2021 Volkswagen

HATCHBACKS >>

2021 VOLKSWAGEN GOLF GTI

HIGHS

Exceedingly fun for the price, wonderful transmissions, classy and practical. LOWS

Ride quality can be a bit harsh, too understated for some, rival hot hatches cost less.

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2021 VOLKSWAGEN GOLF GTI

Ride quality can be a bit harsh, too understated for some, rival hot hatches cost less. VERDICT

The Mk 7 Golf GTI is the ultimate sport compact.

>>Overview The 2021 Volkswagen Golf GTI is affordable, practical, and most important to folks,a brilliant driving machine. While the current generation is nearing the end of its life cycle, it still continues to impress: It has won our annual 10Best award multiple times, including making the most recent list. With a sprightly 228-hp four-cylinder engine and terrific manual and automatic transmissions, this front-driver is wonderfully speedy. Of course, quickness doesn’t equal engagement.

Thankfully, Volkswagen has ensured this hot hatch provides nimble handling and communicative feedback. Those characteristics also apply to its sedan sibling, the Jetta GLI. Although its staid styling and above-average price won’t appeal to everyone, the GTI’s holistic approach to performance and undeniable versatility make it the ultimate sport compact.

>>What’s New for 2021? The current Golf GTI has had a great run, but 2021 is the last model year for this generation. While the upcoming 2022 model marks a promising evolution, there’s still a lot to like about the Mk 7, which carries over unchanged for its swan song.

>>Engine, Transmission and Performance The GTI’s 228-hp turbocharged four-cylinder is one of the greats. Offering a reasonable amount of power, it delivers instant response and solid acceleration. The clutch pedal in manual models is easy to use, which means shifting is never a chore. But if you’d rather let the car handle the gearchanges, the optional dual-clutch automatic is no slouch, either. It is nimble and responsive and takes corners beautifully. Most important, this hatchback is well coordinated and does just what you want it to do. The GTI reacts to steering inputs so quickly and accurately that you’ll think the car is a sentient being. Plus, its brakes are firm and progressive on the road and strong on the track.

>>Fuel Economy and Real-World MPG Fuel economy in the sportcompact class ranges from acceptable to outstanding, and the GTI provides some solid numbers. Plus, it outperformed expectations in our real-world testing,

>>Interior, Comfort, and Cargo Volkswagen interiors are simple and well crafted, and the GTI’s is no exception. Although the car’s main selling point is its agility and driver feedback, shoppers can still outfit their hot hatches with a few luxury features. Notable options include dual-zone automatic climate control and 12-way-adjustable leather power seats, but the GTI is plenty comfortable in its base guise. Four people can travel in

reasonable comfort in any of them, but don’t expect vast amounts of spread-out room in the rear seats. The entire Golf family enjoys large cargo holds, easy-to-fold seats, and useful in-cabin storage cubbies. Thanks to the nearly flat load floor, you’ll have no trouble packing up the car for a trip to the beach or a ride home from IKEA

THE OVERTAKE MAGAZINE >>Infotainment and Connectivity Every model in the GTI lineup is graced with a touchscreen that is simple to use. The system uses a mix of touch and voice commands as well as several menu-based buttons. It’s about as easy to operate as the average smartphone. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility are standard, too, and make device integration a cinch.

>>Safety and DriverAssistance Features The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) have not crash-tested the 2021 GTI. However, the 2020 model, which carries over unchanged for 2021,

earned five stars from NHTSA. A full complement of driver assistance equipment is available. None of it is standard, however, which is perhaps the one thing holding the GTI back from perfection. Key safety features include: • Available forward-collision warning and automated emergency braking • Available lane-departure warning and lane-keeping assist • Available adaptive cruise control

>>VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, front-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door hatchback

>>ENGINE TYPE: turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 16-valve inline-4, iron block and aluminum head, direct fuel injection

>>Displacement: 121 cu in, 1984 cc Power: 220 hp @ 4700 rpm Torque: 258 lb-ft @ 1500 rpm

>>TRANSMISSION: 6-speed manual >>CHASSIS: Suspension (F/R): struts/multilink Brakes (F/R): 13.4-in vented disc/12.2-in vented disc Tires: Hankook Ventos S1 Noble 2, 225/40R-18 92 H

>>DIMENSIONS: Wheelbase: 103.6 in Length: 168.0 in Width: 70.8 in Height: 56.8 in Passenger volume: 96 cu ft Cargo volume: 23 cu ft Curb weight: 3221 lb

>>C/D TEST RESULTS: Zero to 60 mph: 6.0 sec Zero to 100 mph: 14.5 sec Zero to 120 mph: 22.4 sec Rolling start, 5–60 mph: 6.8 sec Top gear, 30–50 mph: 12.4 sec

The 2021 Volkswagen Golf GTI is affordable, practical, and most important to folks, a >> brilliant driving machine.

>> M-SPORT REVEALS NEW FIESTA RALLY4

English company M-Sport developed an all new version of the Ford Fiesta WRC for the 2017 World Rally Championship technical regulations. Based on the new road-going Ford Fiesta, the WRC follows in a long line of Rally specification Fiestas which most recently have included R1, R2, R5, S2000 and WRC variants. The Fiesta has become one of rallying’s most successful models with countless victories and championship laurels around the globe. This year alone, the Ford Fiesta R5 claimed an impressive 159 outright victories that’s more than any other R5 as well as countless class wins and a second successive FIA European Rally Championship. Designed from a completely clean-sheet of paper, M-Sport’s latest challenger adds another string to the Fiesta’s impressive bow and the development team are confident of making a return to the top step of the podium.

The bodywork of the car was solely designed using CFD and features a front and rear splitter, dive planes and a large rear wing.

The engine has been revised to produce 380 bhp and 450 Nm of torque from its bespoke Ecoboost-powered 1600cc direct injection engine and 36 mm inlet restrictor, a newly-designed six-speed sequential gearbox with hydraulic shift runs alongside a multi-disc clutch and an active centre differential offers enhanced control and performance.

THE OVERTAKE MAGAZINE Evolving further, redesigned MacPherson struts with Reiger external reservoir dampers are fully adjustable in bump and rebound, while ventilated brake discs with bespoke four-piston monoblock calipers provide the stopping power.

Improved safety has also formed a key part of the Fiesta WRC’s development. A T45 steel rollcage is welded to the chassis with structural door sill reinforcements. The presence of enhanced energy absorbing foam has also been significantly increased from 60 litres to a minimum of 95 litres. The crew’s Sparco seats are cocooned by this foam and energy management figures have increased by as much as 20 percent. M-Sport Head of Engineering, Chris Williams: “A tremendous amount of effort, passion and enthusiasm has gone into this project and there has been a real commitment from our entire team. Designing a brand new car from a completely clean sheet of paper has allowed our team to re-evaluate every single component to produce the lightest and most innovative car possible. We’ve pushed the physical boundaries in all areas and have some very interesting things going on underneath the surface that we are sure are unique to this car and have already improved performance significantly in testing.”

POSTER >> FEATURE

DALLARA STRADALE

Dallara builds race cars for a living. So it won’t come as much of a surprise to learn that the marque’s first road car feels like one. Across the start-finish line, flat-out in third gear, the two-seater is present but for a moment and then gone, trailing a bellowing burble sequentially interrupted by two more upshifts (a manual ’box is standard, the sequential optional). Pushing the Stradale to the limit is an experience that ravages every sense – even with the optional windscreen in place, your helmet still sticks out into the storm like a throbbing carbonfibre lighthouse, the car declaring war on your neck and shoulders with the forces it can summon.

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“Staggered wheel and tyre package aids chassis balance. Test car used optional 18in front and 19in rear forged alloys from OZ Racing. They’re an inch larger than standard, shod in £1710 of Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R trackday tyres.

This car represents the first time Italian chassis manufacturer Dallara has fixed its name to a road-lgal machine. As a project, it has been a long time coming, and as a prospect, it is nothing short of mouth-watering. At least it is for those aware of what the company has achieved since a young, ex-Lamborghini engineer set up shop in the Emilia Romagnese town of Varano de’ Melegari in 1973.

Gian Paolo Dallara studied aeronautical engineering at Milan Polytechnic and in 1959 was hired by Ferrari to work for the Scuderia. A sojourn at Maserati preceded a move to Sant’Agata Bolognese, where the then 27 year old Dallara led the team behind the Lamborghini Miura.

In the decades since, Dallara Automobili da Competizione has established itself as one of the world’s leading motorsport chassis constructors, even though many don’t recognise the name. But if you have watched IndyCar or the Formula 3 racing that has propelled so many hotshots to the highest single-seater heights, you’ve seen Dallara’s work in action, because its chassis dominate each of those grids. Equally, if you’ve ever lusted after the Maserati MC12, the Alfa Romeo 8C or 4C, KTM’s radical X-Bow, the Bugatti Veyron or its Chiron successor, then you’ve lusted after Dallara know-how, because the company’s expertise in carbonfibre and aerodynamics has benefited them all, along with too many other notable road cars to list here.

Dallara has earned the right to build the Stradale, saying it’s nothing less than a sincere expression of motorsport engineering for use on road and track. But is the driving experience divine or inaccessible? Can it reward the casual driver like little else or, as with so much of Dallara’s back catalogue, need only racing drivers apply?

>>The rivalry between the BMW 3 Series and the Mercedes C-Class is the automotive equivalent of the rivalry between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier. The stakes are different, sure, but there are no two models that are linked to one another than the 3 Series and the C-Class. It’s fitting, too, that just as Mercedes unveiled the 2019 C-Class a few months ago, it didn’t take BMW long to roll out the next-generation 3 Series. With both models offering something new to the table, it’s only fitting that we compare both models to see which one has the edge over the other.

>>EXTERIOR Comparing the exterior of the BMW 3 Series with the exterior of the Mercedes C-Class is like comparing a bratwurst with a Frankfurter. You can’t go wrong with either choice. Both models offer something unique in terms of their design. Put that into perspective, and you’re left with an inevitable conclusion: picking between the 3 Series and the C-Class boils down to individual preference.

>>FRONT The BMW 3 Series looks special. It’s been a while since the 3er had the ability to stop you dead on your tracks with its looks, but that’s the case with the new-generation model. It’s hard to identify which part of the 3 Series’ front profile casts the most impressive appearance. The bigger kidney grilles are hard to miss, but my money’s one the twin-LED layout of the headlamps and its surrounding design cues. That little notch in the front apron that rises into the contour of the headlight units is a small design detail that delivers a big stylistic impact on the 3 Series. Even the hood and the bumpers received their own character lines. The intakes are bigger, too. Overall, the front section of the new 3 Series is as good as it gets in its segment.

That’s not to say that the Mercedes C-Class’ own front section is a chump by comparison. It’s not. It’s just not as striking as the new 3 Series. Perhaps that’s because the 2019 C-Class isn’t a nextgeneration model. The upgrades, while noticeable, aren’t as striking as the ones found on the Bimmer. The C-Class gets fresh headlight housings, but the rest of the front is what it was. You can get the diamond radiator grille on the Merc, but you’d have to buy the AMG-Line option to score it.

>>SIDE That’s not to say that the Mercedes C-Class’ own front section is a chump by comparison. It’s not. It’s just not as striking as the new 3 Series. Perhaps that’s because the 2019 C-Class isn’t a next-generation model. The upgrades, while noticeable, aren’t as striking as the ones found on the Bimmer. The C-Class gets fresh headlight housings, but the rest of the front is what it was. You can get the diamond radiator grille on the Merc, but you’d have to buy the AMG-Line option to score it. If there’s one thing we can glean from the all-new BMW 3 Series, it’s that Bimmer seems to have identified what the sedan should look like from the moment it developed it. There’s no beating around the bush. The all-new BMW 3 Series looks like a sports sedan. The use of the body lines help cut a sporty side profile. The rear arches are sculpted, too. The 3er even has the Hofmeister kink, a trademark BMW design that underscores the aggressive design that the brand was looking for when it developed the sedan.

The Mercedes C-Class, on the other hand, is decidedly less sporty. Instead, it cuts a more luxurious profile, defined most prominently by an elegant roofline. Even Mercedes’ use of body lines lends a classier visual appearance. The shoulder line, in particular, drops underneath the door handles, suggesting that Mercedes isn’t as concerned about establishing a muscular-looking C-Class as it is letting the style language of its more premium models rub off on the compact luxury sedan.

Neither style is better than the other. It just depends on what you’re looking for. That’s not to say that the Mercedes C-Class’ own front section is a chump by comparison. It’s not. It’s just

not as striking as the new 3 Series. Perhaps that’s because the 2019 C-Class isn’t a next-generation model. The upgrades, while noticeable, aren’t as striking as the ones found on the Bimmer. The C-Class gets fresh headlight housings, but the rest of the front is what it was. You can get the diamond radiator grille on the Merc, but you’d have to buy the AMG-Line option to score it.

>>DRIVETRAIN AND PERFORMANCE: As two of the most popular models in its segment, the BMW 3 Series and the Mercedes C-Class are expected to have more than one engine to satisfy the demands of their respective clientele. Having multiple engine options lets prospective owners choose which suits them best.

For its part, the all-new BMW 3 Series has plenty to offer, including upgraded versions of engines that are carried over from the previous-generation model. The 2.0-liter turbocharged diesel unit, for example, gets an increased output of 187 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque compared to the previous model. It’s not much of an increase, but it’s enough for BMW’s standards. Hopefully, it’s the same for would-be customers. The all-new 3 Series also has gas-powered engines on the table. One of them is a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder unit that produces 254 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. More engine options are expected to be available once the full 3 Series lineup arrives.

Variety is the name of the game here, and just like BMW, Mercedes came to play. The 2019 C-Class comes with a new 2.0liter inline fourcylinder engine that makes upwards of 255 horsepower and 273 pound-feet of torque. Not only is that an increase of 14 horsepower over the outgoing version, but it’s also one horsepower and 15 pound-feet of torque more than what the all-new 3 Series’ turbocharged four-banger is offering. There are a number of faster options available as well. The mid-range C43 and the range-topping, performance oriented AMG C 63 have their own lines to more power with the former’s engine producing 285 horsepower and the latter’s engine accounting for 469 horsepower.

Neither BMW nor Mercedes can say that it has the better engine over the other. >>REAR The sporty theme of the 3 Series continues in the rear section of the sedan. No more is that evident than with the presence of the spoiler lip. The layered look also adds breadth to the section’s profile. The darkened light units feature dramatic L-shaped taillights. That’s another sporty notch in the belt of the 3 Series. For its part, the rear section of the 2019 Mercedes C-Class receives a new rear bumper and a redesigned diffuser. There’s not much to go on beyond those two design updates.

>>INTERIOR Any discussion between the BMW 3 Series and the Mercedes C-Class will inevitably include debates on which model has the better interior.

The all-new BMW 3 Series comes into this with a lot to offer, including an all-new, 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, which is perhaps the biggest upgrade you’ll see in the next-generation 3 Series. The size and function of the instrument cluster is just one part of the picture, too. It’s joined by a 10.30 inch center display that runs on BMW’s new ID7 operating system. The new 3er also boasts a cleaner console layout. This “clean” layout approach extends to the whole interior. There are also a plethora of options to choose from, ranging from premium materials, trim elements, and a smorgasbord of safety and tech equipment that

THE OVERTAKE MAGAZINE It’s admittedly too close to call, too, so once again, you’re looking at a situation where “better” lies in the eyes of the beholder.

>>FINAL THOUGHT You couldn’t pick between two models that are as close to one another in terms of style, appeal, substance, and performance as the BMW 3 Series and Mercedes C-Class are. There’s a reason both models have lasted this long and, more importantly, continue to thrive, even with the surging popularity of crossovers and SUVs.

The all-new BMW 3 Series is the newer model of the two by virtue of being a next-generation model. You can’t sleep on that kind of cache, even if you’re Mercedes. New is always better, though by much is up for debate. So while the Mercedes C-Class has all the elements you’d want in a compact luxury sedan, the all-new BMW 3 Series is a bit more appealing because of all the new things it has to offer. You can’t go wrong with either of these two models, but if you want something that not a lot of people have yet, the all-new 3 Series should be your first choice. You can lock or unlock your sedan using your smartp hone. You can start the engine by placing your smartphones in a wireless charging or smartphone tray. Those are just two examples of all the tech offerings that BMW has for the all-new 3Series. That’s on top of all the safety tech features that are commonplace among Bimmers these days. Likewise, the 2019 Mercedes C-Class comes with its own tray table of technological offerings.

It has a variety of sensors and data to offer semi-autonomous driving, at least “in certain situations.” Programs like Active Distance Assist Distronic system, Active Lane Change Assist, Active Emergency Stop Assist, and Active Steering Assist are available in the C-Class. Active Brake Assist, for example,

comes as standard on the sedan. The C-Class also has a Car-to-X communication warning system, real-time weather info, parking info, a Qi wireless device charging system, and a lot more.

Essentially, both the all-new BMW 3 Series and the 2019 Mercedes C-Class score with flying colors in this department. You can choose one over the other and still feel good about your choice.

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