There is nothing negative about this car, except one thing: Mini S will whoop it in 0-60 and on the track. Mini also holds value much better.

Why is it when I look at the first picture of the red car (front 3/4 view) all I see is the current Opel/Saturn Astra? They’ve dulled down the GTI way too much this generation.

7.2 seconds for a car that weighs 3100 lbs (assuming they haven’t added even more weight to the car with the new version) is pretty much impossibly high. This car has 60 lbs/ft of torque more, 10 more horses than the current one, which is already (stupidly) set at 7.2 seconds 0-60 when owners report, with proof, 0-60 in around 6.2-6.3 with all-season tires…

Also, Need more Oil for GM, can you please stop talking about the Astra like it’s an American car, when in fact it was designed, tested and everything in Europe by GM European division which clearly makes far superior products than its idiotic US mothership…

The fastest I have seen is 6.1 to 60mph on the current gen. This one, with any luck, will break 6 flat. Just to compare the current (MKV) estimates were anywhere from 6.7 to 7.1 and the SLOWEST I have seen tested is 6.3.
No worries, manufacturers are always conservative. “Under promise/Over deliver” As for the 150 mph, I do easily believe that but I am sure that it will be limited to 129mph for the states, the same as the current model. Anyways, seems like a nice upgrade but it’s too bad they didn’t do much to the powertrain. It will struggle with the competition as the current one already does. I guess I will just have to hold out for the R20.

GO VW!!!

I really hope 7.2 seconds for 0-60 is a typo, otherwise VW has some serious issues in its engineering dept. A full second slower to 60 is just inexcusable. Aren’t these cars supposed to be getting faster with each successive generation?

Tornado, the current one is limited to 131 for the states and i had mine read 146 on the speedo… so who knows
This will most likely be in my driveway come next year.

like he said 71fiveanddime, VW is VERY conservative in their estimates for 0-60 times. Ive seen magazines test these at 6.3 all day.

As a former GTI owner, I’d have to say that the Mini is a far less practical vehicle.

In fact, this car represents a nice balance of aesthetics, price and performance (easily modified if you wish). My biggest hesitation is with the dealership indifference that I had to deal with. Perhaps other VW owners out there have had better experiences with their local shops but I’d just as soon look around at other choices out there.

This is such a great car. I don’t mind the styling, I’m a big fan of fast sleeper cars, and the GTI has always been a great sleeper.

I can find only one thing wrong: power. Yes how I do suffer, but with a new MS3 packing about 270 for a similar price for example, or the next Focus RS being a very good possibility for the US market, VW just needs to get their high-output 265 hp version in there.

This is so messed up. According to VW’s own website, the engine in this GTI is “2.0-liter FSI turbocharged four-cylinder engine comes standard with 200 horsepower and and 207 lbs.-ft. of torque”

But the picture is a 2.0 TSI engine… So what is it? Is VW and about every other publication wrong besides LLN? The picture seems to suggest LLN might be right here… I hope they are!

jake, the current model is 200hp, 207 lbs ft. this will be the 2009b or 2010 model that is featured here. the black lower bumpers and big grill is the giveaway on the current model.

i keep hearing vw dealers are crap, but the goal of a dealer’s service department is to squeeze every drop of money out of you they can, right? i have a hard time imagining how vw dealers are worse than any other brand, but i’m sure i could be proven wrong here…

i like the gti a lot as a total package car…not as much power as a ms3, but much quieter and more sophisticated, and a better day-to-day ride…they still cost significantly more than a ms3, though, as much as i’ve tried to fit a gti to my budget…

And you’ll keep hearing that too.

I’ve always liked the GTI, just the idea of it. We need a German alternative to cheaper Japanese cars.

Im not sure what this whole TSI change is about either, up until now TSI has been reserved for the TwinCharger engines and because TSI is for the twinchargers that are only available outside of the US, this TSI motor is known as TFSI, but they just shortened it up for the US market apparently because we dont have the TwinCharger. The 2.0T FSI and this new 2.0T TSI/TFSI are very similar engines, the biggest changes being a different type of oil filter and a new location for it towards the top of the engine, and the biggest mechanical change is the switch to a TIMING CHAIN from the former (seemingly headache ridden) use of timing belts. Alot of people are worried about this switch to a chain, but overall chains tend to be superior.

Thanks A4.

@max4 – I know the difference between this and a MkV, VW had a press release about the MkVI and that’s what I meant.

@leftwingagenda – I bought a new GTI for less than $22k (more than $6k off sticker), far less than a MS3 and it was a fully loaded, Package 2 (the autobahn package with more stuff) DSG equipped car. True this was a year ago, but I think you can negotiate GTI’s more than the MS3.

VW always seems to publish conservative numbers in my experience.

Plus, if this doesn’t seem enough for you, a simple visit to an APR rep for a Stage 1 ECU flash will really make this shine.

@leftwingagenda

Well… I’ve owned many cars now from several brands and I’d have to say that the VW service was shameful. Yes, you are right to say that all dealerships are trying to wring every cent out of you but some others are able to do it in a way where you somehow feel that they are trying to help you.

Also, the dealership experience does not necessarily track the cost or perceived “snootiness” of the brand either.

I can give many examples…. after buying a brand new GTI they wanted to charge me EXTRA for license plate screws. When I needed to change plates on our other brand X car, the dealer just handed me the right-sized screws and the right-sized washers no questions asked. Then they scratched the car and never fessed-up.

And so it goes… it really was ongoing little annoyances that made the ownership experience less than enjoyable.

LOL @ Jon,

If you live in the STL I know what dealer you used…

A4 – they are limited to 129 in the early gen and then 131 later on. Mine was purhcased literally 1 month after the came on lots and thus has a limiter of 129.

Anyways, VW is known for having inaccurate speedos. I got mine checked out in the first month I had it because I believed the speedo was off. The dealer told me that they have to be off more than 7% to get fixed. That means that at 100 you could be going 93. 146 would be roughly 135. The reason this is is because they weren’t calibrated for the conversion between KPH and MPH (even the ticks on the gauge don’t add up. There are only 3 in between each 10. 10, 12.5, 15, 17.5, 20. Just weird?
Also, they don’t change anything when you opt for the 18’s over the 17’s. many car companies don’t but both of these are said to contribute to the inaccurate read out.

BARF

They can’t call this the 6th generation… I’d say it’s more of an A5.5.