Let’s hope the new Mk 6 Golf GTI has big feet, because those are what it will take to fill the massive shoes vacated by the Mk 5, its predecessor.
If ever a car didn’t need replacing, it was the Mk 5. With its agile chassis, effortlessly torquey engine and revolutionary dual-clutch DSG gearbox, it was streets ahead of its class rivals and remained the benchmark hot hatch from its launch in 2004.
With such a great starting point, Volkswagen has wisely chosen the evolutionary approach instead of a revolutionary one. The new GTI is almost identical in size and proportion to its predecessor. And, as before, it distinguishes itself from lesser Golfs by way of a lowered suspension, aggressively styled front and rear bumpers and side skirts, smoked headlamps and tail lamps, and subtle red striping in the front grille.
The Mk V’s gorgeous five-hole alloy wheels are carried over unchanged – they were so good that Volkswagen simply couldn’t do better this time round.
But there are differences, too. In place of the older car’s heavy-handed “goatee” grille surround is a slimmer horizontal intake, which incorporates the new family face pioneered by the Scirocco.
At the rear, the new GTI has double tailpipes as before. But now, they’re positioned at the outer reaches of the rear bumper – one at each end – instead of being a twin at the car’s left-hand side.
The cabin architecture and layout are virtually identical to the Mk 5’s – which means the cabin is unremarkable. But the ergonomics are faultless.
There’s a touch more style and perceived quality in the materials and finishes than before, though. Evocative tartan upholstery, which subtly echoes the seats’ trim of the iconic 1970s Mk 1 GTI, is standard and looks great.
The steering wheel itself is a visual and tactile delight. It’s not just handily sized but also has a rim that is sportily chunky through most of its circumference.
This is sculpted at the point where your fingers and palms would grip it during normal driving. It gives the interior a nice fillip and is wonderful to use.
Just holding it in your hands puts you in the mood for some spirited driving. And spirited driving is what the GTI allows one to do best. Dynamically, it’s very, very similar to its predecessor. There’s the same slight clatter on start-up before the engine settles into its smooth purr. There’s the same effortless torque as you ease away, and the same deep, sustained bellow as revs climb.
The engine is based on the 2-litre turbocharged four from the Mk 5, but is heavily revised with new components such as pistons and piston rings, oil pump, vacuum pump and mass airflow sensor. It puts out 10bhp more than before for a maximum of 210bhp. And while max torque remains at 280Nm, it arrives 100rpm earlier at 1700rpm, and is sustained all the way to 5200rpm. To put things in perspective, the GTI has more torque at 1700rpm than a Porsche Boxster has at its torque peak.
Impressively, the new engine claims to be about nine percent more economical than its already frugal predecessor, and is less polluting. Outright performance is sparkling. The 210bhp doesn’t sound like a lot these days. But because the torque arrives so early, it shoves the car strongly forward from any speed, at any revs and with so little apparent effort that it feels quicker than the claimed 6.9 seconds 0-100km/h time.
And the thrust just builds in a clean, linear fashion all the way to the 6700rpm rev limit. It feels more like a good, naturally aspirated 3-litre-plus powerplant than a force-fed 2-litre one. And so smooth is the engine – so utterly devoid of harshness or strain – that it’s constantly a surprise when the rev limiter cuts in. It feels like it can easily rev much higher.
