The Volkswagen Golf GTD, VW’s fleet-flavoured hot hatch, has the Golf usual charms and a little added dynamic appeal – but it still lacks edge
Maybe the most aspirational company car currently made by the manufacturer that invented the aspirational hatchback: this is the new Volkswagen Golf GTD.It has become a status symbol for the upwardly mobile middle-management set, just as the original GTI came to represent the cash-rich ‘yuppie’ nearly 30 years ago, and continues to thrive in spite of the charge of cars such as the Audi A3 and BMW 1-series. In a normal year, VW sells twice as many GTDs as GTIs.But, evidently, Wolfsburg would like you to take this car a bit more seriously as a performance machine. For this latest version, performance levels have therefore been increased, along with efficiency, in an attempt to make the car ‘the business’ as much as it is about day-to-day business.Power is up from 168bhp to 181bhp, and torque rises to 280lb ft. The 0-62mph dash is cut to 7.5sec, while carbon dioxide emissions tumble to a remarkable 109g/km.
The Volkswagen Golf GTD, VW’s fleet-flavoured hot hatch, has the Golf usual charms and a little added dynamic appeal – but it still lacks edge
Maybe the most aspirational company car currently made by the manufacturer that invented the aspirational hatchback: this is the new Volkswagen Golf GTD.It has become a status symbol for the upwardly mobile middle-management set, just as the original GTI came to represent the cash-rich ‘yuppie’ nearly 30 years ago, and continues to thrive in spite of the charge of cars such as the Audi A3 and BMW 1-series. In a normal year, VW sells twice as many GTDs as GTIs.But, evidently, Wolfsburg would like you to take this car a bit more seriously as a performance machine. For this latest version, performance levels have therefore been increased, along with efficiency, in an attempt to make the car ‘the business’ as much as it is about day-to-day business.Power is up from 168bhp to 181bhp, and torque rises to 280lb ft. The 0-62mph dash is cut to 7.5sec, while carbon dioxide emissions tumble to a remarkable 109g/km.