2010 VOLKSWAGEN GTI
BY DAVID COLMANÂ
If you’re 27 years old now, you were born the year VW introduced the GTI to the USA. That’s right, it’s been 27 years since the original hot hatchback hit these shores. Back then, the Rabbit GTI, as it was originally known, wasn’t really all that hot: 90 horsepower, 14 inch wheels, 60 series tires? Today, it sounds like the start of a Jay Leno joke, but back in 1983, those were considered supreme performance refinements, hungrily sought after by a burgeoning legion of VW enthusiasts who had been waiting no less than 7 years for this previously Euro-only model to make its tardy debut in America. Indeed, the advent of the GTI even occasioned release of the pop tune “Kleine GTI†(“Little GTIâ€), carefully modeled after Ronnie and the Daytonas hit 60’s ode to Pontiac, “Little GTO.â€Â Â
2010 marks the debut of the 6th version of the GTI, dubbed A6 by VW. Aside from the carryover tradition of the hatchback body and red grill stripe, you’d be hard pressed to find any similarities to the original GTI of 1983. For example, horsepower has more than doubled, to 200hp, thanks to VW’s terrific 2.0 liter turbo TSI engine which produces 207 lb.-ft. of torque without lag. You can order your GTI as either a 2-door, or a 4-door hatchback.  We drove both versions extensively through the winding mountain roads north of Santa Cruz. The 4-door version was equipped with the 6-speed manual transmission, standard-issue plaid cloth seating surfaces, and baseline 17 inch alloys wearing 225/45 17 Continental tires. The 2-door GTI which we drove on the return from Santa Cruz to Palo Alto boasted the optional DSG gearbox and black leather seats, and rode on upgraded 18 inch “Detroit†alloys with 225/40 18 Pirelli “Rosso Nero†tires. All in all, and much to our surprise, the 4-door was more fun to drive than the 2-door. The manual gearbox is so sweet it’s a shame to swap it for the $1,100 more expensive DSG. Although the paddle-shifted DSG is quick to respond to your input with its 1/10 of a second shifts, it’s still not as precise nor as predictable as the manual. The standard plaid cloth seats not only look great, but they are also emblematic of the GTI look, and cradle you with more grip than the optional black leather chairs. The 17 inch wheels and longer wheelbase of the 4-door make for a much more comfortable ride then the admittedly nastier looking 18s on the 2-door. If ultimate cornering grip is your target, then opt for the 18s, but if you’re willing to trade a little grip for a lot of comfort, then stick with the baseline 17s. In a similar vein, although the 2-door looks racier than the 4-door, you’ll find the sleekness deprives you of practicality. It’s so much easier to open a rear door to chuck your jacket or parcel in back than it is to snake those items into the comparatively inaccessible back seat of the 2-door. Â
Whatever body configuration you chose, Generation 6 of the GTI is by far the sleekest looking version VW has produced to date. Headlamps are set lower in the nose than on the previous Mark 5, oblong tail lights and a more pronounced underbody diffuser distinguish the back end from its predecessor, and a completely redesigned interior features a very racy looking steering wheel, bigger knobs for the air and heat systems, and nifty red stitcing on the seat bolsters and handbrake to remind you you’re not just driving any old VW, but the latest hot hatch to come down the Autobahn. All this for a base price of just $23,990 for the 2-door and $24,370 for the 4-door, and you’ll find the latest GTI is just as hard to resist as the original was back in 1983.  Â