Which generation GTI do you think is the best in terms of looks, performance, etc. The A1 (old skool) the A2 (pretty old skool) the A3 (newer, kinda boxy) or the A4 (new and round) Pictures posted below:



THE FIRST GENERATION A1:

THE A2 GENERATION:

THE A3 GENERATION:

THE A4 GENERATION:

im gonna say 3rd gen, I like the looks alot but the new 4g is cool cuz its faster.


BTW, Ive only just started to like the VW's I always thought they were for girls or hippys but the GTI VR6 is definatly a mans car.

I agree with the 4th generation definately.

And i used to think the same thing about VWs until my sister got a 1.8t. Now i like them, and i LOVE the new GTI VR6

4th gen is the latest and greatest.

How can u say no to a 200hp, 6sp man pocket rocket??
Or the very tunable 1.8t??

Dont forget about that great looking interior

hrmm, i've had 2 A2's and now own an A3, i must say i like the body of the A3, but the power of the A2 16v is greatly missed. this 2.0l 8v just is not as quick, and it kills me :)

I want to get rid of the Civic for a 25th Ann. GTI. I love that car.:D

Well i do own an mk1 gti so i am bias, and as much as i want a new gti with the 1.8t with its smooth quiet ride and 180 hp, My vote goes to the original hot hatch, the mk1 gti.

Yeah, MKIs are the best. They are the lightest handle engine swaps well.

:p THE BEST VERSION, OF COURSE, is the MK IV GTI VR6....:rolleyes:

I would have to say i like the A2 through the A4. By the way im wondering if one of you could post the dates for me of when all these generations start and end cause im looking into buying a GTI or Golf some time soon. thanks alot

Anyone out there? Does anyone know when the different generations started? and the horsepower that they came stock with? :confused: :confused: :confused:

give me an "A" give me a "4" what does that spell? I'd have to go with the A1 model amidst the craze over the newer generations...:silly2:

Just curious, but how come you like the A1 generation better?

This is going to be the best Golf yet (http://www.news24.com/News24/Wheels24/0,3999,2-15_1137134,00.html) :frog:

Originally posted by tynebeach
Anyone out there? Does anyone know when the different generations started? and the horsepower that they came stock with? :confused: :confused: :confused:

a1 = >84
a2 = 85-92
a3 = 92-98
a4 = 99- present

those are approx off the top of my head. as far as hp? Not sure

all of the years had nice hp to weight ratio. my favorite is a4 but i also owned an a2 and it was a blast to drive...

I like the A3 and A4 models. But if i really had to choose as if it were a matter of life or death.
I would probably say the A4 cuz i'm getting one pretty soon so i'm really excited !!!!!
peace !!! out!!!!
:D :devil: :bandit: :grey: :sun:

:flipa: to all of those who don't like the A 2 i have to say the A 2 with the G 60 special edition which most of you will never see but the A 2 with the VR6 conversion is the best out of all of them :devil:


AXEL
Peace see you on the autobahns NOT!!!!

A1 hands down. I have an A2 GTI, its fun... Ive had an A3 GTI, it was funner... but by far the A1 is funnest. Its so light and simple to do swaps or mods on. Chirp tires in 1-3 and beat every car off the line. And they are much more rare and harder to come by compared to the others.

I agree, the A1 is the best GTi, I love mine.
But the A4 is a better car.

1988 gti 16v

The A1 and A2 seem to be the purer driver's car. The A3 and A4 are much nicer, but they just dont have any spirit like the old ones. The A1&A2 will make you giggle like a school girl sometimes and make you want to die sometimes<dang CIS-e>. The newer ones are nice and quiet and surprisingly quick but wallow in the twisties like a bloated hippo but can be made to handle nicely, but overall my votes goes to the A2. Best overall compromise.

Both, 2nd and 4th gen. are best in terms of good-look to me.

So my preferences are as follows:

1st.- 2nd gen.

2nd.- 4th gen.

3rd.- 1st gen.

4th.- 3rd gen.

Cheers! ;)

Not sure about the rest but in the United States the A1 GTI was offered from 1983-1984 only, and I believe stock HP was somewhere in the neighborhood of 90hp.

Sean

Correct, but in "Europe" aka Germany, they introduced it in 1976 with the 110hp 1.6L engine from the Audi 80 GTE.

I prefer the Mk3 GTI just because of the looks :D

Originally posted by JUS_GT_EYEZ

a1 = >84
a2 = 85-92
a3 = 92-98
a4 = 99- present

those are approx off the top of my head. as far as hp? Not sure


Iv'e made a list of all the GTi versions from 1976-, there is still a few holes, but I'm almost done.

mk1 Golf Sport 1973-1974
mk1 Golf GTi 1975-1982, EG , 1.6L, 110hp
mk1 Golf GTi Conv. 1980-1993, EG , 1.6L, 110hp
mk1 Golf GTi 1.8 1982-1983, DX , 1.8L, 112hp
mk2 Golf GTi 1984-1987, EV , 1.8L, 112hp
mk2 Golf GTi 1986-1991, PF , 1.8L, 107hp
mk2 Golf GTi 16v 1985-1989, KR , 1.8L, 139hp
mk2 Golf GTi 16v 1985-1991, PL , 1.8L, 129hp
mk2 Golf Rallye 1989 , 1H , 1.8L, 160hp
mk2 Golf Limited 1990 , xx , 1.8L, 210hp
mk2 Golf G60 1990-1991, PG , 1,8L, 160hp
mk3 Golf GTi 1991-1994, 2E , 2.0L, 115hp
mk3 Golf GTi 16v 1992-199x, ABF, 2.0L, 150hp
mk3 Golf GTi VR6 1992-1999, AAA, 2.8L, 174hp
mk3 Golf GTi VR6 Sn 1994-1999, ABV, 2.9L, 190hp
mk4 Golf GTi 1999-199x, AGG, 2.0L, 115hp
mk4 Golf GTi 20v 1999-199x, AGN, 2.0L, 125hp
mk4 Golf Gti V5 1999- , AGZ, 2.3L, 170hp
mk4 Golf GTi 1.8t 1999- , AGU, 1.8L, 150hp
mk4 Golf GTi V6 1999- , xxx, 2.8L, 204hp
mk4 Golf GTi 25. ana. 2002 , AWP, 1.8L, 180hp
mk4 Golf GTi 337 Ed. 2002 , AWP, 1.8L, 180hp

European models btw.

sweet, thanks for the specs!

Wow. VR6 ownz.

So you can tell which I voted for. I have had several GTI`s over the years including two MK 1`s and 4 MK 2`s. I have just sold a 16v Jetta to buy this 90 8v, it`s a nice rare color over here and has original leather interior which is also hard to come by.

J.

http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/chevrolet-city/files/jpegs/Mvc-855f.jpg

http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/chevrolet-city/files/jpegs/Mvc-857f.jpg

Damn, mk3 is gettin' wasted. :(

Yup, you need to do a VR6 swap in your a2 :D

even with a staggering 126 hp on the dyno before the 2.0 it was sporty just take your stock a2 and swiss chese the airbox strip the guts below the filter and cut a 1x2 opening on all sides but the right side it pulls cooler air from between the body pannel and near the grill and recommended is a k&n filter

Originally posted by 85 gti 16v
even with a staggering 126 hp on the dyno before the 2.0 it was sporty

huh?

No familiarity with A3 or A4, and while I never had an A1 I drove a Wabbit with tweaks including GTI swaybars in the late 1970's (it helps that my brother worked for VWoA for 21 years & had access to parts not officially imported).

That early car was almost too Spartan for even my tastes. Motor pulled decent (read: everything else on the roads back then s*ck*d even worse), couldn't dial out the understeer and after a year of knocking down cones at the autocrosses I sold it and went back to RWD (used Datsun 510, yee ha!) for a while.

A little older, and a married homeowner, got a 86 GTI 8V for the (new) spouse -- it again helped that my brother worked at VWoA, got our GTI's at Hyundai prices. Much more refined inside, still pulled nice and still understeered, but less and I suspect due to improvements in tires over a decade. Loved the MFI, and with a light foot I could touch 40MPG cumulative for my commute as often as not.

Wife wanted power steering and A/C so we got a 1989 GTI 16V and I took over the '86. Big difference. The new car felt like a vest-pocket Mercedes, plusher but the crisp feel of the earlier, stripped-down car was gone. It didn't pull down low like the 8V, either; once it got spooled up, it was fine, but it never liked the cut-n-thrust of traffic. It looked better in metallic cobalt blue --- a color I rarely saw on other VW's -- and especially after I dropped it a couple of inches with a mail-order spring and strut kit; the kids at the local gas station kept offering to buy it from her. We should've taken them up on it, the kit had way too stiff springs and way too soft shocks (I knew I should have stuck with Konis instead) so the car pogo-ed it's way through the last three years she had it. What sent us car shopping for a replacement, though, were the unsolvable electrical gremlins that more than once left us stranded.

We "went Jap" :smoka: after that with no regrets, and my brother had changed jobs anyway by then so the financial incentive to stick with VW's was gone.


With my limited (???) experience, I'd say the one I liked best was that early A2.

An A1's engine, trans and suspension in a Rabbit pickup would be interesting, though!

A2 is da best. we had one and it was hellouva fun

I still stick with the mk3. No other 'mark' had a corrado :P

pssss, the Corrado is based on a a2 chassis :finger:

No way... Please tell me your wrong :P

No, sorry :)
Not unless my books are wrong....

What books are those? Hanyes? :alien2:

Well...
Robert Bentley's Volkswagen Corrado Official Factory Repair Manual.
Per Schroeder's Volkswagen Sport Tuning for Street and Competition.
Greg Raven's Water-cooled Volkswagen Performance Handbook.
Peter Vack's Illustrated Buyer's Guide, Volkswagen.
Lindsay Porter's Volkswagen Golf, Polo, Vento, Jetta, Corrado, Scirocco Colour Workshop Manual.
John Blunsden's VW Golf and Derivatives: A Collector's Guide.
They all say the same :D :finger:

Well. My low-grade experience says I'm wrong as well. :D 1-0 Deak.

:grey: Deakins wrong not possible it wouldn be a clod day in vw hell :grey: :bandit:

I like the A2 although i do have a A4.....i thintk he a2 got alot of potential, and i dont know much about volkswagonz till i got this vr6.....i like dem tho ther nice.....definately growin on me!

Volkswagen :finger: :)

dont go up against deaknz or ull get shot down......he knowz his ish.....i wouldnt mess wit that and o yea A2 iz niceee

lol, love you too :right:

i was wondering how hard a vr6 swap is in an A2 or an A1. what do you have to get new besides the engine if you do it. If you e-mailed me i would greatly appriciate it but if not im sure i will read it. thanks.

if you do a VR6 swap in an A1 or A2 will you fail emmisions?

i would have to go with the A3 body style. Yeah havin the 2.0l sucks, but if you drop an ATP T3/T4 hybrid turbo in it...ooohhh man, good times. The newest GTis are coo, but they are getting alittle round. Hopefully VW can redeem themselves with the R32, cause that thing is sick!

i think a2 is the best!
i am working on my project a2 right now!
it is going to be a mk2 with mk3 dash, seats, engine(vr6), tranny, and suspension!
i love mixing cars! its so fun! but alot of money!:thefinger
but its ok cause i work in a vw performance shop!

Wow, just looked at the results. You gotta be insane to vote mk4 (a4) to be top. In my books there can only be a two horse race. The mk1 or the mk2. The mk1 started the whole gti hot hatch thing off. Its stil great to drive and a true classic. The mk2 is arguabley even better. The mk1 and mk2 have charachter and style. They have the right feel, the look. They feel rewarding to drive. Then things started to go all wrong after that. The mk3, man they look sh*t stock. With the mk1 and 2, even in standard form they look great. The mk3 is bland and interior plastic are noticeably poor quality. The 8v gti doesnt do the gti badge any justice. Dont get me wrong, if modified, the mk3 can be made to look really nice. the only thing good that came out of the mk3 is the vr6 engine. Actually thats not too good either, because the the corrado 2.9 is better. The mk4 well, I think it started off poorly. The stupid 125 bhp gti? how can you call that gti!? Then the 150bhp gti, well I panned one of those in a stock mk2 16v without any problems at all. I think things improved thouigh when they uprated it to the 180bhp gti. Also the mk4 anniversery is nice. But obviosluy the r32 rules over the mk4 range. To drive they drive like any other car. As time has gone by, you can see the changes, the mk3 is bland, the mk4 is also bland and bigger and bulkier and not distinctive enough to stand out in a crowd of other cars. im talking stock terms.
Its gotta be the mk1 or mk2, after that the best w was the corrado.(even thats based on mk2 floorpan) Then its hard to say, modified terms, i reckon maybe mk3 because it looks great in euro look.

Btw I drive a mk2 (2.9) and have owned a mk3 vr, my mum now drives a mk4 gti.





:biggrin2:

All Golf GTi Stock BHP Specs (UK)

Mk1 GTi 1.6 - 112bhp
Mk1 GTi 1.8 Campaign - 115bhp
Mk1 GTi 16s (16v) 1.6 soupapes Oettinger - 136bhp
Mk2 GTi 1.8 - 115bhp
Mk2 GTi 16v - 139bhp
Mk2 GTi 16v 2.0 Oettinger - 180bhp
Mk2 G60 1.8 Supercharged - 160bhp
Mk2 Rallye 1.8 Supercharged - 160bhp
Mk2 Limited GTi 16v G60 - 210bhp! Yes Standard!
Mk3 GTi 2.0 - 115bhp
Mk3 GTi 16v 2.0 - 150bhp
Mk3 VR6 2.8 - 174bhp
Mk4 GTi 1.8 20v - 125bhp
Mk4 GTi 2.0 8v - 115bhp
Mk4 GT TDi 130 - 130bhp
Mk4 GT TDi 150 - 150bhp
Mk4 1.8T - 150
Mk4 1.8T (GTi Anniversary) - 180bhp
Mk4 V5 - 163bhp
Mk4 V6 - 205bhp
Mk4 R32 - 238bhp

Power to weight ratio always counts. eg. The Mk4 1.8T need 180bhp to beat a Mk2 Gti 16v. The Mk1 GTi is the most fun to drive due to it fat midrange torque. I think the Mk2 is the best as it had the best range such as 4WD (Syncros) to Supercharged. It even had an offroader

F.

There was also a the first GTi Mk1 which was Twin Carb weighing only 810kg with a 4 speed gearbox and single headlamp grill. Not sure but I think it pumped out about 100bhp from its 1.6.

Has anyone raced a Mk2 Limited with a Mk4 R32? It could be close! The lighter Mk2 Limited G60 pumped out 210bhp from its supercharged 4 cylinder 16v vs the huge and 3.2 litre of the Mk4 pumping out 238bhp?

Well let me know.

http://www.basval.nl/html/Limited.html

F.

franmav4 : You have some of your numbers mixed up.

So correct me then. Im not saying I am right. I am aware that in diffrent countrys that power ratings are diffrent due to emmisions laws, catalytic converters and fuel ratings.

I've obtained this info from the "UK" manuals, Original UK brochures, "The Golf" Magazine, and various websites.

There is an argument between the Mk1 1.6 GTi being 110 and 112 bhp.

There is an argument between the Mk2 1.8 GTi being 112 and 115 bhp.

There are questions of the early Mk4 GTi 1.8 having 125bhp where as the Mk4 GTi 2.0 only had 115bhp. > The Mk4 GTi new 1.8 engine was sluggish so VW replaced it for the older 2.0 although it had less power it had more torque punch.

The 1.8T which is effectively the GTi 1.8 with a turbo had 150bhp, but later came with the 180bhp option.

The Mk2 Golf limited is between 208 and 210bhp.

The UK Mk2 GTi 16v 139bhp had a higher power rating than the crappy US Mk2 GTi 16v 123bhp due to its smaller restricted 40mm intake manifold and milder cams and a cat. The UK spec had 50mm intake manifolds and a better cam with no cat until 1992. The us got a slightly more powerful 16v 134bhp in 1991

The Mk2 16v Oettinger could be anything between 170bhp and 225bhp depending on the tune.

The V5 was originally advertised as 150bhp.

The VR6 was a 2.8 with 174bhp and also had a 2.9 litre 190bhp but was only found in the corrado.

R32 is rated in PS.

The list can go on.

(A2) Mk2 is the best all round.

F.

Im not sure on the exact figure but im sure the vr6 highline had higher output than the standard vr. About 180-185 i think.

:cool: