-speed manual or a DSG with six speeds as well It has been refined further, so it keeps up when you rapidly shift down However it shifts up automatically when nearing the rev limiter So you’re never fully in charge And normally the DSG is more frugal than a manual But his one isn’t So unless you like an automatic, the DSG doesn’t seem very sensible But if you prefer drive involvement: stick with the manual VW has made an impressive car of this new Golf GTI Not only is it better, it is also much more fun than before It now drives more like a true hot hatch Less sensible, more fun, more playful And it’s reasonably priced: base-price is
about € 33.500 And this Performance is € 35.000 with a manual, which seems the best pick Shame it doesn’t look the part A red line, large wheels and double exhaust The same goes for the inside: just checkered seats and sportier dials It could have been a bit more extravert Because the newfound playfulness under the skin, is sadly missing
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