/ 16 May 2005

Project became legend

The first Volkswagen Golf GTI was conceptualised over sandwiches and beer by some rather recalcitrant Germans back in March 1973. Its design, build and fine-tuning took place under the noses of some very senior folk at Wolfsburg, but by the time they’d cottoned on to what Alfons Loewenberg, Herbert Hornricht, development chief Hermann Hablitze, marketing man Horst-Dieter Schwittlinsky, as well as the then PR boss Anton Konrad had got up to, it was too late.

The first GTI, weighing just 820kg, made its debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1975 as a project car, but the public response was so strong that VW had to put it into ‘limited” production. Famous last words —

The heart of the Golf GTI comes in the form of the 147kW, turbocharged mill, which, when started, sounds very far removed from its predecessors’ throaty idle. Torque is given at 280Nm, made between 1 800rpm and 5 000rpm, and it certainly shows when overtaking.

Outwardly, there’s no hint of its surreptitious intentions, just a subtle rear-boot spoiler and GTI badge on the rear, while the front looks little different from other MK Vs in the range, bar the honeycombed radiator and spoiler grilles, distinctive red trim surrounding the radiator grille and badge.

It’s when you put your foot down that all hell breaks loose. Volks-wagen has bolted on a Garrett turbocharger that looks like it was stolen from the Rothman’s Audi quattros that dominated the Wesbank V8s a decade ago, and the extremely addictive noise as it spools up very rapidly gives whiplash to all those in the near vicinity. Then there’s the waste gate, which gives a muffled, popping noise as you decelerate between gears, and allows excess gas to escape. In city driving, you rarely get out of fourth, and the lack of turbo lag, thanks to low-down torque, is apparent. Once past 2 000rpm, the car accelerates as if there’s no end, and by the time you reach sixth, you’re in for a nasty surprise should some state official be in the vicinity attempting to fleece you of some hard-earned money.

With a top speed of 235kph, and boasting a zero-to-100kph time of 7,5 seconds, the GTI can mix it in almost any company, bar the super exotics.

Handling is extremely neutral and, even when pushed very hard, the GTI rarely gets out of shape, thanks to some nifty suspension and weight distribution between front and rear axles. McPherson struts with lower wishbones do suspension duty up front, while the rear has four-link suspension with a separate spring/shock absorber arrangement.

There are anti-roll bars front and rear, while there’s also ESP (electronic stability), ASR (traction control) and electro-mechanical servotronic steering with speed-dependent power assistance.

Stopping power comes from huge 312mm discs upfront, while the rears measure 286mm. All are clamped by red callipers. Clamping power is assisted by anti-lock braking (ABS) and electronic brakeforce distribution — and even under harsh, continuous braking, little fade could be detected.

My test unit came with the optional 18-inch alloys, although the standard 17-inch versions are likely to be well up to the task in hand. The sunroof is a must, though.

Inside, the interior is fit for a king. With standard leather seats — the front ones being body-hugging Recaro types with side bolsters offering lots of support — long trips will be easy meat for the GTI. The front seats are heated, too, and there’s dual climate control, a standard CD/radio combo, central locking, cruise control with speed warning, and the ever-useful computer to show you range, average consumption and speed, and other info. The leather steering wheel is both height- and reach-adjustable, while the flat bottom gives it a racy appearance à là formula one. The dials for the climate control look neater than other Golf Vs, while the speedo, marked up to 300kph, gives warning to the car’s superb performance.

The Golf’s fuel consumption is hardly impeccable, and getting consumption figures anywhere near those claimed by the factory was hard. I managed to beat the claimed urban cycle figure of 10,7 litres per 100km once, but consumption generally hovers around the 12-litre mark, thanks to a little over-exuberance. It can shoot past the 15-litres-per-100km mark if driven hard.

The only other quibble is with the honeycombed plates that house the fog-lights on either side of the front spoiler. They’re patterned unlike the grilled versions on the radiator — and have strange, additional holes lower down, which gives the car a damaged look.

The Golf competes head-on with the Astra Gsi, but at R240 000 versus more than R252 000 for the Opel, many will swing in favour of the Golf.

Besides the front grille, the car is extremely difficult to fault and, at the very aggressive price, is probably the most complete car I’ve tested. There’s a DSG version with paddle changers on the steering wheel, but the purist is likely to settle for the six-speed manual, which is R14 000 cheaper.

VW’s projections of the GTI claiming 10% of Golf sales is proving extremely inaccurate. Try 25 %, and you’ll realise just how popular the GTI is.