Volkswagen has finally announced official on-sale dates for the latest GTI hatchback. Naturally, the Germans get it first, followed by the rest of Europe in April. U.S. buyers will have to wait until the end of this summer for the mildly revised hatchback.
You might remember from its Paris debut, but not much has changed this GTI. U.S. versions will still use a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder with roughly 207 horsepower. The transmissions remain six-speeds, in either DSG or manual style. One notable new feature: the XDS electronic transverse differential lock. It's essentially a more sophisticated version of the electronic limited-slip differential already in use, so wheel spin through corners should be reduced.
tslbmw says:
09:41 AM, 03/24/09
SWEET! The sooner the better. Let's just hope the GRI-R with the turbo charged 4 cyc, AWD & 266 hp makes it to the states by next year.
tslbmw says:
09:42 AM, 03/24/09
sorry, that was supposed to say GTI-R...
jederino says:
12:08 PM, 03/24/09
Looks sharp, but very conservative in looks and drivetrain. I'm hoping the refinement and sporting attitude keep it near the top. Are reliability ratings improving for the GTI?
altimadude00 says:
01:29 PM, 03/24/09
Is it too much to ask for to have a round steering wheel anymore?
huyracing says:
01:43 PM, 03/24/09
hush yo mouth, altimadude00... that is the same steering wheel found in Lamborghini's and the Audi R8.
desmolicious says:
02:45 PM, 03/24/09
How many times should one be burnt by lousy VW quality before losing interest?
jederino says:
02:52 PM, 03/24/09
Desmolicious, how were you burnt by VW qaulity? I've never owned a VW, but previous owners have given me stern warnings.
autoboy16 says:
02:58 PM, 03/24/09
Hey is there any info on the everday Rabbit/Golf yet? What about the MK6 Jetta or Beetle?
In the mean time, this GTI has some great taillights!! I love em! Car looks to be pretty impressive! Hopefully they give the Jetta and Rabbit/Golf the same equiptment levels this time around.
autoburetor says:
06:17 PM, 03/24/09
Very midly facelifted, but I like the front changes. Why didn't they just bring over the new Scirocco and call it the new GTI over here?
stovt001 says:
06:46 PM, 03/24/09
I like the conservative approach here (certainly beats the new Mazda3 design. If it aint broke...). I might look at the GTI and the Mazdaspeed3 for my next car, but I'll probably go used.
stovt001 says:
06:47 PM, 03/24/09
Oh and as far as reliability, I've been warned about electrical stuff. Anything else I should know?
desmolicious says:
02:43 PM, 03/25/09
"Desmolicious, how were you burnt by VW qaulity? I've never owned a VW, but previous owners have given me stern warnings."
I had a Golf 1.8T, 2001 or 2002 model year (I think). Bought new. Within 10,000 miles:
Electrical issues with the lights. Headlights and tail lights.
Instrument panel squeal that was fixed by lubing the glass every few thousand miles !!!
Oil leaks.
Fuel tank filler gasket failed, interior of car would stink of gas.
Syncromesh failed in transmission.
Coil caps failure - VW only replaced as required even though they could all fail.
Electric window lift failure.
Shocks worn out.
All w/in the first 10K miles!
My sister and a friend bought 2002 and 2003 Golf GTIs. They had the electrical issues, the coil caps issues, the window regualtor issues. One of them had an oil leak. So mine was the worst of the bunch, but their's were terrible too.
VW apologists would say that my model series was 'the bad one'. But when I look back historically, that pattern seems to repeat itself..
p.s. g/f had an Audi TT convertible with similar issues...
jederino says:
04:11 PM, 03/25/09
Desmolicious, that is a pretty alarming set of experiences. Thanks for sharing!