While AUSmotive has been in the midst of GTI mania recently, fans of oil burners have reason to rejoice too. The Golf GTD now appears to be a certainty for Australian delivery. The only question that remaining is the arrival date.
According to the SMH.com.au the GTD will be here later this year, “Volkswagen Australia is planning to introduce a diesel version of its iconic GTI hot-hatch by the end of 2009.”
Hmm, I’ll believe that when I see it. At best, I reckon that date is a typo and should have read by the end of 2010. In recent times I have heard of two possible dates for GTD arrivals. One indicated some time around June 2010, while the other snippet that came my way was a cautious line suggesting the GTD would arrive before the end of next year.
The GTD is basically a Golf GTI with a diesel engine. The badge first appeared way back on the Mk1 Golf, so while the model may not have current cachet, it does have a proud history.
The pics shown in this article are sourced from Volkswagen UK, so enjoy them for what they are, it is highly unlikely that Australia will see any three door Golf GTDs.
Everything else should be as expected, though, which means a 125kW 2.0 TDI engine capable of reaching 100km/h in 8.1 seconds. Naturally, the GTD will boast impressive torque and Australian customers will be able to brag that the GTD has more torque than an Audi S3, with 350Nm in the diesel compared to 330Nm found in Australian delivered S3s.
Perhaps one unintended hurdle to GTD sales might come in the form of the GTI itself. Volkswagen’s tweaks to the latest GTI engine have seen claimed fuel consumption drop to 7.6l/100km in DSG equipped cars. While the GTD’s figure of 5.3l/100km easily betters the GTI, it can’t be escaped that Australia, by and large, still prefers petrol powered cars and the GTI is hardly a gas guzzler. That said, sales of diesel models in the Golf Mk5 range were very healthy.
The Mk5 Golf GT Sport TDI was a barrel of laughs courtesy of massive usable torque (see previous Drive Thru report). One would expect with all the trimmings of the GTI now available that the Mk6 GTD will definitely deliver, as well.
[Thanks to Mick for the tip]
6 replies on “Guaranteed To Deliver”
Questions about the GTD and Golf variant wagon were met with a eerie silence today when I enquired while at the GTI Academy Drive day. It was a different reaction to the inquiry about the Golf R and Scirocco – almost to the point where you got the impression that there was something special about to happen in the next few weeks possibly.
My fingers are crossed – the GTD will be superb!
Lima I’ve read that the GTD’s suspension package is basically the regular Golf’s Sport
package and not the GTI’s…what have you heard?
Yep, that sounds feasible. Going over the old press releases all it states is:
“Equipped with sport suspension…”
and
“Maintaining the sharp responses expected of the GTD is suspension lowered by 15 mm when compared to the standard Golf.”
http://www.ausmotive.com/2009/03/28/2009-volkswagen-golf-gtd.html
Note GoAuto is also predicting late this year/early 2010 for launch…
http://www.goauto.com.au/mellor/mellor.nsf/story2/BC4839A3246C47ECCA257661007ACCD5
Thanks for that link. Although, if I were a betting man I’d be keen on the odds for 2nd qtr 2010 I reckon.
[…] to wait until they can get their hands on what is effectively a diesel powered Golf GTI. Latest speculation from November last year suggested the GTD would be on sale in Australia before the end of 2009. That didn’t ever […]