Drove a GTI today (review)

[blee]

Went to the local Carmax. My Jeep was appraised pretty quickly, quickly enough that I didn't have time to test an RSX. I did, however, get to drive a GTI. The GTI is not new news to the car scene, but I figure some of you would be interested to see my reaction to it.

The car: 2003 VW GTI 20th Anniversary Edition (#333, according to the
dash plaque). The 20th Anniversary Edition adds 18" wheels, a slightly more aggressive exhaust, bigger brakes, a tighter suspension, and some really cute badges. The front grille badge is a retro "GTI" logo, and the back has the cute rabbit logo along with the GTI insignia. This particular car was yellow (are all of them yellow?). It looked good.

The cargo space on this thing looked really big. The cargo floor is surprisingly deep, and the boxy rear dimensions of the car help to increase space back there. The rear seat cushions swivel out of the way to let the rear seats fold flat. Plenty of space like that. The front seats are from Recaro in this edition, and they're pretty good IMO. Not as sweet as the Si's, but they are bolstered very well and support me nicely. The front seats tilt and slide out of the way for decent rear seat access. THe back seat is high enough that I was comfortable back there with a 5'9" person in front of me. Anyone used to GTIs or Jettas will not be surprised by the instruments and accesory controls; they're all good. Typical VW thoughtfulness.

I'm not sure what exactly was changed in the car's suspension, but I liked it. The car was very flat on ramps, and lane changes had only a touch of body roll. I didn't get to go on any of the local twisty roads, so I can't provide much of my impressions there, but I did like it. The steering was typical VW. THe shifter was less wiggly than the last VW I drove (Jetta), and I didn't have a hard time finding the gears. Keep in mind, though, that the 20th Anniversary Edition had a six-speed. Brakes on the car were GREAT but I know they are upgraded from the standard GTI. The car had great pedal feel and stopped very quickly.

The real beauty of this car, though, was apparent from the moment I hit the gas. Damn, I miss low-end torque. This car is only supposed to produce 180 hp and 170 ft-lbs or so, but it feels like a heck of a lot more. The rush off the line is intoxicating. I had to consciously think about laying off of the gas pedal in order to avoid the plentiful police presence today. Downshifting and easing into the gas was not all that inspiring, however. In other words, the engine doesn't have a whole lot of high-end power. It reminds me of the power delivery in my GTP (big surprise, given its SCed V6). I do miss the lack of high end power there. But I can live with that. :D

Overall I am very impressed, but with reservations. Most of the reviews of this car had me expecting it to be the muscle car of the group -- peppy in a straight line, squishy in the corners. I found this GTI to be both peppy and fun to turn, but I suspect the revised 20th Anniv. suspension had a lot to do with that. Of course, that means that one could modify a stock GTI to attain these levels. And with smaller, lighter wheels than the 18s on this car, it should be even quicker off the line. If that car were about five Gs cheaper (it was listed for $20,600), I might have driven home with it and just dealt with the marital consequences. As it is, it has two doors. And that will take some work.

So to date, I've driven three cars in the segment I plan to purchase. Here's what we have:

Mazda3: Great moves, peppy but just moderate power, five doors (big plus), poor crash results.

Civic Si: Disappointing acceleration, good reflexes, awesome front seats, but just okay otherwise. Not surprised any more at its lackluster sales. Great crashworthiness, though.

GTI: QUICK, good handling potential but unknown stock abilities, nice interior, best rear cargo space so far, but three doors. Great crash results.

I know a guy in my autox club who owns a GTI VR6; I might try to borrow that for a fun run tomorrow, just to see how i like the stock suspension.

But, uh, yeah. I think the GTI is #1 on the list right now.

Alright, time to go drive the M3.

[lemming]

B:

i think JeSTer warned you first, but me, too: that's a mighty fine motor and it doesn't take much in terms of swaybars and springs to get it dialed in.

'nice car.

i saw a 20th Ann. GTI today on the road. those BBS rims are gorgeous.

[TD]

I'm going to have to check this one out if Blair passes on it.

I'm sure it's MUCH less than the R32.

[blee]

I definitely am not going to buy the yellow one I drove today -- too much money. But the GTI in general is a lot more compelling that I thought it would be.

So HTF am I supposed to convince my wife that two doors is NOT a dealbreaker?! I swear, wars have been started over much less opposition than I'm encountering.

[JST]

B:

i think JST warned you first, but me, too: that's a mighty fine motor and it doesn't take much in terms of swaybars and springs to get it dialed in.

'nice car.

i saw a 20th Ann. GTI today on the road. those BBS rims are gorgeous.

You saw a 337, I think, which is the same as the 20th AE but had different (BBS RC) wheels. It was the 25th AE in the EU. The (US) 20th AE (which came the next year) had multi-spoke 18" rims, almost exactly like the ones on an R32.

The 337 kicks ass.

The 20th AE kicks slightly less ass, but has a sunroof.

If either had been available for purchase, or if the new GLI (which is a Jetta 337) had been out, I would have bought one in a heartbeat. I'm sort of pissed that I didn't look into getting a slightly used 337 or 20th AE when I got the WRX.

Not sure what the suspension mods are over the base GTI. The base GTI suspension is fine, IMHO. What really did ours in was the wooly response from the 16" all-seasons. A set of 17 or 18" summer tires probably would have been enough.

Blair, you don't need 4 doors. There's no reason to have 4 doors. And the GTI stands so far above the rest of the cars in the class that it's worth stretching for.

But you won't like the VR6, I bet--it's an engine in search of a purpose.

[blee]

B:

i think JST warned you first, but me, too: that's a mighty fine motor and it doesn't take much in terms of swaybars and springs to get it dialed in.

'nice car.

i saw a 20th Ann. GTI today on the road. those BBS rims are gorgeous.

You saw a 337, I think, which is the same as the 20th AE but had different (BBS RC) wheels. It was the 25th AE in the EU. The (US) 20th AE (which came the next year) had multi-spoke 18" rims, almost exactly like the ones on an R32.

The 337 kicks ass.

The 20th AE kicks slightly less ass, but has a sunroof.

If either had been available for purchase, or if the new GLI (which is a Jetta 337) had been out, I would have bought one in a heartbeat. I'm sort of pissed that I didn't look into getting a slightly used 337 or 20th AE when I got the WRX.

Not sure what the suspension mods are over the base GTI. The base GTI suspension is fine, IMHO. What really did ours in was the wooly response from the 16" all-seasons. A set of 17 or 18" summer tires probably would have been enough.

Blair, you don't need 4 doors. There's no reason to have 4 doors. And the GTI stands so far above the rest of the cars in the class that it's worth stretching for.

But you won't like the VR6, I bet--it's an engine in search of a purpose.I just want to check out the suspension in a more taxing situation. So VR6 aside, his GTI on an autocross course should be pretty telling. I'll just look past the lack of low-end torque and overall non-interestingness of the engine.

As for the wheels, I'm not so sure that we will want to pay for the bigger wheels and tires. Maybe if I save my pennies, I can get myself a set of "summer wheels" later on down the road.

As for the whole two door thing...I know I can live quite happily with two doors. After all, the only BMWs I've owned have had two doors. I just need to convince the SO. Maybe if I show her how useful the car is otherwise, and how the lack of rear doors isn't actually a hindrance. We'll see...

[lemming]

yep. my bad. the 337 is the car i saw today. THOSE wheels.

i've never liked the vr6 in the golf because it throws off the weight distribution even more --too nose heavy. i owned a GTI vr6 (mark III) and a jetta GLX vr6 (mark iii) --the jetta is suspended horribly and the GTI is too nose heavy.

that's why i really think the GTI 1.8t is the best car going.