Golf GTI is perhaps not the fastest or the torquiest hot hatch in town. The Golf R could pitch in for that title. But the GTI is a strong contender for the most popular hot hatch in Dubai – or elsewhere in the region.There should be a reason. Like, at the end of my family drive, my wife asked me, “how much does your new weekend toy cost?” A question that clearly signaled that the GTI had not-so-quietly slipped into her “cars-to-check-out-when-I-change-mine” list. A rare privilege, I assure you.
So there ought to be something about the Golf GTI that prompted my temperamental car freak friend stick with it for a couple of years and my wife wanting to keep one in the family. In cracking that code lies the secret of this car’s cult status, despite the negative line that got this review off the ground.
The Drive
The squatty stance and the relatively low roofline of the GTI gives the driver a great deal of stability while the very willing steering is game for even last millisecond change of plans. Push it around as much as you wish but give it the leeway to drop a point while handling sharp corners. The driver assist features are also some of the best in the category, from a full drive report on screen to automatic parallel parking assistance.While the high-rev 210hp engine can give you a fast car feeling all the way during overtaking, the delay at the start is pronounced. But you will soon overlook it as the 280 Nm torque (available through 1700 – 5200 rpm) pushes you back to the seat once the car abandons its lazy crouch and slips into take off mode. As with the Golf R, the car would have lived up to its superior claim of 0 – 100 if not for that delayed take-off. It still does 0-100 comfortably in just over 8 seconds. The S mode is obviously the preferred shift language and the sport suspension compliments the adrenaline rich package. You can choose how stiff or smooth the ride is from comfort, normal and sport modes as the Adaptive Chassis Control (DCC) adjusting each damper separately to the road conditions. Actually, even the GTI’s comfort drive itself is too stiff for a normal hatch.
