Category: Volkswagen

English motor mags Autocar and Car have filed their initial drive reports on Volkswagen’s 195kW Scirocco R. With all that power going to the front wheels only, will the feisty ‘Roc be a blithering mess or a competent B-road balltearer?

Autocar: “Keeping the Scirocco R front-drive has kept weight in check, and there’s no denying that power figure, so this is a car that feels entirely at home in the company of mega-hatches like the Focus and the old Megane R26.”

Car: “VW seems to be enjoying a strong run of sporting excellence at the moment, after losing the plot in the 1990s. The Scirocco R is another reminder they can build cracking sports cars at democratic prices. Bravo.”

While it seems unlikely that we will see the Scirocco in Australia in the short term, there are enough whisperings around to ensure all hope is not lost. Indeed, a sole Scirocco model lineup consisting of the R only may be Australia’s best option. If you’re keen on seeing this car in your local Volkswagen showroom then the best I can suggest is to contact VW and ask them “Where the bloody hell is my Scirocco?!”.

While browsing YouTube I discovered that Volkswagen Australia may have learnt a thing or two from their UK brethren about how to launch a new GTI.

Here is some behind the scenes footage of the UK launch of Volkswagen’s latest GTI, held at the Millbrook Proving Ground.

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]

When notifications first started being sent out for the GTI Advanced Driving Academy I was not on the list. I wasn’t happy! But, in the end I needn’t have worried as I scored a place in the second round of offers. Even the 8am start time on a Monday morning didn’t put me off. Sure, I would have to leave my home in Canberra at 5am, but the chance of sampling a fleet of new Mk6 Golf GTIs around Eastern Creek was one worth grabbing with both hands.

Hang on a minute. I’ve been to a manufacturer test day before, and have had a few mates attend similar days, as well. Surely, with the new GTI just released Volkswagen will protect their new cars and make us treat them with kid gloves.

I had talked myself into believing the GTI Advanced Driving Academy would be nothing more than a three hour sell job.

Well, I was wrong. It was nothing like I expected. Yet, at the same time I was deadly accurate—it was indeed a three hour sell job—but only because Volkswagen had the confidence to let their new product do the talking.

Wheels magazine is celebrating the local launch of the new Golf GTI with this great addition to their November issue. You can read the liftout online by clicking on the image above. I also understand the hard copy version will be included on newsstands with the regular magazine.

If nothing else, this brochure does a great job of detailing all the new aspects of the Mk6 Golf GTI and, by covering all previous five generations of GTI, it gives a solid insight into the history of the GTI legend.

Great job Wheels, thank you.

There’s been sightings of new Golf GTIs around the country for over two months now. There was a pricing leak almost two weeks ago. And, as posted earlier today, the press launch is happening as we speak. Finally, then, the wait is over and Australian details of the new Golf GTI have been officially announced.

Nothing much has changed since Volkswagen AG announced the GTI’s European release in March this year. That means you’ll see a 155kW/280Nm 2.0 TSI four cylinder under the bonnet. There’s also the familiar GTI 6 speed transmission options—manual or DSG. Unlike the previous Mk5 model, Australian buyers will be able to order three or five door configurations from launch.

New for a GTI in Australia is the electronic diff, badged as XDL, which is supposed to offer improved grip and reduce understeer. It may well do both, but only the driving experience will reveal how effectively the diff intervenes with the driver’s instructions. Also seen for the first time in a GTI is the option of an Adaptive Chassis Control (ACC) system. This is just a fancy way of saying the car has three electronically controlled suspension settings—normal, comfort and sport.

Put all that together and with a heavy right foot you should be able to sprint to 100km/h in 6.9 seconds. With a lighter right foot your target combined fuel consumption figure is an impressive 7.7l/100km (down from 8.2l/100km). CO2 emissions have been similarly improved, falling to 180g/km (down from 198g/km).

From the outside you will notice the revised linear front grille treatment and vertical foglights pushed to the edges of the lower airdam. You’ll also notice darkened rear tailights and the twin exhaust tips, again pushed to the edge of the rear diffuser they are housed in. You’ll also see that the less than attractive 17″ ‘Denver’ alloy wheels (as shown above) are still standard fare for Australian delivered GTIs. But, the pricing is the same as the outgoing model, so if the alloys were the thing that had to give, then perhaps that is a small price to pay. Larger 18″ ‘Detroit’ alloys (shown on the Tornado Red five door after the jump) can be optioned for a reasonable $1200 and this is clearly the course to take if your budget allows.

Something you may not immediately notice is the new GTI has been widened by 27mm, which allows a wider front track. This should aid handling and cornering stability. VW engineers also have you sitting noticeably lower inside the cabin. It may only be a small amount, but it all goes to helping lower the car’s centre of gravity. It also gives the interior a cavernous and spacious feel.

There are five colours in the range—Candy White, Tornado Red, Reflex Silver and Deep Black Pearl Effect carry over from the Mk5, while Carbon Steel metallic is a new addition.

Safety is as assured as it can be, with the Golf being adorned with all the latest gadgets, including ESP and seven airbags (there’s even one for the driver’s knee). The Golf range has been awarded a 5 star crash rating from both the EuroNCAP and ANCAP bodies.

More pics, pricing and Volkswagen’s press release are yours after the break. A spec sheet can be downloaded by following the link below:

• New Golf GTI specifications—October 2009 (56kb PDF)

The new Mk6 Golf GTI is being presented to the Australian motoring media today in the Victorian Alps. This is good and bad news, really. It’s good news because the latest GTI is almost ready for public consumption (in fact, your local dealer probably has a few in storage right now), but bad news because I have not made it to Volkswagen’s invite list, yet!

So, you’ll have to check out CarAdvice for updates on the local launch and early drive reports.

The pricing of the GTI range that was revealed on AUSmotive earlier this month has proven to be 100% correct (thanks to my-gti.com for that).

No doubt there will be more details coming from the Volkswagen PR machine in the coming days, so keep an eye out for that. In the meantime, just think how much fun it would be driving the GTI across some of Australia’s best driving roads with little to no traffic getting in the way. Or, around Eastern Creek, perhaps!

Golf VI GTI – Australian Manufacturer’s List Pricing*

• 3 Door, 6 speed Manual – $38,990
• 3 Door, 6 speed DSG – $41,490
• 5 Door, 6 speed Manual – $40,490
• 5 Door, 6 speed DSG – $42,990

*Excludes dealer delivery fees and all other on road costs.

Earlier in the year I posted an old Australian-spec Mini brochure, this time, it is Volkswagen’s turn. After the break you can view a full 24 page brochure on the 1980 UK-spec Mk1 Golf.

As with any car brochure that is around 30 years old there are some selling points highlighted that, today, seem rather quaint. For example, “Anatomically designed front seats padded with a new full-foam material that absorbs and diminishes the effect of bumpy roads.”

Or, let’s not forget the luxury of a heater! “No matter what the temperature outside, you can control it inside with Golf’s three speed blower, mixing heat and ventilation in just the right proportions.”

It’s quite amazing, however, that just a few years after the Mk1 Golf was launched the bold claim of 3 million sales was already being made when this brochure went to print (August 1979).

The brochure includes specs from all the models offered to UK customers at the time, including the all conquering GTI model. Other models presented are the Golf L/LD, Golf LS/GLS and the Golf GLS Auto.

From a design point of view, it is worth observing that these were pre-Photoshop days. In the GTI spread above, for example, the image has been flipped to make the car appear to be a right-hand drive model. Tell tale signs are the placement of the fuel cap and GTI front grille badge which are shown on the opposite sides to where they actually are.

Mind, some poor bloke in pre-press did a pretty good job of cutting out the film of the GTI badge so that the letters at least read the right way. Although, that was too difficult a task to do for the shot of the internal gauges in the lower centre console, as the larger 2000px super image reveals.

Back in the 1970s Volkswagen made small hatchbacks fun when it introduced the Mk1 Golf GTI. Some 30 years later manufacturers across the globe have followed suit producing “hot hatches” that can trace their roots back to the 1976 GTI. Now, the quirksters at Volkswagen in Sweden have had a crack at making walking up and down stairs fun. Yes, stairs.

It’s all part of a study to see if it is possible to alter human behaviour by making things fun. Not content with stairs, the “Funtheory” crew also tried to encourage people to throw away their rubbish using sound effects to entice passers by.

But there’s still more! The third installment of fun theory is a glass recycling bottle bank inspired by an arcade game. Nice!

Presumably these theories will somehow funnel their way back into the production and design of the next generation of Volkswagen’s product lineup. Or maybe it’s just a bit of a wank. What do you reckon?

[Source: Funtheory.com | Thanks to Tim for the tip]