Volkswagen has shown its hand with the new Mark VI Golf GTI, but don’t expect that to be the end of the sporting story.
There is still more to come from the high performance Golf line-up, and the first of those offerings is being prepared for an unveiling at the AMI Car Show in Leipzig, Germany next month.
The Golf GTD will offer the same handling and styling package as the GTI, but with a 126kW (170hp) 352Nm (258lb-ft) 2.0 litre TDI tubodiesel engine taking the place of the GTI’s 2.0 litre petrol mill.
It’s the same engine as found in the Audi TT TDI, and with it the GTD should be capable of an 8.2 second 0-100km/h sprint and sip less than 5.8 litres/100km (better than 40mpg) on the combined cycle.
Volkswagen appears to be following the performance diesel precedent set by cars like the Škoda Octavia TDI and the RenaultSport Megane dCi 175, both of which take their donor cars sports models and add a frugal - but punchy - diesel engine.
While Europe is a certainty to receive the Golf GTD the rising popularity of diesel cars around the world, particularly in Australia, means that the GTD hopefully won’t be too far away for those looking to ride the high-torque performance wave.
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I don’t understand the hype about this model. The Golf V GT Sport TDI variant offers the exact same specs, but in a Common Rail system rather than Pump Duese. Ultimately the only practical difference is fuel consumption and engine note.
And FYI I own a GT Sport and it wiped the floor with a Commodore VY - believe me he was trying.
I have not dyno’d my GT Sport myself but I have also heard that it actually dynos at 140kw @ the flywheel which is some 15kw than what VW rates it at - this would probably explain how easily it eats up some V6’s. So if this time around VW actually rates the GTD accurately there would actually be a decrease in performance.