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Volkswagen Golf GTI Gallery
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| PERFORMANCE RATING: |
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This, too, deserves a five-star rating because there is so much pace delivered so cleanly and generously. There is almost no turbo lag, just a very slight softness in the throttle response which makes this feel like a supercharged engine (that of MINI Cooper S, for example). The 207lb ft of torque is on tap all the way from 1800 to 5000rpm, which makes for very efficient overtaking and the ability to storm up twisty, hilly roads with the engine always pulling hard and never falling into a power-hole.
You don't need to rev it hard, but it's smooth enough if you do. It also sounds deep and meaty, a note rather like a GTI Mk2's; the induction system is tuned to please the driver's ear, while the exhaust note discreetly but distinctively tells the outside world that this is not a normal Golf. The DSG version emits a racy burble-pop on each gearshift, too, as the throttle is momentarily eased electronically and the timing retarded. The similarly-engined Audi A3 has none of these pleasing sound-effects.
Top speed is 145mph, and the manual version reaches 60mph in 7.2 seconds with the help of a particularly smooth gearchange. There can be a jerk if you throttle-off suddenly, though, which takes some getting used to. None of this occurs with the DSG, however; as ever, it is completely smooth and lets the engine deliver its torque with seemingly no interruption (there is one, as mentioned above, but you barely feel it). This means that this version of the GTI actually has better acceleration times, for example 6.9 seconds to 62mph.
The DSG's automatic mode works as well as any conventional torque-converter auto even though the DSG has a solidly-connected drivetrain. It's all down to expert management of the two clutches as they engage and disengage is exact opposition. Marvellous. Manual control is by central stick or steering-wheel paddles, and squeezing the accelerator past thee kick-down switch triggers a downshift, even in manual mode. It also changes up automatically at the rev-limiter; purists may decry these two features but they can be useful.
Despite the pace on offer, the GTI is entirely docile and snatch-free in traffic. It also has smooth, powerful, progressive and impressively large brakes.
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