This years GTI might have changed much but why fix what’s not broken? As an everyday driver it packs the perfect punch. And the four-door version I was able to test drive was not only a joy to drive fast but also a fantastic city car it put my Mini Cooper experience to shame. Weeks before my own test-drive of the four-door model a close friend took me on a joy ride in his 2008 two-door version. He has had the car for just over 7 months and has gotten very acquainted with its strengths and weaknesses. A week before our joy ride he drove it to New York, a good 1500 miles drive from the heart of Chicago to big apple and back. He said as a highway cruiser it is not only a joy to drive, but the confidence he got from being behind the wheel was palpable. During our little joy ride he punched the hatchback to 85 on lake shore drive to a jam the car between a cab and a slow moving Saab, finding the off ramp he gunned the throttle again. Not only was the pick up impressive but the glass gear box many have claimed stood strong . The breaks were also convincing as the turn ramp was hit at 55 miles an hour not much of a feet for a Ferrari but a 200 horsepower hatchback not bad. I was one over easily, my friends skill behind the wheel aside, this car looked easy to drive and even more easy to drive fast.
During my test drive I looked for the faults since I could not find any during our excursion on the Dan Ryan expressway. Walking around the exterior after the man gave me the keys I have to say that the switch blade key is always fun and the buttons are simple. Looking at the exterior of the hatchback. I realized that even though its small compared to the 5 series I was driving a couple weeks prior, the mass of the vehicle is still noticeable. The trunk set up is a nice touch I love the little VW sign to open the trunk and the massive 18's I choose look great. I do think that the calipers could have been a tad bigger to balance out the size of the rim, but that seems purely ascetic and maybe a tad selfish. Looking over the options list I found that all the boxes that had been checked had pushed the price tag up to a whopping $28,455 dollars. For an 18 year olds first car that is a shocker but as a man in the midst of his fight to the middle this seems like a clear winner. Though the price tag does shadow on a old STI and Evo numbers it is shy of their new outrageous price tags. Taking a clear notice of the front end I do like the grill and the lights the car is jet black and looks menacing with a few upgrades this beast would look gorgeous with tints and a few door handle shaves (time to stop dreaming). Jumping in the car I realized the leather is nice but the stripped cloth package is way more manageable. Since the package I was given had everything its hard to find the draw backs in interior. I find my self always happy with the blue glow that hums from the instrument panel of all VW’s, but I will never get over the feeling like I was still jammed into my high school girlfriend’s Jetta it just always seems so bubbly and the instruments always look flimsy. At 6’1 and 240 I am not a small man by any means and I do find the Fit of the VW’s a tad snug which I cannot say that I felt the same problem in the Mini Cooper S that I drove last month.
After a 5 min fight with the seat controls I found well I hate those. The buckets are snug but not harsh and the iPod-integrated stereo is a definite must have. After getting situated I decided to look at the back seats after I had found my seating position to see if anyone or anything could sit behind me and well that’s a no for large adult male, but a few skinny girls or the kids with the wife. This may be able to work as a family hatchback for short road trips. and after pushing the seats down I found that a photographer or an artist would find the space idle for frames equipment or even a few skateboards.
Getting back in the cockpit and turning over the engine is just what you want to hear every morning before your daily commute, the grumble of the little two-liter is a great way to wake up, the exhaust note is thick and frothy and may be a little addictive. Putting it in to gear, one finds the gearbox precise and a tad forgiving at first. The clutch is simple and hits like a Honda simple and no real kickback. After cruising around in 4th I decided to be 12 again. I ran around town leaving it in first and at the end of its rev range. The torque you get out of this little car is just nuts not a single front wheel drive Honda I have ever driven kicks like this no matter what its redline is. Now as fast as the turbo spins the lag is still there they tried to counter act lag by making the turbo small and easy to jam into the engine bay and with this comes the only real problem the 0-60. The time to punch to 60 is ludicrous compared to its rivals in it price range such as the Mazda Speed 3 and the Cobalt SS. Both hinting the 60 mark in 6.1 sec a clear second faster then the VW. Now according to VW the DSG gearbox will hit 60 in 6.9, but what you really need is just another 60 horses under the hood. This year though VW has curbed its performance version of the GTI the heavy R32 and with that went the 3.2-liter V6 and the AWD system (Probably due to failing sales in the market.) So in the end this car will do what you need hall the gear put the bikes on the roof and cruse through town, but if your looking to street race your friends in their mustangs you might just want to sit on the curb.
Now being a Eurotuner fanatic (see side bar) this car’s potential is truly exploited and pushed to its limits and is shown on their website in all its glory. People have turned these cars into the street performers and show room queens that you would expect. Tuning companies have released many different cooling and turbo upgrades to tide over the thirst of these little hatchbacks.
I met up with a friend in Southern Michigan a few months back working with HPA an American Tuning company specializing in twin turbo versions of the 2004 R32 and the 2008 R32 making them push out 500 plus horsepower and shooting the cars to an unbelievable 0-60 times the fastest being 3.5 seconds. He has his 08 GTI packing 335 horsepower and catching wheel spin threw 2nd. As he talked about his ride I noticed that the car was not only noticeably lower but surprisingly aggressive looking the pearl white paint and blacked out VW badges (front and rear) made the little car look like it would bite. During the course of our conversation he showed me the interior work including a full cage, bride buckets, turbo timer, short throw shifter, and white interior accents. Exterior showed the large Porsche calipers and slotted rotor’s hidden behind a wall of BBS 18 inch beauties, Engine mod’s included a larger turbo engine remapping custom down pipe and turbo back exhaust with a custom mounted intercooler.
Truly any car can be pushed to these limits, but few companies or models have such a religious following that the GTI has.
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