First Drive Review
The 2015 Volkswagen GTI, based on the seventh-generation Golf, is the automotive equivalent of airline-pilot intercom chatter. You know what we’re talking about: the pilot’s “from the flight deck” speech. His tone is invariably measured and soothing (with a slight quasi-Southern/military accent). It’s the aural equivalent of a cozy comforter. He could say, for example, “Well, folks, both our plane’s wings have been sheared off, making you little more than marrow in a plummeting aluminum bone. So we’re looking at some alternate landing options. We’ll update you when we have more information,” and you’d barely look up from the SkyMall catalog. (Wow, a Hobbit-shaped garden-hose caddy!)
This latest GTI, which doesn’t go on sale in the U.S. until the first half of 2014, is similarly unflappable. Misjudge a decreasing-radius turn? No worries, the GTI has front-end grip for days, and the tail stays planted. And should you have really overcooked it, there’s a stability-control system that you can’t fully turn off anyway. Jab your big dumb right foot into the accelerator too aggressively on corner exit? No sweat. A trick optional electronically controlled, multiplate, limited-slip differential goes to work, guiding the GTI’s faceted nose without interrupting the power delivery. It is a model of decorum.
With the GTI’s quick, new progressive steering rack (2.1 turns lock-to-lock), this car never feels darty or unbalanced, even when pushed hard on the squirrelly hill roads in southern France where we tested European-market versions. The GTI simply says confidently, “Don’t worry, I’ve got this handled.” On the same roads, the Ford Focus ST, the GTI’s most direct competitor, would be hollering, “Woohoo!” and shaking its tail, possibly with its pants off. Which suits you better?
Part of the GTI’s stability comes from its slightly wider front track and a wheelbase 2.1 inches longer than the previous GTI’s, but it’s also simply the product of a company that values dynamic fidelity more than frivolity. The cars we drove were all equipped with adjustable dampers, an option in Europe that won’t be making it to the States. So we’ll have to wait for a final assessment on the finer points of the ride-and-handling picture. Volkswagen has aimed to reduce the body roll, which has always been a part of the GTI’s character. And the company has done a tremendous job of making the GTI feel more planted and agile without sacrificing ride quality. In any of the three damper settings, the GTI is smoother and more compliant than the Focus ST and much more so than the Mazdaspeed 3. This is one hot hatch for adults.
