Roaring into the 40s with a fast round of Golf

Monday, 26 September 2016

The Volkswagen Golf GTI celebrates its 40th birthday this year - and this special car has been crated to mark the occasion.

What's with all that writing on the side of this car? It says 40 years of fun. What's that all about?

The sign-writing is all to do with the fact that this year is the 40th anniversary of the Volkswagen Golf GTI. The first such car was introduced to the international new vehicle market in June 1976 after being first revealed at the Frankfurt Motor Show the previous year.

That GTI lays claim to being the original European hot hatch. The idea behind it all was to take a basic economy car such as the VW Golf hatch, and turn it into a high-performance package. The concept worked, too - by the early 1980s the GTI was so popular it accounted for more than 25 per cent of all Golf sales.

The Volkswagen Golf GTI 40th Edition, resplendent with its special signwriting.

Over the years, New Zealand has contributed to the popularity of the GTI. So when Volkswagen distributors in various parts of the world decided to mark 40 years of the GTI by producing limited numbers of specially-prepared 40th anniversary models, Volkswagen New Zealand joined the celebrations by offering 40 Golfs it called GTI 40th Edition.

Great! Where can I get one?

You can't. All 40 of the 40th birthday models were pre-sold before they even entered the market. Well - 39 actually, because one was kept behind by WV NZ for the motoring press to try out.

That led to an amusing little exchange when we picked up the vehicle from the local VW dealership. Great, said one of the sales executives - you're now going to write an article about a car that nobody can buy! Good point that, and it's not as if VW NZ can simply import another 40 of the special GTIs, because that wouldn't be in keeping with the whole birthday-special exclusive ethos behind the original 40 cars.

But of course customers can still buy an ordinary (if that's the right word) GTI. That's a magnificent hatchback too - its turbocharged 2.0-litre engine makes 162 kilowatts of power and 350 newton metres of torque, which is sufficient to scoot the vehicle to 100 kmh in 6.5 seconds onwards to a top speed that VW says is 246 kmh. That's exciting driving potential.

Does the 40th Edition model go better than that?

It does. It is powered by the same engine as the GTI, but the turbocharger wick has been turned up so it offers 195 kW of power. Not only that, but the engine has an overboost function which can increase the power to 213kW, and the torque from 350Nm to 380Nm for 10 seconds at a time when the car is under full throttle in third gear and upwards.

Not only that, but whereas the GTI has a feature called Driving Profile Selection which lets the driver choose Eco, Comfort, Normal, Sport or Individual, the 40th Edition version adds DCC adaptive chassis control which constantly adjusts suspension settings to best suit road conditions and driving style. It's a $2000 option on the standard GTI.

Punch the Driving Profile Selection button into Sport, move the six-speed DSG automatic over into manual mode so you can use the steering wheel-mounted gear select paddles, then give this Golf the jandal, and it's an exhilarating experience. Each gear change is accompanied by a loud Brrrrrp! from the exhaust, and the engine note itself is more of a crackle than a roar. And then there's the effects of the overboost…

As a result of all this, the 40th Edition has an acceleration time of 6.3 seconds to 100 kmh, and top speed is 250 kmh. While that's not as fast as the sensational Golf R which makes 221kW from its 2.0-litre engine, the R is also all-wheel drive. The 40th Edition must be just about at the limit of performance potential out of a front-driven hatch.

Bet all this comes at a cost

The Golf GTI with the DSG automatic retails for $56,990 - and the GTI 40th Edition sells - or should that be sold - for $63,990.

For those extra readies, in addition to the additional performance the VW gets a number of cosmetic improvements including a honeycomb front grille, different bumpers, bespoke side skirts, a rea diffuser, two-piece rear spoiler, black side mirrors, and Brescia 19-inch alloys shods with 225/35 R19 tyres - the standard GTI gets 225/40 versions. On the inside there are sports front seats upholstered with alcantara material. The alcantara is also on the steering wheel and gearshift knob.

Something that makes the 40th Edition interesting is the history of the Golf GTI.

When that first model was launched in 1976, it was powered by a fuel-injected 1.6-litre engine that developed all of 80 kW of power - enough to get it to a top speed of 180kmh. Forty years ago that was sufficient to qualify the GTI as a hot hatch. Now the maximum power is 213kW and the top speed is 250kmh. Isn't progress great?