2010 Volkswagen GTI

2010 GTI Photos
2010 Volkswagen GTI – Click above for high-res gallery Performance Icon. That two-word phrase is bandied about so often there's hardly any meaning left in its 15 letters. After all, if a Porsche 911 is rightly referred to as a performance icon, can we call a Honda Civic Si the same? And are we talking any old 911/Civic Si, or just certain years and models? For instance, there is no doubt that the B13 Nissan Sentra SE-R, with its killer SR20DE engine, is a performance icon, but what about the current B17 Sentra SE-R? How about the Spec V? No way – the Versa has a better chassis. We mention this problem with the Performance Icon label because Volkswagen described the all-new 2010 MkVI GTI to us as the "performance icon of the brand." As you may have noticed, Volkswagen's been delving pretty deeply into its past for marketing purposes as of late. First they tried reintroducing the Rabbit name much to the chagrin of Golf fans nationwide, and now they have Max, the black 1964 Beetle telling you that VW is "Das Auto." On a smaller scale, it's attempting to remind potential GTI buyers that the new model is both a direct descendant of and flag bearer for the original 1983 MkI GTI. Here comes the begged question: is it? %Gallery-75033% Photos copyright ©2009 Damon Lavrinc / Weblogs, Inc. Looks-wise, almost. In this case it's hard to argue with an icon, and let's not forget that the original Golf (called Rabbit in the U.S.) was a Giugiaro design, perhaps his best ever (he also did the OG Scirocco, which we also like very much). That first GTI, with its big rectangular headlights and grille is, for all intents and purposes, a classic. It even managed to make giant Seventies-era bumpers look good. On the other hand, the new GTI is simply a good looking small car. And in a lot of ways, it owes its looks to the MkII GTI, not the MkI. But remember, the MkI is the performance icon, so that's what VW's trying to sell us. Besides having red striping like the MkI, the front end of the new MkVI GTI accomplishes two very important tasks. The first is a big, "We're sorry" from Volkswagen to America for not bringing over the new Scirocco. They want to, but they can't. The other task accomplished by the GTI's schnoz is saying auf Wiedersehen to VW's gigantic goatee-like grilles, a seemingly never-ending trend introduced to the mainstream by none other than VW's own Audi brand and now being carried out to silly extremes by Mazda and Lincoln, to name just a couple. Volkswagen had the good sense to realize that this particular cliché has finally jumped Billy the Big Mouth Bass. Also, the little chin spoiler is not only slimming but quite slickly integrated. As far as the rest of the car is concerned, changes over the MkV GTI are subtle. Quickly, the cutline is deeper, the …
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2010 Volkswagen GTI – Click above for high-res gallery Performance Icon. That two-word phrase is bandied about so often there's hardly any meaning left in its 15 letters. After all, if a Porsche 911 is rightly referred to as a performance icon, can we call a Honda Civic Si the same? And are we talking any old 911/Civic Si, or just certain years and models? For instance, there is no doubt that the B13 Nissan Sentra SE-R, with its killer SR20DE engine, is a performance icon, but what about the current B17 Sentra SE-R? How about the Spec V? No way – the Versa has a better chassis. We mention this problem with the Performance Icon label because Volkswagen described the all-new 2010 MkVI GTI to us as the "performance icon of the brand." As you may have noticed, Volkswagen's been delving pretty deeply into its past for marketing purposes as of late. First they tried reintroducing the Rabbit name much to the chagrin of Golf fans nationwide, and now they have Max, the black 1964 Beetle telling you that VW is "Das Auto." On a smaller scale, it's attempting to remind potential GTI buyers that the new model is both a direct descendant of and flag bearer for the original 1983 MkI GTI. Here comes the begged question: is it? %Gallery-75033% Photos copyright ©2009 Damon Lavrinc / Weblogs, Inc. Looks-wise, almost. In this case it's hard to argue with an icon, and let's not forget that the original Golf (called Rabbit in the U.S.) was a Giugiaro design, perhaps his best ever (he also did the OG Scirocco, which we also like very much). That first GTI, with its big rectangular headlights and grille is, for all intents and purposes, a classic. It even managed to make giant Seventies-era bumpers look good. On the other hand, the new GTI is simply a good looking small car. And in a lot of ways, it owes its looks to the MkII GTI, not the MkI. But remember, the MkI is the performance icon, so that's what VW's trying to sell us. Besides having red striping like the MkI, the front end of the new MkVI GTI accomplishes two very important tasks. The first is a big, "We're sorry" from Volkswagen to America for not bringing over the new Scirocco. They want to, but they can't. The other task accomplished by the GTI's schnoz is saying auf Wiedersehen to VW's gigantic goatee-like grilles, a seemingly never-ending trend introduced to the mainstream by none other than VW's own Audi brand and now being carried out to silly extremes by Mazda and Lincoln, to name just a couple. Volkswagen had the good sense to realize that this particular cliché has finally jumped Billy the Big Mouth Bass. Also, the little chin spoiler is not only slimming but quite slickly integrated. As far as the rest of the car is concerned, changes over the MkV GTI are subtle. Quickly, the cutline is deeper, the …
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Retail Price

$23,465 - $24,070 MSRP / Window Sticker Price
Engine 2.0L I-4
MPG Up to 21 city / 31 highway
Seating 5 Passengers
Transmission 6-spd man w/OD
Power 200 @ 5100 rpm
Drivetrain front-wheel
Curb Weight 3,034 - 3,113 lbs
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