| Volkswagen Golf GTI Preview | ||
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(Thu 25 Sep 08) 32 years after the original model was introduced, it's almost unthinkable that there could not be a GTI version of the sixth-generation Volkswagen Golf.
Well, don't worry, because there will be. It will go on sale in the UK next summer, and Volkswagen is giving a preview of what it will almost certainly be like at the forthcoming Paris Show. It's not radically different from the other models in the new Golf range, but it does have a couple of GTI firsts - Adaptive Chassis Control, which gives a choice of Comfort, Normal and Sport settings for the dampers, and an electronic limited slip differential which is linked to the ESP system to provide maximum traction. Under the bonnet there's a two-litre TSI turbo petrol engine producing a maximum of 208bhp, or 10bhp up on the current GTI. Quoted performance figures for the concept are 0-62mph in 7.2 seconds and a top speed of 148mph - near enough the same as before - but combined fuel economy and CO2 emissions have improved to 37.6mpg and 178g/km respectively.
Further details, including prices, will be revealed nearer the launch date. |
