Motoring Golf GTI is great all-rounder

l REVIEW

| Nick Dalton

THE Volkswagen Golf GTI was credited with starting the hot hatch phenomenon.

In 1974 six Volkswagen staffers concocted a secret plan to develop a sporty version of the Golf and it was launched in 1976 with a modest 1.6-litre four-cylinder 81kW and 140Nm and a 0-100-km/h of 9.2 seconds.

Nonetheless it could top 182km/h and astonished Porsche drivers along German autobahns as it whizzed past. Initially 5000 units were planned. That grew to 461,690.

Fast forward to today and the Golf has grown up somewhat, now powered by a 180kW/370NM 2.0-litre turbocharged engine, capable of the 0-100km/h sprint in 6.4 seconds and a top speed of 250km/h.

While there are faster and cheaper rivals, the Mk 8 is regarded as the best all-rounder and daily driver.

Price wise it has risen quite a bit too, with the base version

$60,958 drive away. Volkswagen argues that there is more standard equipment to justify the increase.

The GTI is a discreet car and doesn’t shout its high-performance credentials. Many owners like to fly below the radar. Nevertheless there are some clues such as the sporty alloy wheels, iconic red grille strip above a very bold bumper with chequered flag-style fog lights.

In profile there’s a GTI badge on the front guard, red calipers and tinted rear glass.

At the rear there is a minimalist approach to the badging – just the three important letters ‘GTI’ below the VW emblem, which doubles as the boot opening handle. The lower bumper features a pair of round exhaust tips.

The inside has the legendary tartan seat trim, which is called ‘Scale Paper’ in this generataion and specification.

Other goodies include LED headlights, keyless entry and push-button start, electric heated folding side mirrors, standard-fit 18in alloys and adjustable suspension: comfort, eco or sport. Inside you’ll find a 10in touchscreen with sat-nav, digital radio, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a six-speaker stereo, wireless phone charging and for the key fob, auto-dimming rear view mirror, a digital instrument cluster, front, side and rear parking sensors with auto-parking, sports front seats with manual adjustment and leather-wrapped steering wheel, The boxy design provides a spacious interior and boot.

There are dual ISOFIX and three top-tether points for kid seats, plus there’s a fold-down armrest with cup holders, big door pockets for a bottle or loose items, and a few pockets on the front seat-backs too. There are two USB-C ports and directional air-vents.

Up front you’ll find similar storage – cup holders between the seats, a pair of big cubbies in the doors, and additional holsters for a phone (with wireless charging) and 2x USB-C ports, a centre console bin, and a reasonable glovebox.

The usability of the media system is not terrific. There are menus upon menus, and noth- ing as intuitive as it could be because so much of it is touchscreen-based. There are only a few hard buttons below, and then you still need to use the screen to get where you need.

I also think the much-criticised lack of knobs and buttons for volume and temperature control is an issue. There are controls below the screen, but they aren’t illuminated, and they aren’t always the most receptive.

It does take getting used to but you’ll get the hang of it eventually.

The powertrain is delightful. It doesn’t feel overpowered at all but actually feels quicker than the figures suggest.

It’s reasonably quiet and comfortable around town but has plenty of urge for range road drives and for overtaking on the open road.

The seven-speed dual-clutch DSG can be snappy and intuitive at pace and easy to use around town.

The steering is delightful. It’s accurate, nicely weighted and still easy to park or pilot through a series of bends on a favourite back road, in my case the tight and twisty Springmount Rd between the Arriga Mill and the Walsh River, also part of the Targa route.

It was quick and handled extremely well and the front differential lock helps to ensure you don’t end up with one front tyre spinning as you try and get the power down out of a tight corner,

The official combined cycle fuel consumption figure is 7.0 litres per 100 kilometres.

That’s what you should be able to achieve across a mix of driving.

During my time in the Golf GTI, I did about 250km and saw a real-world return of 9.8.L/100km, but that included spirited driving.

After the refuel it came down to 8.1L/100km on the quieter return home.

It has a 50-litre fuel tank that needs to be filled with 95RON premium unleaded at a minimum.

The Golf 8 range scored a maximum five-star ANCAP crash test rating in 2019. Active safety tech includes forward

AEB with pedestrian and cyclist detection, plus it has blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, reversing collision avoidance, lane keeping support, adaptive cruise control, a reversing camera and front and rear parking sensors.

It has a five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty. Servicing is every 12 months/15,000km. There’s a capped-price plan or “Care Plan” prepay packs for three years/45,000km ($1600) or five years/75,000km ($2800). Roadside assistance is included, but that renews each time the car is serviced with VW.

The Volkswagen Golf GTI is still a standard-setter as an allrounder sporty hatch.

The most frustrating issue was the confusing and complicated media screen.

A couple of rattles emerged in the dash and passenger door but disappeared on another run the following day. Go figure.

The Golf GTI is a sporty hatch with plenty of power and presence.

Westco Volkswagen has a couple of models in stock at their Mulgrave Rd dealership, phone: 4044 4188.