Mk5 GTi... all things to all men (and women)
finally_retired
12-19-2004, 05:03 PM
My nephew works in a VW dealer not too far from my house. I got a call from him on Thursday telling me that they had just had the first, and the all new, 200PS Golf GTi delivered to the showroom.
So I popped along on Saturday to take the thing for a spin, and...
It is amazing!
The styling is a breath of fresh air. Not overtly aggressive or boy racer-ish, but purposeful and sophisticated. As ever, the interior is brilliantly engineered, and as solid as a brick.
The six-speed manual gearbox was crisp and precise, and the contoured leather sports steering wheel provided reliable feedback, and continued the feeling of precision. The test drive route included a country lane, and as wet as it was, the Golf still felt like it was on rails. It really gave you the feeling that the power was yours, and it was absolute.
The pace is something else. The 2.0 litre is rev-happy and the noise from the twin exhausts is raspy and quite intimidating to passers by. The giant turbo suffers no lag meaning that pick-up is instant in any gear, and the breaks are even better at stopping you again. The car features VW's acclaimed ESP, and also a tyre pressure monitoring system ensuring the up most safety should a situation get sticky.
The figure hugging seats keep you firmly in place as the car hurtles around the tightest of corners remaining flat and poised at all times. The model I drove was a steel grey 3 door, with the chequered seats that hark back to the original, and was sporting a quad of standard fit 17-inch alloys.
The seat fabric however isn't the only thing that harks back though. The car as a whole seems to give a respectful nod to the past glory of the GTi, which is more than can be said for the luke warm Mk3 GTi, and stodgy overweight Mk4.
There is no doubt in my mind that this is a future classic. It is as practical as any other golf hatch back, but still paints a grin from ear to ear on its occupants. A legend is born...
So I popped along on Saturday to take the thing for a spin, and...
It is amazing!
The styling is a breath of fresh air. Not overtly aggressive or boy racer-ish, but purposeful and sophisticated. As ever, the interior is brilliantly engineered, and as solid as a brick.
The six-speed manual gearbox was crisp and precise, and the contoured leather sports steering wheel provided reliable feedback, and continued the feeling of precision. The test drive route included a country lane, and as wet as it was, the Golf still felt like it was on rails. It really gave you the feeling that the power was yours, and it was absolute.
The pace is something else. The 2.0 litre is rev-happy and the noise from the twin exhausts is raspy and quite intimidating to passers by. The giant turbo suffers no lag meaning that pick-up is instant in any gear, and the breaks are even better at stopping you again. The car features VW's acclaimed ESP, and also a tyre pressure monitoring system ensuring the up most safety should a situation get sticky.
The figure hugging seats keep you firmly in place as the car hurtles around the tightest of corners remaining flat and poised at all times. The model I drove was a steel grey 3 door, with the chequered seats that hark back to the original, and was sporting a quad of standard fit 17-inch alloys.
The seat fabric however isn't the only thing that harks back though. The car as a whole seems to give a respectful nod to the past glory of the GTi, which is more than can be said for the luke warm Mk3 GTi, and stodgy overweight Mk4.
There is no doubt in my mind that this is a future classic. It is as practical as any other golf hatch back, but still paints a grin from ear to ear on its occupants. A legend is born...
MidMazar
12-26-2004, 11:29 PM
thats cool, i want to test drive one too, i really dislike the exterior look of it overall, looks too futuristic, looking like a focus crossed with a rear end of a mazda. The interior on the other hand is superb, and the way the trunk opens is neat by pressing in the VW badge.
edspecR
01-06-2005, 02:46 AM
i also dislike the exterior. the front will grow on me, but the rear is too much for me.
as for all other performance aspects, i expect it to be much closer to the gti's of past, as you said. good review
as for all other performance aspects, i expect it to be much closer to the gti's of past, as you said. good review
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