The Mark V Golf GTI, released in 2006, might be the greatest car ever– better than any Ferrari or Aston. Okay, that’s ridiculous. [Fair disclosure: I own one.] The Mark VI Golf, set to go on sale in Europe early next year and– knowing Volkswagen of America, in 2019 here– will not significantly diverge from the current GTI. The next GTI will keep the current model's turbocharged, FSI four-banger with 2.0-liters of displacement. It will pick-up Audi's variable valve lift. Horsepower rises by a handful of ponies to 211. But torque rockets from 207 ft-lbs to 258 ft-lbs. Fuel economy is likely to stay consistent or even improve. The big concern for VW: will that high torque number count against European rivals offering more horsepower? As all these competitors are front wheel-drivers suffering from serious wrist-wrenching torque steer, maybe VW has the right idea. Which reminds me… the six-pot R32 goes away. In its place, a hotter GTI will feature VW/Audi's 2.0-liter turbo engine boosted to 265 horsepower, routed to all four wheels. Yum.
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i really hope they put an LSD in the GTI this time. and maybe shed a few (hundred) pounds.
The nice thing about keeping the same mill is that current owners can leapfrog the next generation’s numbers with a simple chip :)
Wouldn’t more torque be worse for the torque steer problem than more horsepower? The 2.0T in particular makes most of its torque by about 1500 rpms. Still that is a great engine.
Meh,
The ’09 WRX is gonna have 265hp going through AWD.
Sure, the current WRX is a little aesthetically challanged, but I’ll take Subie reliability over VW (non)reliabiliaty.
i love the new words i learn at ttac, to say nothing of the AICU (acronyms i can’t understand). yesterday we got Durangoed (love it) and today (non) reliabiliaty. thanks to blunozer for a morning grin :o)
If it weren’t for VW’s notorious quality issues (a malady that seems to afflict all European manufacturers in greater or lesser degree), I’d be really interested in one of the new Jetta Sportswagen TDI’s … particularly if it offered AWD (apparently not) and integrated bluetooth for cell phones (apparently not).
But I’m afraid that buying a VW is even more of a “risky scheme” than buying your average GM vehicle.
The new Honda (non AdBlue) diesels look promising, but I wouldn’t consider one right now because their styling has gone off the deep end – they’re so fugly that one wonders if Chris Bangle is moonlighting over there.
Justin Berkowitz
You were too quick to give in on your argument that the GTI is better than any Ferrari or Aston. If you narrowly define better as more reliable and less expensive to maintain then I think the GTI might be better than any Ferrari or Aston, if only slightly.
It might not be the first competitor that comes to mind, but I think a young person about to drop in the mid-20s on a car should very seriously consider a Solstice Turbo Targa or MX-5 (retractable hardtop in the snow belt) over this or any hot hatch. I rarely see GTIs or WRXes with more than two people or any significant luggage.
I think a young single twenty something worrying that they might need to carry a lot of people or stuff verges on the paranoia that many SUV drivers used to have that they might have to go off-road – and various companies do rent out sedans/trucks/mini-vans for special occasions.
I don’t care how much HP and torgue they have, the latest Golfs are ugly. Add to that what I call the “GTI interior style penalty” (horrific plaid upholstery) and is it no wonder this is a niche-mobile?
oh man! you’ve got to be pretty boring not to appreciate the plaid…come on! +1 for nostalgia!!!
(full disclosure: i own one too. with plaid of course.)
blankfocus : oh man! you’ve got to be pretty boring not to appreciate the plaid…come on! +1 for nostalgia!!! (full disclosure: i own one too. with plaid of course.) Same here, I own and love the plaid. Reminds me of the 83 GTI, not to mention being classic german seat pattern (see old benzes without leather, porsches etc).
After owning a 2000 Jetta and a 2000 Golf 1.8t, I swore off Volkswagen until my 2007 G35X started giving me problems. The Infiniti was worth about $25,000 – so what is fun to drive for that kind of money? A GTI!
Then I drove a 2008 GTI – and I fell in love – especially with the plaid seats.
This car is a peach – great motor, the DSG is wonderful, and the suspension is perfect – stiff, but not break-my-back stiff.
Check out the old and new GTI in the pics:
http://picasaweb.google.com/Ted.Varias/2008VWGTI
-ted
Justin/Anyone else:
Any idea if the new R?? (R20? what will they call it?) will make a standard optional? My wife has a GTI with DSG, and it’s a great transmission, but still not as involving as a stick.
Neither my GTI nor my wife’s has the plaid interior, but I must admit it’s pretty cool. How can people not love it? And to those that dislike this car because it’s ugly (it is a tad…homely) drive it! In 2006 when they came out my wife and I were looking at a 350z but really weren’t that thrilled with the test drive (fun to drive, but a little…coarse) and the salesman recommended we go down the road to VW. We had looked at a 3 series, G35, RX-8, and a ton of other cars, but only the GTI blew us away. She bought the 2nd one the dealership sold. I got mine a year later and it’s still the best all-around vehicle I’ve driven.
jjdaddyo
I’m not a fan of the GTI because of the FWD and quality issues, but the plaid seats are awesome.
I’m actually surprised that VW offers such nice base seats since their profit motive is to upsell people to the leather.
I remember that the previous generation Mercedes SL offered similar cloth plaid seats when it originally came out in the late ’80s.
Almost all of the German manufacturers have moved to offering vinyl seats as the base configuration, (I’m guessing the strategy is to shame buyers into checking the leather option box), but I really wish they would go back to the high quality German cloth that used to be standard (and still is back in Europe).
People disliking the GTI interior and/or exterior could look into an Audai A3. Unfortunately, it looks like the 2009 A3 for the USA will still have the non-variable-vale 2.0 turbo.