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William Kimberley test drives the new VW Golf GTI
GTI – the initials alone are enough to denote a performance version, but when applied to the Volkswagen Golf, it stirs memories of the original hot hatchback that go back to June 1976 when the first version went into production. Nearly 30 years on, and the fifth generation model is now with us.

The new Volkswagen Golf GTI

Featuring a turbocharged 16-valve 2.0 litre 200ps (147 kW) engine and homogenous FSI direct injection – used for the first time with a turbocharger – the new GTI is a massively different to the model that started it all and yet somehow encapsulates the raw excitement, the spark, that made it so appealing. Perhaps this feeling is evoked by the use of a three-spoke steering wheel, just like the first Golf GTI, but which has been subtly altered with the slight straightening out of the bottom section for better grip and control.

Based on the standard Golf, but 12 mm longer due to a new nose design and 19 mm lower due to the lowered suspension, the heart of the car is the powertrain. Based on the 150 ps (110 kW) unit currently used in the Golf GT FSI, the 2.0 litre T-FSI develops 280 Nm (207 lb ft) of torque from 1,800 to 5,100 rpm, has a top speed of 233 km/h (146 mph) and can accelerate from standstill to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 7.2 seconds. The top speed and 0-100 km/h times of the Mark 1, incidentally, were 180 km/h (113 mph) and 9.0 seconds respectively, while the weight has increased from 820 kg to 1,336 kg.

The standard gearbox is basically the same 6-speed manual from the Golf GT GSI featuring a magnesium selector housing and cable operation with very short level movements but with optimised gear ratios to suit the GTI’s sporting character.

There is also the optional Direct Shift Gearbox which is being fitted with a petrol engine for the first time in a VW, although it can already be found in the Audi TT 3.2.

The suspension set up includes the completely new four-link rear suspension system first seen on the Touran but which has been lowered on the GTI by 15 mm. The model also features harder springs and dampers on both axles while the stiffness of the rear anti-roll bars has been increased by 20 per cent, from 25 to 30 N/mm.

Another carryover from the Touran to the new Golf is the electro-mechanical power steering but which has been reprogrammed to suit the Golf GTI to produce higher steering forces, giving the driver a more direct feel and more feedback through the steering wheel. Like all Golfs, this version is fitted with ABS and ESP (Electronic Stabilisation Programme), but the brakes themselves have been altered. The 10” servo has been replaced by a 16” while the brake discs have been increased in size to 312 mm at the front and 286 mm at the rear. They are all ventilated and distinguished by red brake callipers.

The Vauxhall/Opel answer to the Golf GTI is the Astra GSi that features a turbocharged petrol engine that produces the same 200ps (147 kW) as the GTI’s and 262 Nm (193 lb ft) of torque at 4,200 rpm. It accelerates from 0-100 km/h (0-60 mph) in 8.4 seconds and has a top speed of 216 km/h (135 mph). Like the Golf, it is mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox but there is not a twin-clutch transmission option.

Features include IDS (Interactive Driving system) Plus, an electronic chassis network. first seen on the Vectra, and now offered on the Sri as an option, and electro-hydraulic power steering. Modifications to the steering include a new knuckle for improved steering response, road contact and self-centering. Due to new production methods, two lengths of steering arm can now be machined thereby making a more direct steering ratio – 14:1 instead of 15:1 – available. The new Astra already features an improved suspension set up over the older model and it is fitted to the SRi, but tuned to meet the sportier model’s requirements.

While the Astra does not have the same sporting heritage as the Golf, the GTE hot hatch version was a popular model in its day, and was missed when it was dropped from the range. The GSi goes a long way to addressing that.