VW’s new Golf GTI is on the way. Caught hot-weather testing in the USA, these are the first scoop shots of the Mk6 Golf GTI. Power will come from an all-new, Audi-sourced 2.0-litre turbocharged engine, while the brakes, suspension and bodywork will be beefed-up versions of today’s Golf GTI hardware. A motor show debut is expected in 2009 at Geneva or Frankfurt.
So what’s the engine in the VW Golf GTI?
It’s a new Audi TFSI unit that was originally developed by Ingolstadt as a 1.8. But a 2.0-litre version was always in the works and it’s this capacity that will power the new Golf GTI. With the addition of Audi’s valvelift system on the intake camshaft, the bigger engine is said to produce 208bhp at 4300-6000rpm and 258lb ft of twist all the way from 1500-4200rpm.
In the 1420kg A5 this means a 6.9 second sprint to 62mph, a (limited) 155mph top speed, 42.8mpg and 154g/km. The new VW Golf GTI will be lighter, by nearly 100kg, and expected to be equipped with a seven-speed DSG ‘box, so you can improve on every one of those figures. Reckon on the benchmark sprint falling to around 6.5 seconds.
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What else should I know about the new Golf GTI?
Our spy photos show the GTI will feature a new rear bumper, with twin exhausts pipes different from those on the current GTI and R32. The Golf prototype also featured the current car’s 30th anniversary wheels, but expect new 17-inch wheels to be standard.
Inside, regular seats are visible, not the R32’s-style Recaro buckets, while a GTI badge is just about visible on the front egg grater grille. There are also new side sills and a deep front bumper to suck cooling air into the engine bay.
And what about the R32 version?
It had been thought an R36 version, featuring the Passat’s 296bhp 3.6-litre V6, would replace the current R32. But the latest reports from Germany claim emissions regs have cancelled that plan. Never fear though, because a four-wheel drive super Golf with a tweaked version of the 2.0-litre turbo should up the ante with at least 250bhp.
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