Golf GTD

[Greg Roles]

Hi all,

Just want to get peoples thoughts on the GTD i'm thinking of putting a deposit down on one, so i can preorder one. Does anyone know if dealers will be able to preorder or will they just be given stock initial and orders wont be prosessed until after release?

Also i understand that the GTD is very similar to the GT TDI that was release as part of the Mk5 series does anyone here own one and is willing to give me a run down on what it is like to drive. I've always been keen on the GTI but my wife being a greenie wants me to get a diesel.

To be brutally honest, driving a diesel isn't a whole lot better than a normal petrol car such as the 1.4 TSI. Sure the petrol car uses more fuel per year, and produces more CO2, but so too does the diesel engine produce more of other pollutants, particularily NO and particulates. Now NO is simply bad stuff, but perhaps even more insidious is the supposedly "clean" diesels these days with particulate filters. What these do is basically process the old school black "soot" down to microscopic size, and basically hide it from sight, but the car is still producing soot particulates. Current research mainly from germany is suggesting that these new microscopic particulates are crossing directly into the blood stream, whereas before whilst they looked bad, you generally just coughed them back up. It seems that DPF's may be hiding the soot, but causing a much larger health problem. Still under investigation, but I figure it's a long way from true "clean" technology.

I have a MKV GT TDI. It's all mid range, and has a very obvious turbo lag down low. The power comes on with a major wack, and it's not an easy car to drive smoothly in a manual. Also, in manual form, you spend a lot of time changing gears, so I'd highly recommend a DSG version. I went manual for both strength and long term survival, but DSG is definately a better thing for the diesel TDI as far as ease of living with it is concerned.

The car is rough down low, off boost, and you really have to "drive around" the lag and the narrow 2000rpm powerband. Personally I love it, but I can see why it certainly wouldn't be many people's cup of tea. The common rail version in the MK6 will be both a lot quieter, more refined, and I suspect a whole lot better off boost, so I'd expect power delivery and refinement to be a lot better than my MK V.

That said, the Common Rail comes with even more emission systems, so if you ever want to go full greenie and run biofuel, it's going to be even more complex. Common rail fuel pumps are also super sensitive to the fuel quality used, and mega expensive to repair, so bio would be a much bigger risk in the Mk6.

Gale Banks, THE diesel tuner in the USA, reckons the tuning capability of the MKV PD mechanical injection is 25-30% more whereas common rail towards 60% may be possible! Way more tuning capability, but current tunes are showing the older MKV PD system achieves a lot more torque. I'd hazzard a guess it's simply a matter of time to allow the tuners to fully extract the possibilities from the latest MK6.

I wouldn't rule out a GTI, it's not like it is using insane amounts of fuel like the sexy, but thirsty R32. THAT is a long way from green!

[G-rig]

That's what i thought, diesel is good for economy but not really any better than petrol for the environment??

[nau]

just thinking out loud... just drove my friends loan mini diesel...runs ok fun and small BUT it makes sooooooooo much noise on acceleration, I dont have much experience with diesels but holyf.... that car was louder thn v6 commodore next to me....
Im so glad that I didnt go with idea of waiting for GTD....

[hoi polloi]

just thinking out loud... just drove my friends loan mini diesel...runs ok fun and small BUT it makes sooooooooo much noise on acceleration, I dont have much experience with diesels but holyf.... that car was louder thn v6 commodore next to me....
Im so glad that I didnt go with idea of waiting for GTD....

The Mini diesel is quite clattery... The Golf is very refined - for a diesel... Despite this the diesel versions will always be noisier than the equivalent petrol versions...

Regards,
- Anthony.

[Timbo]

Hi all,

Just want to get peoples thoughts on the GTD i'm thinking of putting a deposit down on one, so i can preorder one. Does anyone know if dealers will be able to preorder or will they just be given stock initial and orders wont be prosessed until after release?

Also i understand that the GTD is very similar to the GT TDI that was release as part of the Mk5 series does anyone here own one and is willing to give me a run down on what it is like to drive. I've always been keen on the GTI but my wife being a greenie wants me to get a diesel.

We have a MkV GT TDI DSG, and love it. We test drove a manual and, as cogdoc says, it is a bit of pain because of the power band. DSG covers the turbo lag quite well. Ours has averaged 5.9L/100k over 30,000 ks. As a comparison, my S3 is averaging 9.3L/100 over around the same ks, with similar trips, although I probably drive it in a little more 'spirited' fashion. For most regular driving, you won't notice much difference in pleasure between the GTD and GTI, but if you really, really want the full driving experience, then the GTI is the better.

We'll replace the MkV with a MkVI GTD next year, and if Audi (or VW) released a model with the TDI 125Kw motor, AWD and DSG in Australia, I'd have it in a heartbeat

[Pearso888]

Thanks all for your comments much appericated. I drove a 103tdi and i must say i was very impressed with it. It was definatley a different driving experiance compared to a petrol. As previous people have explained it was very slow low down in the rev range but once you are moving and you put your foot down it really picks up. I think i'm going to hang out and test drive a GTD. My local dealer said if i order one now it will be a $1000 fully refundable deposit (subject to a test drive, finance and negotiating a price etc) so if i don't like it i can always order a GTI. This means they wil try and get me what i want in the first order. On all accounts i think i will like it. I must say the 18 inch wheels for the GTD look very cool.

Does anyone know what is happening with the release of the GTD? my dealer said he is not sure if they will be able to preorder for the release or if VWA will just give all the dealers a per-allocation of cars.

We'll replace the MkV with a MkVI GTD next year, and if Audi (or VW) released a model with the TDI 125Kw motor, AWD and DSG in Australia, I'd have it in a heartbeat

Have you looked at Audi TT diesel i beleve it is all wheel drive and has the a similar (if not the same) 125Kw engine as the GTD, but it does cost a lot more compared to the Golf and A3.

[hoi polloi]

Not wishing to hijack the thread but since this is for the GTD I thought I'd post here rather than starting anew...

While reading internet blurb regarding the GTD I noticed that it is advertised as having a "maintenance-free toothed timing belt for the camshaft"... Is this possible? I know chains (like in Mk VI GTIs) are relatively maintenance free but always thought toothed rubber belts had to be replaced religiously every "x" km...

Regards,
- Anthony.

[jessv3]

Im chiming in a bit late here and sure its water under the bridge but for those posters earlier on who were saying that the MK5 GT diesel was a mid range golf and used sportline suspension are way off.

The Mk5 GT Diesel has the exact same suspension as an Mk5 GTI it also has the exact same brakes as an MK5 GTI, the only real notable differences were: the GT didnt get the bucket seats or the flat bottem steering wheel but it get a full sized MFD which is something that didnt come along on the GTI till later on. Obviously the exterior cosmetics are different as well.

Taken from wiki-

The Golf GT features the same brakes as the Golf GTI, with 312 mm (12.3 in) ventilated front discs, and 286 mm (11.3 in) solid rears. It has also 15 mm (0.59 in) lowered suspension, which lowers its centre of gravity, it borrows the GTI's suspension/damper settings, uses 7Jx17" "ClassiXs" alloy wheels fitted with wide 225/45 R17 tyres, and has twin exhaust outlets

I totally agree though the GT name badge on the MK5 was confusing and misleading particularly as the 1.4tsi and the 2.0tdi were sold under the same badge. It will be good to see the more sportier interior going into the GTD as well.

[gregozedobe]

While reading internet blurb regarding the GTD I noticed that it is advertised as having a "maintenance-free toothed timing belt for the camshaft"... Is this possible? I know chains (like in Mk VI GTIs) are relatively maintenance free but always thought toothed rubber belts had to be replaced religiously every "x" km...

Short answer: "Not very likely IMO".

Longer answer: "IIRC VWA are currently recommending that the rubber timing belts on 4 cyl VW engines should be replaced every 4 years or 100,000kms (whichever is sooner). That seems to fit my definition for "maintenance" pretty well, and it certainly costs considerable $$$$. This recommended interval does seem to vary every now and then, depending on current VW policy and experiences (it mostly changes in the direction of needing replacement more frequently).

But maybe VW have managed to design and build a new type of timing belt that doesn't need replacing for the "life of the vehicle". Of course what the germans define as the "life of the vehicle" may be considerably less than what you or I think it should be. (I vaguely remember reading somewhere that according to the TUV it is something like 5 or 7 years !"

[Greg Roles]

Im chiming in a bit late here and sure its water under the bridge but for those posters earlier on who were saying that the MK5 GT diesel was a mid range golf and used sportline suspension are way off.

The Mk5 GT Diesel has the exact same suspension as an Mk5 GTI it also has the exact same brakes as an MK5 GTI, the only real notable differences were: the GT didnt get the bucket seats or the flat bottem steering wheel but it get a full sized MFD which is something that didnt come along on the GTI till later on. Obviously the exterior cosmetics are different as well.

Taken from wiki-

I totally agree though the GT name badge on the MK5 was confusing and misleading particularly as the 1.4tsi and the 2.0tdi were sold under the same badge. It will be good to see the more sportier interior going into the GTD as well.

The suspension may be LIKE the GTI, but in reality it's VERY different. I actually didn't buy a GTI purely becuase the suspension was too hard, and I was used to Falcadore cushy suspension. The GTI definately has harder, lower springs, and I'd be suprised if the dampners were the same as well, the ride is FAR more sporty over the GT I bought, which is a halfway step from Sportline towards the sports orientated GTI.

As for the brakes, you are correct that the difference is red paint on the GTI.