Overview Sport hatchback with go-kart handling
Pros A blast to drive, fabulous seats, great manual transmission
Cons Dinky navigation screen
Value for money Good
What would I change? Make the Performance Package that’s offered in the U.S. available in Canada (among other things, it modifies the engine programming to produce an extra 10 hp)
How would I spec it? As is (or maybe 3-door version)
Let’s face it, for most of Canada, this winter has seriously overstayed its welcome. If it wasn’t the snow, it was the omnipresent bone-chilling cold that has sucked out whatever joy we had in our hearts.
But, with March, the sun has come out, the temperature has dared to sneak above 0 C and the puddles in the streets and on the sidewalks are indicative of a melt. Oh, bliss, oh, rapture! Thoughts of putting away the shovels, the blower, the boots and the down-filled parkas fill my head. No more testing sport-utes and all-wheel-drive cars (for now), it’s time for something sporty … and red!
Better ease into it, though. Haring about in a Porsche 911 Carrera, Corvette Z06 or some other flashy sports car would only anger the snow gods into unleashing six more weeks of frozen hell! But a Golf GTI … yeah, that’s what’s needed to shake the rust off these cold bones.
Except for the Cuisinart rims and the sunshiny Tornado Red paint job, it looks like a garden-variety hatchback from 10 metres away. Get behind the wheel, though, and it’s a sports-car-in-training, a tonic for those who consider driving well an art, not a chore and — for those of us with long memories — an old, familiar friend.
Seven generations in and the quintessential hot hatch is still the puppy that wants to scamper. Oh, it’s put on a lot of weight over the 30-plus years it’s been sold in North America, but it’s compensated for the avoirdupois by more than doubling the power of the original über-Rabbit. The tartan-pattern sport seats and the golf ball shift knob are a kind nod to the faithful, as is the fact that a six-speed manual is still offered, though the DSG manumatic and its paddle shifters is a necessary concession to the video game-addled younger crowd.
2015 Volkswagen Golf GTI 5-Door Autobahn
Brian Harper, Driving
Yet it’s that six-speed manual, mated with the GTI’s EA888 2.0-litre, turbocharged, direct-injection four-cylinder, that’s a marriage made in heaven. Now, 210 horsepower and a healthy 258 pound-feet of torque do not a missile make. But, people, the GTI is not about knocking off zero to 100s — the all-wheel-drive Golf R and its 292-hp turbo four can carry VW’s banner for that duty — it’s about balance, comfort, refinement and a playfulness that is so beyond the common it should be patented. Unless you’re a complete klutz when synchronizing clutch foot and shift hand, the GTI has the ability to make you feel, if not like a superhero, at least one with the car. And, it’s not as if this hatchback is a wimp. Though the DSG-fitted version is a tenth or two faster, the manual version will still hit 100 km/h in seven seconds, and pull off an 80-to-120 km/h passing move in four. And it doesn’t run out of breath at higher revs, either, with a robust exhaust note.
Making play time extra special is the new “driving mode selection” feature. There are three modes to choose from — Normal, Sport and Individual. Normal and Sport have a different steering weight and throttle response, while Individual allows one to alter the steering and throttle to his or her own liking. I found Normal quite acceptable for most driving conditions, switching to Sport for when a set of curves appeared and the road was clear. Though slightly larger in size compared with its predecessor, the 2015 GTI is 30 or so kilograms lighter. It also has a lower centre of gravity and an aggressive stance, helped by a sport suspension that lowers the car by about 10 millimetres compared with a regular Golf.
For all of the praise heaped on the GTI for its roadworthiness, though, it isn’t a racetrack warrior. As was discovered last year during Driving’s test of six “Road Rockets Under $30K” at Calabogie Motorsports Park, the DSG-equipped VW, in the words of Derek McNaughton (Driving’s managing editor), “got befuddled, its tail wagging left and right under hard braking, the traction control stepping in early and not being able to completely disengage as the car flung about into the bends. The extra 51 lb.-ft. of torque over the sixth-gen GTI is definitely a plus, but the GTI felt more like a Grand Tourer than a track star.” Given that most GTI owners won’t be track testing their cars extensively, I think they will be able to live with the disappointment.
Also read our review of the 2015 Subaru WRX
I love the fact VW recognizes that enthusiasts can also need a car with a practical side to it, building the GTI in both three-door and five-door hatch variants. The five-door Autobahn tester’s cabin is an example of ergonomic mastery. Drop your butt into the heated sport seat — the most comfortable, yet perfectly supportive and bolstered, perch found in any car under $100,000 — and everything else falls into place. From the feel of the flat-bottom steering wheel to the ideal placement of the gear shifter to the visibility of the gauges, the car is designed for fatigue-free driving. It’s also designed for those of us who are leggy, with plenty of front-seat travel and lots of headroom. Given the GTI’s overall compact dimensions, though, rear-seat passenger comfort will be entirely dependent on how far the front seats are back in their tracks.
A GTI-specific instrument cluster and aluminum-look pedals, along with the previously mentioned golf ball shift knob and the flat-bottomed sport steering wheel, differentiate the model from lesser Golfs. The only sub-par aspect to the car is the minuscule touchscreen infotainment centre. It’s OK for displaying things such as the driving mode and radio functions, not so much as a navigation screen. The map showing my neighbourhood looked like a plate of spaghetti and was about as easy to decipher unless I went to maximum zoom-in.
Compare Head-to-Head: Volkswagen Golf GTI and Subaru WRX
That’s a mere grumble, though, for an otherwise stellar car. It’s not like the GTI doesn’t have competition — its primary rivals are the Ford Focus ST, Honda Civic Si and Subaru WRX. But, while each of those is fun in its own right, none have the overwhelming completeness of the VW. At less than $34,000 for a topline Autobahn five-door, it punches well above its weight as a sporting car. Like many, I have concerns about the cost of repairs once the car goes off-warranty, but if Volkswagen has its stuff together with its entire line of new gen-7 Golfs, then this GTI will provide joy for many years — especially when it’s red.
2015 Volkswagen Golf GTI 5-Door Autobahn
Brian Harper, Driving
The Specs
Type of vehicle Front-wheel-drive compact sport hatchback
Engine Turbo 2.0L DOHC I4
Power 210 hp @ 4,300 rpm; 258 lb.-ft. of torque @ 1,600 rpm
Transmission Six-speed manual
Brakes Four-wheel disc with ABS
Tires P225/40HR18
Price (base/as tested) $32,895/$33,590
Destination charge $1,395
Natural Resources Canada fuel economy (L/100 km) 9.4 city, 6.9 highway
Standard features Dual-zone electronic climate control, cruise control, digital compass, 5.8-inch colour touchscreen, 400-watt Fender audio system with eight speakers and subwoofer, media device interface with iPod connectivity, Sirius satellite radio, sport seats, power windows, leather-wrapped handbrake grip, aluminum door sill plates, leather-wrapped GTI multi-function steering wheel, tilt/telescoping steering column, eight-way adjustable front sport seats with power recline and adjustable lumbar support, heated front seats, rear-view camera, brushed aluminum sport pedals and dead pedal, multi-function trip computer and indicator, keyless access with push-button start, auto-dimming rear-view mirror, power glass sunroof, heated windshield washer nozzles, bi-xenon headlights, adaptive front-light system, automatic headlights
Options Technology package ($695), includes navigation system with 5.8-inch touchscreen and proximity sensor, CD player, forward collision warning system
