If you can’t wait for the Mk7 Golf GTI (due this summer), then Volkswagen has something almost as sporty to tempt you with. The latest Golf GTD, which debuts at next month’s Geneva Motor Show and goes on sale in June – just a month or so ahead of its petrol-powered sibling.
Based on the seventh generation Golf, which is up to 100kg lighter than its predecessor, the new GTD is powered by VW’s 2.0-litre common rail turbodiesel engine producing 181bhp at 3500rpm and 280lb-ft (380 Nm) of torque from 1,750 rpm. (13bhp and 22lb-ft better than the Mk6 GTD)
With a kerb weight of 1,377 kg the GTD’s performance is noticeably better than its predecessor, with 0-62mph improving by 0.6 to 7.5 seconds, while top speed rises to 142 mph.
As you’d expect, the real gains are to be found in the GTD’s fuel efficiency – combined fuel consumption is now 67.3mpg with CO2 emissions of only 109 g/km. With the optional six-speed DSG these figures drop to 60.1 mpg and 119 g/km CO2 (or 122 g/km CO2 for the five-door).
The GTD looks almost identical to the GTI except for the absence of ‘red’ trim on the upper front bumper, grill badge and tartan sports seats. Otherwise you’ll find smoked LED rear lights, chrome dual tailpipes, 17-inch alloy wheels with 225/45 tyres, side skirts, a rear diffuser, sports suspension and a large roof spoiler.
In addition to those tartan sports seats, the GTD also features black roof lining, sports steering wheel, stainless steel pedals, GTD-specific gear lever, trim strips and instrument cluster.
The new Golf GTD is available in Germany at an entry-level price of 29,350 euros, or around the same price as a 2.0 TSI Scirocco. That would pitch it somewhere near £25,000 here in the UK.
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Wow! My Dream Car. Cool and Elegant and I really love it! 🙂
Dream car…a £25,000 sports diesel that tries to be a GTI?! OK, I get that it’s cheaper to buy, and has a higher residual. However, the real-world difference between MPGs on the GTI and GTD is nowhere near as pronounced as the books say.
At the end of the day, if you can afford a £25,000 car, period, you can afford to buy and run a GTI. On 10,000 miles a year, that’s only £400 (maximum, assuming you can get close to the stated figures) a year saving at current fuel and road tax prices. Nothing compared to the actual cost of the car and its depreciation rate.
Yup, some people out there may just prefer a diesel because of the tank range and torque. That’s fine, so get a cheaper, even more economical model, save even more cash and go even further on a tank. No? So what is it about the GTD that you like? That it looks like a GTI? So get a GTI then, or regret it every time you pull up next to one at the lights and see much cooler it looks.
Mention the name GTD to most people and they don’t have a clue. Mention GTI and most know immediately that you are referring to a Golf GTI. It has herritage, whereas the GTD is just pretending.