Volkswagen Golf GTI 2005 review

Just as Volkswagen turned its basic Golf from a taut compact into a bloated BMW 3-Series pretender, it forgot what made the sporty GTI version tick.

VW has gone back to basics for 2005 to produce a fifth-generation Golf hero that is more tightly focused and enjoyable than any we can remember.

It is going to rattle its rivals, including the Mini Cooper S and BMW's 1-Series, and give some real enjoyment to people who could have forgotten – or never known – what the GTI was all about.

And the price is tight, too, from $36,990 as a six-speed manual or $42,290 with the DSG (direct shift gearbox) which has just become our favourite.

In the Volkswagen lineup, the GTI is much the same as the Subaru WRX. It's a hero car, an image machine and a vehicle that proves the Golf can be more than just a

nice hatchback.

"It's not just another Golf. It's a car that you really have to experience, to drive," Volkswagen Group Australia marketing chief Peter Dierks says.

The GTI is the fifth all-new model with the badge, and a few facts put the evolution of the car into focus.

The original Golf GTI, in 1976, weighed 830kg, had 81kW of power and 130Nm of torque and accelerated to 100km/h in 9.0 seconds; today's GTI is 1340kg, has 147kW and 208Nm and sprints to 100km/h in 7.2 seconds.

So it is a bigger and more refined car, but also much quicker. And not just on the straight bits.

The '05 GTI – which stands for Gran Tourismo Injection – is the first of its type with a turbocharged and direct petrol-injection engine, as well as electronic stability control, anti-skid disc brakes with brake assist and six airbags.

The equipment list runs from leather wrapping on the wheel to air-con, six-stack CD sound and the usual electric assists.

But this Golf is a GTI and so the car is dropped by 15mm on sports suspension, has unique red trim around the grille, side skirts and a roof spoiler, twin chromed exhaust tips and 17-inch alloy wheels.

The cabin is also dressed with the GTI wheel, aluminium dash inserts, alloy pedals and gear lever, GTI seat trim and shift paddles in the DSG car.

The GTI is a very big deal for Volkswagen in Australia, which switched its focus from the postponed super-luxury Phaeton to the hot hatch to try to build brand backing from the bottom.

It is a real favourite with VGA managing director Jutta Dierks, and she believes it will go well.

"We are expecting to sell 350 cars to the end of the year. We are trying to get more stock," Dierks says.

"We want to push it. There is obviously plenty to work on.

"We've done the first steps and hopefully we did the first steps in

the right direction."

She believes the GTI will do the same job for Volkswagen that the WRX does for Subaru, but points out that the German car undercuts the Japanese one – and all its likely rivals, including the Honda Integra and Renault Megane.

ON THE ROAD

The new GTI is a ripper. No other word fits.

It will rip through a 100km/h sprint, it will rip through any set of curves, it will rip into its rivals and the new twin-clutch gearbox even allows it to rip through the ratios.

We expected something good after a week with the Golf turbo diesel, but we still weren't prepared for the car that Volkswagen unleashed at the press preview in Canberra.

It is light and tight to drive – as are all the fifth-generation Golfs – but has a combination of refinement and explosive performance that will make it a huge hit.

It even makes a ripper "whoomp" down the exhaust when you fire it into the next gear at anything approaching maximum revs. It comes as unburnt gases are fired by the turbocharger and is just as much fun as any of the whistling, popping and banging you hear in a hot-rod Subaru WRX.

The WRX is one of the GTI's rivals and it promises an interesting battle, but people who go for the GTI will also be getting a refined European hatch that has been totally revamped and repackaged in its fifth generation.

The newcomer is roomy and comfy, well equipped and surprisingly priced.

But that's not a real surprise, because most of the Volkswagen range has just been repriced – the Polo from $16,990 and the Beetle Miami from $35,990 – to try to get the sales volume the company aimed for when it set up a factory operation Down Under. It has not been close for the past few years, but new management and newcomers including the GTI could easily make the difference.

The GTI gets along briskly with its turbo engine, the ride is surprisingly compliant for sports suspension, and it also stops and handles well.

It is not as sharp in the chassis as the Honda Integra, and it doesn't have WRX-style all-paw grip, but it will be more than good enough for most owners.

The newcomer proves Volkswagen has not forgotten the basics, or what the GTI badge really means.

Our favourite drive is the DSG GTI with a super-quick twin-clutch gearbox – check page three for a technical rundown – that is as good as anything we have driven. It can run as gently as an automatic or deliver the best manu-matic Formula One shifts we have felt in any car, including a Porsche or Ferrari.

It is hard to find fault with the GTI, which is – finally – back to its best and everything we expect from a car that put the words "hot hatch" into the automotive dictionary.