Jalopnik: VW GTI

2009 Volkswagen GTI Drops In On Paris, Brings Two Extra Doors

Matt Hardigree — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 13:46:00 EDT

We finally have live shots of the pre-revealed 2009 Volkswagen GTI and, not surprisingly, it looks like a 2009 Golf VI with a bit more edge. This time we get to see the two extra doors for the five-door GTI, which looks rather fetching in hot red. The lower, wider air dam and the red trim are clear indicators that this hatch means business. Combined with the wide-spoke wheels this is clearly a GTI. And under the hood?

The new GTI will be carrying over the 2.0-liter turbo four used in the previous generation Edition 30 MK V, which should be good for 207 horsepower and 206 lb-ft of torque. It'll carry any VeeDubbers to 60 mph in 7.2 seconds with a top speed of 149 mph.

2009 VW Golf GTI Drops Ahead Of Paris

Wes Siler — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 22:50:00 EDT

Like the 2009 VW Golf VI, the 2009 VW Golf GTI is a lot like the old car, just a little bit better. Power comes courtesy of the same EA888 2.0-litre turbo used in the Edition 30 MK V, making 207 HP and 206 Lb-Ft. Looks-wise VW wanted to make the new GTI looks lower and meaner than the MKV. Thank the wide lower air dam for that. Of course, the question in everyone’s mind is: how fast is it?

0-60 come in at a somewhat disappointing 7.2 seconds, while it’ll hit a top speed of 149 MPH. Handling will be boosted by DCC active damping.

There’s also talk of both a 265 HP 4WD R-version to replace the outgoing R32 — the new one will use a turbo-four instead of the heavy V6 — while VW itself is hinting at a GTI version of the 2009 VW Scirocco. Please VW, bring the Scirocco GTI stateside, we’ve been extra good this year.

C&D Wants To Know How Much Fun You Can Have For $25,000

Andrew Stoy — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 14:00:00 EDT

Car und Driver gave its staff a theoretical budget of $25,000 and asked a question many of us have posited to ourselves: What's the most entertaining vehicle I can get with my money? As would be expected when asking a group of car enthusiasts such a subjective — and emotional — question, the answers were all over the board, ranging from a brand new VW GTI to a used Dodge Ram SRT10. But the group ended up with seven used and two new vehicles that, for the most part, we think are pretty fair representations of fun for the dollar. We'll take that Supra Turbo, thank you very much. [Car and Driver]

Kleine GTI, Now With 16 Valves For 1987!

Murilee Martin — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 11:00:00 EDT

VW's "Kleine GTI" series of ads, starting in 1984, was still going strong three years later. Those crazy Wolfsburgers went and doubled the number of valves for that year, giving America's Members Only-clad sorority girls 123 rampaging German horses under the hood.

Volkswagen Tiguan To Be Marketed As The Compact SUV 'GTI' Instead Of The 'Expensive' Compact SUV

Matt Hardigree — Mon, 19 May 2008 13:40:00 EDT

The Volkswagen Tiguan is headed this way to compete in the highly competitive Compact SUV segment, which includes the likes of the Honda CR-V, RAV4 and Ford Escape. The sharp-looking SUV has a lot going for it, including the beloved turbocharged 2.0-Liter fourbanger found in a wide range of Audi and VW products. Unfortunately for VW, a weak dollar and features designed to meet the high expectations of the European market mean that the Tiguan is going to start at $23,850 and top out for $29,515 for the AWD version. That's about $1,700 more than the fully-equipped AWD Honda CR-V, the class leader. But VW has a plan for selling the thing: tie it to the popular VW GTI.

This isn't completely ludicrous as the GTI shares the same platform and drivetrain as the Tiguan, though exterior styling is dramatically different. We see this is as a positive for Tiguan drivers that want to feel better about buying an SUV, though we wonder if GTI owners might not appreciate the sentiment. Time will tell if this move allows VW to move the targeted 20-25K vehicles.

[AutoNews via Motive Forums]

VW Golf TDI Hybrid Combines Best Of Both Worlds

Mark Arnold — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 11:20:00 EST

Nowadays it's easy to forget that diesel is good for more than just massive torque. Remember? Diesels get great fuel economy too. And in case you're not impressed by a 'normal' diesel like the Euro-spec Honda Civic, VW has decided to make a diesel hybrid. VW has combined a turbocharged 75 HP 3-cylinder diesel, a 27 HP electric motor with a trunk-mounted NiMH battery, and a 7-speed DSG. The result should be an average of 3.4L/100km (69 mpg).

The VW is capable of driving either totally on electric or diesel power (or obviously a combination of both). A stop/start system shuts down the engine when sitting in city traffic. And to further charge the batteries there is a regenerative braking system. [Auto Bild via German Car Blog]