FASTER, SHARPER, CLEANER: THE NEW GOLF GTI CONCEPT

In 1976 the Mk I Golf GTI was launched as a low volume addition to the Golf range. Thirty two years, five generations and 1.7 million sales after that car established the breed, the sixth generation of the GTI has been unveiled in concept form ahead of its public debut next month at the Paris Motor Show.

The core attributes of the original GTI – sharp dynamics, style and practicality – remain in the new GTI concept. Yet the new car uses the latest advances in drivetrain and chassis technology designed to enhance rather than detract from the purity of the driving experience.

The strut-type front and multi-link rear suspension architecture from the conventional Golf are adopted in modified form on the GTI. Specially tuned springs, dampers and anti-roll bars are joined, for the first time on the GTI, by the option of Adaptive Chassis Control (ACC) which comprises adjustable pneumatic dampers. With three settings ranging from ‘comfort’ to ‘normal’ and ‘sport’ the ACC system also remaps the steering and throttle response to give a vehicle that can strike a balance between sharp dynamics and body control and comfort while driving in urban areas or on motorways.

For the first time the new GTI features an electronic limited slip differential (XDS) linked to a sophisticated ESP (Electronic Stabilisation Programme) system in order to maximise traction and improve responses.

Powering the GTI concept is a 2.0-litre four cylinder TSI engine developing 210 PS – a gain of 10 PS over the Mk V GTI. Despite this gain the new engine is both more efficient, returning 37.6 mpg on the combined cycle while emitting 178 g/km of CO₂ compared to 189 g/km for the outgoing car. Installed in the new Golf GTI concept the 2.0-litre TSI engine allows the vehicle to accelerate from standstill to 62 mph in 7.2 seconds before reaching a top speed of 148 mph making it the fastest standard production GTI yet produced.

A team of three designers are responsible for the new GTI concept: Walter de Silva (Director, Group Design), Klaus Bischoff (Director, Brand Design) and Marc Lichte (Director, Exterior Design). The new car bears clear visual links with the original. ‘We wanted a consistently clear GTI design, a car that has power, but style as well,’ commented Walter de Silva.

This is apparent in the red grille surround that echoes the original, along with the horizontal grille fins and elegant yet purposeful new headlights featuring individual lamp pods behind a translucent cover. In profile the side skirts of the Mk V Golf that extended the length of the sill are replaced by subtle wraparound versions that extend only partially along the lower edge of the vehicle. At the rear a set of GTI smoked rear light lenses are joined by a rear diffuser channelling air from beneath the vehicle that’s in turn framed by a pair of chrome tailpipes.

The distinctive 18-inch ‘telephone dial’ wheels from the Mk V GTI make a reappearance, albeit in subtly evolved form on the Mk VI GTI concept. Finished in milled silver with gloss black inserts, the new wheels are reminiscent of those first fitted to the GTI W12-650 concept.

Continuing the unique modifications to the GTI over the conventional Golf is a new interior. Drawing on the all-new interior of the Mk VI Golf the GTI features a flat-bottomed steering wheel finished in black leather with contrasting red stitching. A set of contoured sports seats finished in grey tartan cloth reminiscent of the Mk I and Mk V models are joined by unique instruments and gloss black dashboard and door trim inserts framed by silver highlights.

As with all Golf models the new GTI concept is fitted with a high level of standard equipment including seven airbags, a CD stereo, climate control and ESP.

The GTI concept is intended as a first step towards the Golf GTI which will start production in spring 2009. UK sales are expected to start in early summer, with prices and specifications announced closer to this date.

1975 – 2008: THE HISTORY OF THE GOLF GTI

The Volkswagen Golf GTI was unveiled in 1975 at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The UK market had to wait a further two years for vehicles to arrive – 1977 saw 34 examples, all of them left hand drive, sold in the GTI’s first tentative year.

The GTI was powered by a 1,588 cc four cylinder engine with K-Jetronic fuel injection it developed 110 PS at 6,100 rpm and 103 lbs ft of torque at 5,000 rpm. This allowed the GTI, which weighed 810 kg unladen, to hit 60 mph from standstill in nine-seconds before reaching a top speed of 110 mph.

The now familiar mix of a high-revving, responsive four-cylinder engine installed in a hatchback body with the emphasis on driving fun was linked to a pared down interior came as a revelation at the time. Especially when combined with tartan trim and the now iconic golf ball gearshift.

The car was an instant hit. By the time right-hand drive cars arrived in the UK in 1979 a total of 1,573 cars were sold in that year, a number that would triple within two years.

In 1984 the Mk II GTI was launched and picked up where the Mk I left off. A new chassis structure, a 1,781 cc engine developing 112 PS and 114 lbs ft of torque and new styling evolved the GTI and saw it appeal to a new generation of fans. Sales of the Mk II GTI surpassed those of the Mk I, peaking at 17,193 vehicles in 1989. In Germany a supercharged G60 version developing 160 PS was sold, an output that wouldn’t be bettered in a GTI until 2002.

Three years later the Mk III GTI was launched, bringing with it a new 2.0-litre eight-valve engine and improved aerodynamics over the previous Mk I and Mk II models. In 1993 the GTI fitted was with a 2.0-litre 16-valve engine, raising the power output from 115 PS in the eight-valve model up to a more substantial 150 PS and 133 lbs ft of torque to drop the 0-60 mph time to 8.3 seconds and raise the top speed to 133 mph.

The introduction of the Mk IV GTI in 1998 saw significant changes to the line-up with the first diesel-engined GTI introduced along with two petrol engines in a total of four different states of tune. The Mk IV GTI made significant gains in refinement and safety – in 2002 the fastest accelerating and most powerful GTI produced up until that point was released in the form of the 180 PS GTI 25th Anniversary Edition. It was the success of this more powerful vehicle that inspired the introduction of the Mk V GTI.

Launched in September 2004 at the Paris Motor Show the Mk V GTI equipped with a 200 PS engine was not only the most powerful but also the most focused GTI yet produced. A new 2.0-litre T-FSI engine linked to a six-speed gearbox and standard Electronic Stabilisation Programme (ESP) were linked to a new chassis equipped with MacPherson struts at the front and a multi-link configuration at the rear. The vehicle was 15 mm lower than the standard Golf on new springs, dampers and anti-roll bars.

Visual cues were taken from the original GTI with the return of the tartan interior and the red surround to the grille element – even the GTI typeface used on the badge echoed that of the original.

The Mk V GTI served as a basis for two special editions – the Pirelli and Edition 30. Both models were powered by an evolution of the 2.0-litre T-FSI engine fitted to the conventional GTI, albeit both producing 230 PS.

The wildest GTI ever created – the GTI W12-650 – was also based on the Mk V. Powered by a mid-mounted 6.0-litre W12 engine producing 650 PS the vehicle could accelerate to 62 mph in 3.7-seconds and could theoretically achieve a maximum speed of 201 mph.

Production of the Mk V Golf ceased in August 2008 with a total of 17,630 examples sold in the UK alone. In total over 1,700,000 examples of the GTI have been sold worldwide since the vehicle went on sale in 1976.