2010 Volkswagen Golf GTD Launched In Australia

Volkswagen Australia has today announced the arrival of the 2010 Volkswagen Golf GTD in Australia, giving the popular GTI a diesel-powered equivalent for local buyers.

With 125kW, the GTD might fall short of the petrol GTI's 155kW by 30kW, but the GTD's all-important Newton metres, 350 of them in fact, betters the GTI's 280Nm. It is comfortably the most powerful diesel-powered Golf in the range - with the looks of the GTI as a bonus.

It wears a slightly different badge and it's short one pair of tail pipes, but all in all, the styling of the 2010 Volkswagen Golf GTD is largely identical to its petrol sibling, the GTI.

With GTI looks, 17-inch alloy wheels as standard (18-inch rims available as an option), 225mm tyres and a 15mm lower ride height than the regular Golf, the GTD looks a good deal sportier than the 103 TDI; the next diesel down.

As with the GTI, the diesel-powered GTD gets a honeycomb upper and lower grille, with large foglights in the front bumper.

One of the many subtle differences for the GTD are the chrome strips top and bottom of the upper grille - as opposed to the red strips that stand out so prominently on the GTI.

Inside, the GTI theme continues, giving the 2010 GTD the same 'top sport seats', trimmed in the GTI's famous tartan pattern but with a grey tone where red would normally appear.

The three-spoke leather sports steering wheel is there, its lower spoke emblazoned with the GTD name rather than GTI.

There is also leather trimming to the parking brake grip, along with the gear knob and surround. The instrument and door trim areas are treated with 'Black Stripe' gloss-black highlights.