GTD, GTI Plus, R42: The Volkswagen Rumours

German car mag Auto Motor und Sport have pulled a few gossips out of the rabbit Golf hat, and these are rumours so juicy, we’re more than happy to believe them.

First cab off the rank is the GTD, a variant of the GTI, but—you guessed it—in diesel flavour.  The GTD, supposedly joining us in 2009, would use a common-rail diesel engine, offering 126kW and 352Nm of torque.  But would you really want a diesel GTI?  Sure: the GTD will take a mere second longer than its GTI sibling to get to 100kmh.

Up next, the suggestion that VW may offer an enhanced version of the GTI, called the GTI Plus, to be thrust upon us in late 2009. The Plus will benefit from an extra 45kW over the regular GTI, a seven-speed DSG (the R32 has a six-speed), and—most alarmingly—a Haldex all-wheel-drive setup.  Is this the end of the R32?

If the Plus doesn’t spell the end for the R32, the final rumour in this bag—the R42—certainly would.  Storming out of the showrooms in 2010, the R42 would drop the V6 in favour of a 2.5 litre turbo 5-cylinder engine, with a stonking ridiculous 261kW beneath.  To put this in perspective, the HSV GTS—a top of the line Aussie V8 sedan—offers 300 or so kilowatts.  Zoinks.  We presume the R42 would also pack AWD, or an extremely advanced anti-tree-collision system.

With a lot of people suggesting the Scirocco offers the better deal over the next-gen GTI, these rumours might be something to think about.