VW: Hatch war heats up

The Golf GTI may not be hair-raising but it can go from mild to wild(ish). Photo / Jacqui Madelin

VW's first GTI hot hatch Golf launched back in 1976. Since then its ability to deliver a thrilling Sunday drive alongside a reasonably compliant Monday commute has seen 1.5 million sales worldwide. Can this new variant still wave the hot hatch flag?

What's new
Less than five per cent of the last GTI sold as self-shifters so it's six-speed DSG double clutch auto only this time around.

The 2.0-litre four-cylinder TSI engine it's mated to is not a remapped version of the old one. The tweaked internals deliver 155kW from 5300-6200rpm, and 280Nm from 1700 to 5200rpm.

That's not a lot in sports car terms. The key is the broad spread of revs it's available at. Accelerate and torque drops off as peak power arrives, taking the GTI from zero to 100 in 6.9 seconds.

This sports suspension lowers the body by up to 20mm thanks to different springs and dampers, and there's a XDS electronic transverse diff lock, an extension of the ESP system.

VW's designers used the now traditional honeycomb grille and red trim detail, plus blackened headlights. Out back there's a black diffuser, different bumper and a more obvious exhaust outlet on each side.

The company line
VW NZ is doing okay, with 13 per cent fewer sales in a passenger car market that is down 32 per cent.

The addition of Golf's hottie may seem unimportant to some, but the GTI is more than a hero car for the German brand as it makes up around 40 per cent of Golf sales - it's the biggest-selling variant of VW NZ's biggest-selling model, VW says because it's such a good all-rounder.

What we say
The launch drive on the Pukekohe track and surrounding rural swervery raised the question of which is the better machine, Ford's Focus XR5 or this pricier VW.

The Ford delivers more power, and is the bigger hooligan.

But although the VW doesn't supply as hair-raising a thrill, its ability to turn the driver from mild to wild(ish) makes it a far better ownership proposition.

On the road
There's plenty of power when you want it, yet it's also tractable around town. Supple handling is impressive too, and backed by a very able stability control system.

VW's swerve test demanded a bull-in-a-china-shop approach to the wheel and some sideways tyre-smoking cone demolition. But the standard car's almost supernatural stability control made it easy to recover. As for the Dynamic Chassis Control - a $1750 option - continual suspension damping adjustments made it a delight to hurl through bends, and a willing partner for VW's fiendish slalom test with its irregularly spaced cones.

Track games were required because the GTI is hard to provoke at real world speeds, which makes it too dull for some hot-hatch buyers.

The Focus does deliver a more extreme experience for less money. But the VW lets most drivers have more fun more of the time, while its ability to also take a more laid-back approach would make it my pick as a daily driver.

Why you'll buy one
Its ability to drive very fast, very nimbly, without compromising comfort.

Why you won't
The $57,490 start price; you want a more manic hot hatch.