Pistonheads MK6 GTI Review

[evorobin]

http://www.pistonheads.com/news/defa...?storyId=19761

"VW’s Golf GTI has been around for 33 years and has seen a lot over the decades, meandering through a number of incarnations, some good, some less so."

[Sharkie]

Good review ..... I personally don't think that the lack of competitive power is anything to worry about. It is afterall only a chip away from 190kw/410NM and that will make up for any deficiencies mentioned in this review ...

[Guest212]

Its good to see VW aren't bothering with entering the power struggle as the review mentions with the other hot hatches about.

Its not about how quickly you can mince your tyres! If only the noobs in their XR5Ts and MPS' could figure this out.

[gerhard]

209hp/280nm from very low in the rev range in a superbly capable chassis weighing in at 1340kg approx is more than enough power to widen the eyes of any passenger.

I think VW is correct in not beefing the car too much, since it seems to have a very broad market appeal - plenty of P platers lament not being allowed to drive them, and plenty of middle aged and elderly people love them. FWD is only good for so much before it can become decidedly dangerous when too much power is too easily on tap. Perspective is restored a bit when you consider that the 147kw is available in cooking models , eg Jettas, and the GTI should probably be blessed with 30kw above those in keeping with its nature. 175kw should be the mark, I reckon.

For those who need insane power, they can buy that elsewhere with the appropriate bling and tyre shredding capacity probably for less money.

VW will cater to that segment of its customers that require a lot more with the upcoming R variants complete with AWD. Any the much discussed possible R32 replacements from 195kw to 220kw to the R45 5cyl will be a smorgasboard for this sector. Not sure which one(s) will find their way to AU, though - VW AU doesn't seem to enjoy having too many models.

[MichaelB]

Spot on. It's all about usable torque. Provide it in a nice wide band, and you've got effortless driving.

[anarchycamp]

I know we are probably all quite biased but couldnt agree more, VW would be nuts to try and win the hot hatch race by trying to produce silly amounts of power. I have a friend who has an Mazda 3 MPS and I drove it when he first got it about 2 years ago and was impressed with the power.I drove it the other day, the things is falling apart and it shakes like nothing else when you put your foot down. The other companies have a long way to go before they catch the GTI.