2013 VW Golf GTI Study Officially Revealed in Paris, European Sales Begin Next Summer
2013 VW Golf GTI Study Officially Revealed in Paris, European Sales Begin Next Summer - Who are we kidding; it may be billed as a concept,
but even VW doesn’t make much effort into hiding the fact that the
"design study" that made its debut alongside the rest of the
seventh-generation Golf models at the 2012 Paris Auto Show is actually the production version of the Mk7 Golf GTI .
The
German automaker even released a launch date: the new Golf GTI in both
three- and five-door body styles will go on sale in mainland Europe in
early 2013 and in the UK next summer (no word yet on when it will arrive
in North America).
The
new GTI stands out from lesser versions of the Golf thanks to its
honeycomb grille (first introduced in the Mk5) with double red-stipe
accents, the smoked LED rear lights and license plate illumination, the
red brake calipers behind the five-spoke alloy wheels and the 80 mm
diameter tailpipes with a chrome finish.
Traditional
GTI themes, such as the golf ball-shaped gear lever, the tartan cloth
upholstery and the flat-bottomed sports steering wheel confirm that this
is a production-ready car.
Like all Mk7 Golfs,
the GTI rides on VW’s all-new MQB platform. It gets a variable-ratio
steering system, which in theory at least, makes driving easier at low
speeds while providing the necessary feedback when the driver is
pressing on.
The big news is that the
GTI’s new 2.0-liter four-cylinder, direct injection turbocharged
engine, not only is more powerful that its predecessor, but it will also
be offered in two outputs, with buyers having the choice of two
six-speed gearboxes, a standard manual and an optional dual-clutch DSG.
In
standard spec, output is 220PS (217HP) and maximum torque 350 Nm (258
lb-ft) – 70 Nm (52 lb-ft) more than the previous model and equal to the
Mk6 Golf R. The 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) sprint takes 6.6 seconds and top speed is 246 km/h (153 mph).
Thanks to VW’s
technology, which includes direct injection and a standard auto
stop/start system, the manual gearbox-equipped GTI has an average fuel
consumption of 6.0 lt/100 km (47.1 mpg Imperial, 39.2 mpg US) and emits
140 g of CO2 per km. Thus, it fulfills not only current emission
regulations but also the stricter EU-6 standards that will come into
effect in 2014.
For the first time
ever, VW offers a factory-prepared “performance pack”. Those expecting
huge power gains will be disappointed: output is increased by just 10PS
(10HP), the 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) time drops by a mere 0.1 seconds to
6.5" and top speed is barely higher at 250 km/h (155 mph).
In
fact, the “performance pack” seems like a misnomer; calling it the
“handling pack” would probably be more fitting. That's because, despite
the modest increase in performance figures, it also includes a
differential lock that reduces power understeer and larger diameter
front discs.
By Andrew Tsaousis
By
magisblogs
in
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