Volkswagen GTI Review

Launched in mid 1970s in Europe, the Volkswagen GTI made its American debut a few years later and became the original import pocket rocket. A nimble and dynamic sport compact, the GTI is known for its quick and precise steering, along with a powerful engine that is very gas efficient. Today, Volkswagen continues to have a strong following of loyal consumers who enjoy the incredible performance the GTI has to offer right off the lot. Providing more horsepower than many of the cars in its class and utilizing modern chassis technology, the GTI should definitely be a consideration for the sport compact car enthusiast.

See also the main fact sheet for the Volkswagen GTI.

High Points

 * Large cabin room
 * Maximum torque from 1800 rpm up to 5000
 * Good turning radius
 * DSG paddle shift transmission works excellently

Low Points

 * Sporty but not as fast as a true sports car
 * It is heavy (weighs only 200 to 600lbs less (depending on model) than the Volkswagen Passat)
 * Lacks agressive sporty styling that may appeal to a younger crowd
 * Lacks Limited Slip Differential for tight cornering and auto-x

Performance and Handling
For enthusiast drivers who like compact, two-door hatchbacks and desire versatile and surprisingly roomy interior space, the GTI once again provides a worthy benchmark.

The high-compression, 2.0-liter, turbocharged engine is very responsive. Especially impressive is its torque curve, which is much more of a broad plateau than anything with peaks and valleys. Maximum torque is available all the way from a mere 1800 rpm up to 5000, so you can putter comfortably around town in fourth or even fifth gear without having to overwork your right arm searching for the engine's sweet spot as you maneuver in city traffic. While the car operates on regular unleaded, premium fuel is recommended to achieve maximum power levels.

The engine is comfortable and the GTI's interior is surprisingly quiet at highway speeds. When you want to downshift for curves on mountain roads or to make a pass on a two-lane in the country, the clutch has a very light and easy pickup, the shifter has short and sure throws and the engine spins into gear immediately. Even faster than manual manipulation, however, is the DSG, a manual gearbox with two clutches and an ability to shift at the speed not of your right hand but of electronics. The steering is quick and precise and the suspension is responsiveness. The GTI benefits from MacPherson struts in front and a four-link suspension in the rear. Its 35.8-foot turning circle makes the GTI maneuverable in tight quarters.

Even though nearly 60 percent of the car's 3100 pounds is supported by the front wheels, the GTI does not exhibit the tendency to understeer so prevalent in most front-wheel-drive cars. To help the driver keep the car on course, the GTI comes with electronic stability control as well as traction control.

Grasped by those red calipers, 12.28-inch ventilated front and 11.26-inch solid rear discs stop the GTI quickly and surely. The front brakes are an inch larger and the rears two inches larger than on the fourth-generation GTI. ABS comes standard, helping the driver maintain steering control while braking. Brake Assist helps the driver maintain full braking pressure in an emergency stopping situation. Electronic brake-force distribution balances braking front to rear for quicker, more stable braking.

Gas Mileage
As seen on Autos.com, in the sporty car MPG rankings, the 2006 Volkswagen GTI is in 2nd place with 23/32 MPG.

Safety
The Volkswagen GTI comes standard with the following features:


 * Driver and front passenger Airbag Systems
 * Front side curtain airbags
 * Child lower anchors and top tether brackets (LATCH)
 * Crash optimized front end
 * Anti-intrusion side door beams
 * Daytime running lights
 * Anti-lock breaking system (ABS)
 * Hydraulic brake assist
 * Electronic Brake-pressure Distribution

Reliability and Maintenance
Volkswagen offers a warranty that covers Basic Limited, Powertrain, and Corrosion Perforation on the GTI in addition to Roadside Assistance. Basic limited warranty covers 4 years/50,000 miles. Wear & tear items and adjustments excluded after initial 12 months/12,000 miles. Corrosion Perforation is a 12-year, unlimited distance Limited Warranty Against Corrosion Perforation. Powertrain is 5 years/60,000 miles. The Roadside Assistance Program is provided by Road America and is good for 4 years, 24-hour.

Interior and Comforts
While the GTI may look compact on the outside, there's an amazing amount of room inside, some 94.2 cubic feet of passenger compartment volume, including 15.1 cubic feet for cargo behind the rear seatback. The cargo area is fully carpeted, and cargo can be secured via four tie-down hooks. There's also a cargo cover to hide your gear; the cover can be removed when carrying taller objects.

The rear seat can hold three people, though it's best suited for two, who can get even more comfortable by tipping out the wide armrest that forms the center seatback. Those sitting in the back have both cup holders and storage cubbies for their stuff. There's plenty of rear legroom, at least when someone in, say, the 5-foot-10 range is occupying the front seat.

Access to the back seat is easier because of a feature that VW calls its Easy Entry System. Here's how it works: You tip the front seatback forward until it snaps into a locked position, then you can slide the entire seat forward to open a good-sized path to the back seat. Slide the front seat back and it stops in its original position and the seat back also returns to its former position so the driver or front-seat passenger can climb in without having to make any readjustments.

Both front seats are nicely bolstered so you won't slide around while exploring the car's dynamic capabilities. However, this is not a car for everyone. The seats may be too snug for some, and others won't like the black, grey, white and red-striped Interlagos plaid pattern in the seating and back area between the bolsters. GTI faithful will love these seats, however, and consider the Interlagos plaid an iconic part of the original GTI. Those who really don't like it can always opt for the black leather seats with the small GTI emblem stitched into the upper part of the seat back.

Drivers will like the way the three-spoke, leather-covered and flat-bottomed steering wheel both tilts and telescopes to enhance steering control and comfort. The alloy pedals with rubber grips are nicely placed for heel-and-toe shifting, and there's a large dead pedal for your left foot when it isn't depressing the clutch pedal.

The steering wheel includes audio and trip computer control buttons. On cars with the DSG transmission, racecar-style paddle shifters are on the steering wheel right at your fingertips. The instrument panel features VW's blue-lit gauges with red indicator arrows as well as trip computer to track miles to empty or to display redundant navigation system instructions within the driver's line of sight. The gauge cluster is very readable, even in bright sunlight when the driver is wearing Polarized sunglasses.

Not only are the seats height-adjustable, but so is the arm rest on the center console, so you can put it high for comfortable cruising or lower it so it won't interfere when you get aggressive with the six-speed manual shifter. Cup holders also are positioned on the center console so they don't interfere with gear changing. And when the driver gets really aggressive, there's a grab handle on the center console so the front-seat passenger can hold on.

Exterior
While not as stylish as, say, a Mini Cooper, the all-new Volkswagen GTI has come quite a way from the very boxy hatchback of yore. And though its corners may have been softened, its face has been made bolder. Plus, there's just enough of a muscular bulge to its fender wells, which are well-filled by 17- or 18-inch tires, and just enough lip to its rear spoiler to hint at this car's performance potential.

This new hot hatch wears the same GTI badge as the original, and it displays it like a well-earned lapel pin against a black, honeycomb grille that features a red accent stripe in the shape of a slightly devilish smile.

The shape of the headlamp covers, which have an almost winking eye form, accentuates this mischievous attitude. Three large, black honeycombed air vents in the lower fascia enhance the strength of the front end, with large fog lamps housed in the outboard intakes.

Viewed in profile, the windshield rakes quickly back over the front of the passenger compartment and the roofline ends with a wind-cheating spoiler above the back window. This view also gains visual strength and a sporty stance from the way the car's waistline rises and the side windows taper above the rear fenders.

Like the profile, the rear view is clean, with large tail lamps mounted high on the car's haunches with twin exhaust tips peaking out from the lower left side of the black bumper.

Also noticeable in the profile view are the red-colored brake calipers that show through all of the various wheel choices and proclaim that this is an all-around performance car, designed to stop as well as it goes.

Styles and Options
There is only one style available for the Volkswagen GTI, the 2-door GTI 2.0T. This trim comes with the following options:


 * Alloy wheels
 * Power sunroof
 * Sport seats
 * Alloy pedels
 * Racing inspired steering wheel
 * Extra grab handles
 * Turbocharged, intercooled, direct fuel injected, 200hp, 2.0T engine
 * 6 speed manual transmission
 * ABS four wheel disc lock brakes

Main Competitors

 * Mazda Miata: side-by-side comparison
 * Honda Civic Si: side-by-side comparison
 * Mazda RX-8: side-by-side comparison
 * Mitsubishi Eclipse GT: side-by-side comparison
 * Ford Mustang GT: side-by-side comparison
 * MINI Cooper S: side-by-side comparison