Golf GTI turns "Thirty Something" with Special Edition
One's thirtieth birthday usually marks a period of contemplative introspection that seeks to uncover whether one's existence here on Earth has meant anything. Fortunately Volkswagen took a less reflective route when deciding how to celebrate its Golf GTI's 30th birthday and instead stuffed 30 extra horsepower in the GTI's 2.0L TFSI engine that produces 200 bhp in standard trim. Additional birthday bits include a set of matte black 18-inch alloys and blacked out taillights, body-colored front and rear aprons, and all the requisite "30th Edition" badges affixed about the car's exterior and interior.
[Source: Auto Motor und Sport via German Car Blog]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
flash_e_gt 9:10AM (5/22/2006)
I like it.
Reply
Paul 10:24AM (5/22/2006)
thats nice, 30 years so they decide to make something so damn ugly they wont get another year out of it.
Reply
G. Snyder 10:50AM (5/22/2006)
Paul - what is so ugly about it? Seems pretty inoffensive to me. Are you talking about the Golf V in general?
Reply
P.L. 11:03AM (5/22/2006)
Instead of stuffing extra 30mpg into the engine they stuff xtra 30hp making it thirstier. Nice progress VW!
Reply
Proud Japanese 11:08AM (5/22/2006)
P.L. : Let's see your cars make 200hp out of 2L NA.
Reply
Corey W. 11:17AM (5/22/2006)
They could have picked better wheels, but other than that, it's ok. I can't say it stands out enough to make me stare in traffic, but I'm not a big VW fan.
Reply
P.L. 11:21AM (5/22/2006)
Proud Japanese: Not everyone is a high speed speed fanatic. I don't need 200hp in a tiny golf sized car. I'd much rather drive a 200mpg golf sized thrift mobile.
Reply
Mautowerks 11:22AM (5/22/2006)
Another Awesome VeeDub in Da Haus!
http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQfgtpZ1QQfrppZ25QQsassZjaguarboca22
Reply
flash_e_gt 11:25AM (5/22/2006)
Good for you P.L....
Now go over to Autoblog Green.
I'm guessing that this vehicle was not exactly designed to target you. They allready have a fuel efficient Golf, go buy that one. F'n hippies.... :-)
Reply
OctaneZ 11:34AM (5/22/2006)
Damn those are some ugly wheels
Reply
G. Snyder 11:40AM (5/22/2006)
P.L. - do you know that the GTI is the sporty model? Don't buy it. Wait for a diesel Golf (Rabbit?). You sound like a damned consumer report review that is critical of a sports car for having a stiff ride and not enough cup holders.
For what it's worth, the GTI gets pretty good mileage considering the performance, particularly on the highway and not driven full-bore. You would think you would look at that when compared to other 6 cylinder sporty models.
Reply
Gooch 12:01PM (5/22/2006)
As the proud owner of two GTIs (86 8v and 01 1.8T), I'd love this. I think the 07 GTI will have this amount of power and the blacked-out taillights anyway (that's what VW does), so if you don't want to get it with these ugly wheels, just wait. I'd love for mine to be black, but not the wheels.
Reply
Lee Gibson 12:10PM (5/22/2006)
OK, PL, then let's see your engine design where you can trade 30hp for 30mpg. I'm really curious.
Reply
Benjamin 12:32PM (5/22/2006)
Get a load of what I found on VWVortex. In particular, those (including myself who are not a fan of the wheels. Also possibly a LSD?
Details/changes from the regular GTI include:
- body painted front and rear valances with body painted side skirts
- taillamps borrowed from the new R32
- anniversary badging
- the black 18" wheels shown in the photos are *NOT* the actual production wheels. Rumors say we'll see a 19" BBS looking wheel.
- red stitching on the steering wheel
- red GTI badge on the steering wheel
- Golfball DSG shift knob (connected to a six-speed DSG unit of course)
- 230hp 2.0T FSI
- leather bolstered seats with Interlagos plaid inserts
There are several important things that have come out of this study. The German press has been reporting that Volkswagen would be bumping the horsepower of the 2.0T in the GTI and GLI to 230hp or so. We now have confirmation of that. Along with the horsepower bump there have been rumors that Volkswagen is working on a new electronic torque sensing differential to go with the additional horsepower. The electronic diff is necessary to effectively put power to the ground and is electronic so as to ensure that the differential plays nice with all the various electronic systems (ABS, ESP, ASR, etc., etc.). Volkswagen isn't officially mentioning the differential at this point so we'll have to keep our fingers crossed and wait and see.
The final specification of the U.S. 25th Anniversary GTI is being worked on so color choices, pricing and final features are still up in the air. We'll of course pass along any information VW gives us as we receive it.
Reply
naugahyde 12:38PM (5/22/2006)
Thanks, but I'll wait for the 6th gen golf (rabbit?) since this is already a 2 year old design.
Reply
Dr. Woo 12:53PM (5/22/2006)
P.L., that was one of the most worthless, ignorant, self-absorbed comments I've ever read on this blog.
You're suggesting that instead of adding horsepower TO THEIR PERFORMANCE MODEL, they add 30 mpg, which would be impossible without sacrificing everything that makes a GTI a GTI.
Take it to your Prius forums.
Reply
P.L. 1:31PM (5/22/2006)
Lee Gibson: Looks like the know-it-alls here have sadly missed my point. It just irks me that overall auto makers are placing most of their engineering development on wringing out the last, unecessary horse power instead of squeezing more gas mileage for less oil dependency. In an age where our government declares "our addiction to oil is a national security crisis" people like yourselves are refusing to make sacrifices: To see reality for what it is that we do not need anymore horsepower here. Yes, I know we have diesels, hybrids and all that sort of stuff that haven't even scratched it's way into the stone age. In summary, my point that the auto industry still places higher emphasis on irresponsible, wasteful high performance and speed instead of maximizing energy conservation. And the reason for this because of people, like the rest of you bashing me, who vote for useless waste products with your money.
Reply
DJA 1:58PM (5/22/2006)
Ya know, VW really needs to get its reputation cleaned up. Regardless of their shortcomings, they build cars for enthusiasts. We need VW to be a viable option without that little voice in the back of our heads saying.. "It will be crap in two years!"
Reply
Felix 2:06PM (5/22/2006)
PL, It's a special performance addition. This isn't their mainstream car. The industry is moving towards increased fuel efficiency, but there will always be cars on the fringes that are designed to put a huge smile on our faces and to be sold in small numbers. I find it hard to believe that you think the industry is unconcerned with fuel efficiency. Not so long ago there were monsterious V8's that made 230 hp. Now we're getting the same smile for much less gas, is that not something to be applauded?
Reply
Dr. Woo 2:42PM (5/22/2006)
P.L., you call it wasteful and irresponsible...but there's a market for it. As long as people want it and it's possible to produce it, it will exist.
I'm sorry that things aren't progressing the way you think they should, but sadly, this is how markets and a free economy work. And this is hardly the most "wasteful and irresponsible" thing done this WEEK in the auto industry. VW is honoring and catering to its rabid enthusiasts (myself included), while vehicles like its Lupo 3L cater to people with your mindset. You can have both.
Reply