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:
