Volkswagen GTI Full Press Kit

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GTI Fascination

The Original is Back
Fast: The Turbo FSI used in the Golf GTI allows it to reach up to 235km/h.
Unique: GTI nose, GTI sports seats, GTI wheels, GTI ****pit.

Wolfsburg, October 2004. The new Golf GTI is coming. Dealers have been taking advance orders since 30 September. Customers can look forward to a GTI of the first order, a real sports Golf, a GTI with the character of the first generation launched in the mid-seventies. Murat Günak, Volkswagen design chief, sums it up: " this golf gti comes full circle.

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Body

Any child will immediately recognise this Golf as being a GTI from almost any angle. This applies in particular to the front. For the first time in the almost 30-year history of the GTI, the nose is different to the other Golf models as it has its own radiator grille design. The front features a distinctive GTI look. That means a black radiator grille with a red frame.

GTI Front. The new radiator grille is made up of a honeycomb structure. The same applies to the lower right-hand and left-hand radiator grille sections and fog light mountings that resemble extra air intakes. The bottom and top parts of the radiator grille are divided by a gloss black U-shaped section that forms a smooth connection. The Golf GTI stands firmly on the asphalt with this all-new, powerful design, the integrated front spoiler and the suspension lowered by 15 millimetres. Further GTI styling features include the darkened headlight bezels (bright chrome for Xenon) and, of course, the GTI badge integrated in the radiator grille.

GTI Rear. The striking roof spoiler, the twin exhaust tail pipes (diameter: 2 x 70 millimetres), newly designed lower bumper section and again the GTI badge show that this Golf is a real sports car. The larger rear spoiler in comparison with the Golf Trendline, Comfortline and Highline has (like the front spoiler) a clear aerodynamic function as it increases the downward pressure of the 235km/h Golf GTI on the road.

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GTI Profile. GTI trim and design elements also characterise the profile of the car. The standard 17-inch alloy wheels (type "Denver”) with 225/45 tyres (optionally available with similar design: 18-inch "Detroit” wheels), the aforementioned 15-millimetre lower chassis, the red brake callipers on the 16-inch brake system combined with ESP, the black widened sill panels and the black high-gloss B-pillar trim all convey the GTI flair when you look at the car from the side.

GTI Colors. The Golf GTI comes in ten colours. "Tornado Red”, "Black” and "Diamond Black_ (Pearl)” as well as "Candy White” are very special. Of course, it is a matter of taste. White was very popular for the first Golf GTI. The new Golf GTI is also available in the colours "Coastal Blue (Pearl)”, "Reflex Silver (Metallic)”, "Ink Blue”, "Steel Grey (Metallic)”, "Shadow Blue metallic” and "Laser Blue (Pearl)”.

GTI Dimensions. The GTI is a Golf. Therefore it is almost the same length, height and width as all Golfs. There are, of course, differences due to the new nose design and the lowered suspension. While the Trendline, Comfortline and Sportline versions of the Golf are 1.759 metres wide, 1.485 metres tall and 4.204 metres long the Golf GTI has the following dimensions: the width is the same, the height has been reduced 19 millimetres to 1.466 metres and the length has been increased 10 millimetres to 4.216 metres.

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GTI Safety and Quality. A millimetre here, a millimetre there: The Golf GTI body has exactly the same safety features as all Golfs. One important aspect of this "five-star car” (EuroNCAP crash test) is the considerable improvement in stiffness compared with the previous GTI model. The dynamic stiffness of the body has been increased 15 percent in terms of torsion and 35 percent in terms of stiffness under flexure. The static torsional _stiffness (25,000Nm/°) has even been improved by 80 percent (!) and therefore represents the top value in the segment. On every metre of road, you can feel that the body is not subject to any form of intrinsic movement.

Furthermore, despite the comparatively hard suspension, there is no unpleasant noise or movement in the body. The innovative body-in-white structure also sets new standards in terms of the noise level. Only the resonant sound of the GTI exhaust can be heard. Also the high body stiffness - in addition to the reconfigured sports chassis - forms the basis for the balanced and agile handling characteristics of the Golf GTI.

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Chassis

GTI Chassis Configuration: The Golf chassis with front strut and rear multi-link axles has been made even more dynamic for use in the new GTI and thus guarantees a new level of extremely agile handling. The sports chassis that has been lowered 15 millimetres forms the basis. True to the character of the Golf GTI, harder springs and dampers have been chosen for both axles and the stiffness rate of the rear stabilizers has been increased 20 percent (from 25N/mm to 30N/mm). The electro/mechanical power steering has also been "programmed” with a sporty GTI map. Amongst other things, it allows higher return moments as well as higher steering forces giving the driver a more direct feel of the road.

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The new chassis and steering configurations both add noticeably to the agility. It is simply fun to drive as the sporty set-up does not come at the cost of long-distance comfort. Even though the suspension is admittedly hard, the Golf GTI chassis does also smooth out short bumps excellently.

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GTI Handling: Generally the new GTI is extremely agile, but still very easy to control. Without having to resort to ESP intervention, the Volkswagen will, for example, even stay on track if you approach corners too fast. It does, however, push out slightly over the front axle without noticeable unpleasant understeering. On the other hand, if you suddenly take your foot off the accelerator on curves, the tail never swings out. This kind of load alteration simply causes a pleasant (as the driver feels it early) oversteer which automatically slows the car down by turning slightly inward.

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GTI Brakes: The brakes have also, of course, been adapted to the high performance of the Golf GTI. Firstly, excellent a 16-inch brake system slows down the GTI and secondly the ESP has also been set up for the GTI. It will not intervene too early and intensively or too late and vaguely. The shoes on the red brake callipers clamp onto vented brake discs with a diameter of 312 millimetres at the front and 286 millimetres at the rear. Combined with the standard Golf dual-brake assist, you get braking values that provide just as much enjoyment as accelerating.

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Engine

GTI Turbo. The new Golf GTI features an innovative FSI petrol engine boosted by a turbocharger and intercooler. The engine is mounted at the front transversely and is connected to a manual six-speed gearbox as standard. The four-valve four-cylinder 1,984cm3 power plant delivers a maximum output of 147kW/200hp at 5,100rpm.

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The 2.0 T-FSI in the Golf GTI has a high compression ratio of 10.5:1. Its broad torque band (280 Newton metres between 1,800 and 5,000rpm) makes it an ideal sports car engine. The use of an FSI petrol engine with turbocharger is a novelty for Volkswagen and is unique in this class outside the group.

In detail, the 2.0 T-FSI uses the advantages of homogeneous direct injection and combines it for the first time with the powerful advantages of a turbocharger. This enhances the dynamics — it has an outstanding torque band, excellent response, provides pure driving fun and does not have a hint of turbo lag.

GTI Basic Engine. The new engine is based on the 110kW/150hp 2.0 FSI with direct injection as already used in the Golf. The main aim during the development of the turbo-charged FSI with homogeneous combustion was increasing performance considerably to reach GTI core values while keeping consumption and emissions down. Thanks to the core technologies "Direct Injection” + "Turbo Charger” + "Continuous Inlet Camshaft Adjustment” + "Plastic Variable Intake Manifold” + other internal engine features, a very high degree of efficiency could be achieved. Like all Golf engines, the 2.0 T-FSI fulfils the EU4 norm.

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GTI Consumption. Apart from all the technical qualities, the new four-valve four-cylinder engine needed to match the sporty agile character of the GTI exactly without in any way affecting the comfort and economy that have always made the GTI very suitable for everyday driving. In conjunction with the manual six-speed gearbox, the engine consumes 8 litres per one hundred kilometres on average (EU total consumption). The optional double-clutch gearbox trims this figure to 7.9 litres. The economy of the engine is underlined by the long service intervals. The oil only needs to be changed after 30,000 kilometres at the latest or after two years. The maintenance intervals for the engine and car are identical.

Double-clutch Gearbox

The DSG double-clutch gearbox has started a revolution in terms of automatic gearboxes. That is simple to explain. It combines the advantages of a manual gearbox with those of an automatic and is simply loads of fun. The gear changes are so unbelievably fast that even trained drivers using a manual gearbox cannot keep up. Each shift point is so slick and also comfortable that it's easy to get addicted. Particularly in the manual Tiptronic mode, in which the gears are changed using paddles on the steering wheel or the plus-minus gate for the selector lever, the automatic gearbox is sportier than any previous automatic gearbox.

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GTI Perfect Shifting. There is one essential difference on the double-clutch gearbox compared with previous automatic gearboxes: A hydraulic torque converter is not used as a starting element in the gearbox available for the Golf GTI. This rules out the "elastic band effect” that mainly occurs in conjunction with smaller engines.

The double clutch comprises two wet clutches whose pressure is regulated electro-hydraulically. Clutch 1 (C1) operates the odd gears (plus reverse) and clutch 2 (C2) the even gears. We could basically describe it as two parallel gearboxes in one. As a result of this complex clutch management, there is no interruption in traction upon gear changes as is usual with automated manual gearboxes. An incomparably dynamic shifting feel is combined with simple operation. The very high effectiveness of the gearbox comes very close to the classic manual.

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Interior

The first Golf GTI from 1976 was also a classic in terms of its interior. The interior of the new Golf GTI also has an individual character thanks to the latest technology and styling.

GTI Sports Seats. The all-new GTI seats offer maximum comfort with the best possible side support and sporty looks. The high seatbacks with integrated, but adjustable (and active) head restraints highlight the feel of high sporting functionality. The front seats also have lumbar support adjustment as standard.

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The breathable upholstery cloth called Interlagos is also brand new. Its checked pattern pays tribute to the first GTI seat generation. Leather versions in "Anthracite” and "Beige” are also optionally available. The GTI logo stitched into the front head restraints also shows the attention to detail.

You can certainly feel the excellent ergonomics of the seats. The special upright seat position along with the distance from the GTI steering wheel and GTI gear knob are what you would expect of perfect sports seats.

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GTI Steering Wheel. Just like the first Golf GTI, the new generation is steered with a three-spoke steering wheel. Today it is covered with leather as standard, however. A special breathable perforated leather has been added to the left-hand and right-hand grip areas. The bottom of the steering wheel has been straightened slightly. Compared with the Golf steering wheels, the GTI wheel is slightly smaller in diameter and its more dynamic holding position allows for optimum control of the car. The GTI logo has been added to the brushed aluminium vertical spoke of the steering wheel. As usual in the Golf, the steering column is height and reach adjustable.

GTI Gearstick Knob and Instruments. Aluminium is a major feature of the new GTI gearstick knob, the trim inserts on the dashboard, centre console and door panels (brushed aluminium) and the pedal cluster. Another typical GTI hallmark is the black headliner. The instruments have been newly designed and are exclusive to the GTI. The rev counter goes up to 8,000 rpm and the speedo has also been given a greater range. The individual gauges are framed in smart aluminium for the GTI.

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GTI Comfort and Safety. The standard equipment in the GTI includes a multifunction computer, the front footwell lighting, the automatic anti-dazzle interior mirror with light and rain sensors, the coming home/leaving home lighting function, "Climatic” air conditioning and a tyre pressure monitor. Like the whole series, the GTI will also be launched with a safety package that leaves nothing to be desired. It includes the electronic stabilisation _programme ESP, active front head restraints, three head restraints in the back and six airbags.

*VWVortex