| Golf GTI v Golf GTD | ||||
|
The Golf GTI has been around some 33 years. Introduced in 1976, the GTI became a huge success, and the latest version, the Golf GTI mk6 has a lot to live up to. But VW have also introduced a GTI diesel, aptly named GTD, so not only does this version have the legacy of GTI to withhold, but also will this version feel like a GTI or just a fast diesel? Tim Watson tested both cars back to back. This is what he found.
Stepping into the GTI, you immediately know that this car is from an established mark. The quality of all the materials is superb and the fit and finish equally as impressive. Little touches like the dash being ever so slightly soft to the touch and gloss and matt finishes help break up what could be a sea of plastic and give an expensive feel. The dash itself is a lovely design, rising quite high to give an enclosed safe feeling. The seats again are worthy of top marks. Being of a racing seat design, they hold you snug even when pushing the car hard through corners. Yet when driving normally, they are perfectly comfortable to relax in and give enough support for you to cover long distances without feeling exhausted. On start up, the car doesn’t shout or bring attention to itself. Again, like the whole design of the car, its finest quality is that it’s so modest. You get the sense that this car is happy that you know it’s a fast car and doesn’t need the attention of others. The whole thing feels very responsible and grown up without at all feeling old. The car on test had VW’s 6 speed DSG auto gearbox. This option allows the driver to choose between driver controlled blink-speed gear changes or to simply put the car in auto and leave it to select the appropriate gear. The system works superbly in either set up and offers a great alternative to a manual. In full auto mode, if you are just driving at normal everyday speeds, the gearbox will change gears early, allowing you to conserve petrol and drive smoothly, yet pushing your foot deep into the carpet, it will instantly change down and give you that instant boost of acceleration. The changes are crisp and smooth, and on accelerating hard from a standstill, pull you away in a similar, mature way. If the car breaks traction, the gear box will hold the gear so the car can pull up to speed as quickly as possible without jolting through gains and losses in traction. Having said this, you really do have to provoke the car for it to lose grip. The road holding and grip it has over rough, bumpy or broken surfaces is superb. Going down a country back road, the car remains as sure footed and confident as it looks and feels. You get the feeling that the car knows exactly what it is capable of, and even knows what you’re capable of. Although it rides the bumps and ruts in the road, it doesn’t try to make them not be there, communicating the road and grip levels through the steering a seat. The ride of the car is firm, but not uncomfortable. In fact, rather than wallowing around trying to smooth out the ruts, it gives you the confidence to really use the car. The engine is particularly good. When you are just driving around at normal speed, its quiet and smooth, yet when pushed gives a lovely deep induction roar. The turbo fitted to the car cuts in quite low and gives strong boost throughout the rev range, without being at all lumpy. This, coupled with the silky smooth DSG gearbox, left the car feeling exactly how it should feel. It felt like a true Golf GTI. But the big question is does the GTD feel like one? Well in a way yes. The interior trim still has this sporty expensive feel, the outside still looks aggressive and it also has an impressive amount of power. The difference is the way the power is delivered, or with a diesel, the torque it produces. A Diesel engine will always give more torque than power, so in mid rev range when you feel that thrust push you forward, that’s the torque pulling you. In petrol the power is delivered gradually, giving its peak output near the top of the rev range. As a result the GTI will put a huge smile on your face as you go up the rev range, pulling smoothly all the way up the red live. The diesel is inevitably going to feel more lumpy next to this, but don’t think that this means you are being thrown back and forth. The performance is delivered smoothly, if giving it maximum in mid range, however by doing this you can get the most usable performance lower down the rev range, without having to keep revving hard and sounding like you’re driving erratically. The other thing that the GTD impresses with is its relentless thrust. In the GTI when you’re into 3 figures you can feel the car’s acceleration is as strong as it begins to get held back by natural elements. The GTD will keep accelerating at the same rate throughout the entire speed. Even at 110, it’ll still pull hard. Having said this, the thrust lower down doesn’t feel as strong as the GTI’s when pulling away from the start, but the fact it pulls at the same rate whatever speed your going is hugely impressive. Another difference with the GTI and GTD is how they handle. VW has pulled all the stops to make sure both cars handle as well as one another, which is exactly what you get, but with the heavy diesel lump over the front wheel, you can feel a bit of a difference. As there’s a little more weight, the nose feels heavier through a corner, which actually helps. The car feels a lot more planted and sure footed when pushing hard, but it will under steer a little easier than its petrol-powered brother. Saying that, you’d have to push hard in either car to get these kinds of results, as both have remarkable amounts of grip. In regard to the competition, its main rival is the Focus RS. Priced similarly, around £25,000, neither car is what you call cheap, but both give good value for money, VW certainly don’t skimp on standard equipment. Where these cars differ is that the Focus is a lot lareier. The colour, the huge arches, the fake carbon fibre on the dash, all adds to the vulgarity of the car. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a truly fabulous car, but you couldn’t go anywhere without being noticed, and I’d hate to leave it in a car park. The Golf on the other hand has the subtlety factor down to a T. Yes the dash is plastic, but they’ve used different finishes to break it up, it’s an honest car, something you could drive around town without anyone noticing, yet something that could put a huge smile on your face and has buckets of fun factor. If anything, the Golf GTI is car people aspire to own, a car that’s as mature as the people who can afford it, say around 28 years old. The Focus RS is a car that appeals to all, but most can’t afford to own. And even if you could, I don’t know how long you’d stand all the attention. And the GTD? Well, again that’s like a more mature GTI. It’s the car you’d buy with your thinking head on, giving you great performance and better economy still in a GTI package. Both the GTI and GTD are worthy of their heritage, and both can wear those badges with pride. They are huge fun and very responsible cars. Either of these cars would easily fit into your life and can be driven every single day, which is exactly what a hot hatch should be. Written by: Tim Watson |
Get latest updates, magazine release dates,events & freebies.
The sole purpose of Student Bodiez is to provide a true voice for students and young people. As universities and colleges are institutes that are solely focused on educational attainment and individual progression into the world of careers, education can become daunting and challenging. The opportunity to create an avenue of interaction and a channel of self exposure for students cannot exactly be claimed as a ground breaking idea but rather a perquisite which for many years has been ignored.