4- 2012 Volkswagen Golf GTI
The so-called black sheep of Comparo 2.0 surprised every tester with its razor-sharp engine. By far, in fact, it was the preferred motivational tool of the test. The near complete absence of lag permitted the car to be impressively fast around the 1.7 km long track.
Even if the GTI is the family-hauler of the lot, its prowess on the track impressed most of us. Where the 2012 Volkswagen GTI failed to make a positive impression was with its braking performance. Clearly, our tester's binders and discs had seen better days. I've personally tracked GTIs on numerous occasions and have always found them to be lacking in resistance and endurance.
The "cheat" up the GTI's sleeve was its spotless DSG twin-clutch transmission. We had asked for a 6-speed manual, but this was the only 'box available at the time. What this transmission does is transform even the worst, ham-fisted driver into a professional racer. At the slightest flick of one of the paddles gear changes are hammered through in nanoseconds, never interrupting power flow.
The car's FWD setup never hampered fun times around the curbs. Its brilliant chassis supported all manoeuvres we asked of the car and its suspension followed suit. The MacPherson struts in front and four-link suspension in the rear is road-biased and therefore body-roll is present. However, for the occasional track day it's perfect. The GTI's electric steering is well calibrated, but not quite sharp enough for track applications.
So what was wrong with the car? Nothing really, except that the 2012 Volkswagen GTI is not a focused track-ready car. It is a fabulous all-round car with wonderfully supportive seats out of the box and a superb driving position, but it does not compete on the same level as the others do in this comparison test. This explains its fourth place finish in the test.
The so-called black sheep of Comparo 2.0 surprised every tester with its razor-sharp engine. By far, in fact, it was the preferred motivational tool of the test. The near complete absence of lag permitted the car to be impressively fast around the 1.7 km long track.
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| Photo: Sébastien D'Amour |
Even if the GTI is the family-hauler of the lot, its prowess on the track impressed most of us. Where the 2012 Volkswagen GTI failed to make a positive impression was with its braking performance. Clearly, our tester's binders and discs had seen better days. I've personally tracked GTIs on numerous occasions and have always found them to be lacking in resistance and endurance.
The "cheat" up the GTI's sleeve was its spotless DSG twin-clutch transmission. We had asked for a 6-speed manual, but this was the only 'box available at the time. What this transmission does is transform even the worst, ham-fisted driver into a professional racer. At the slightest flick of one of the paddles gear changes are hammered through in nanoseconds, never interrupting power flow.
 |
| Photo: Sébastien D'Amour |
The car's FWD setup never hampered fun times around the curbs. Its brilliant chassis supported all manoeuvres we asked of the car and its suspension followed suit. The MacPherson struts in front and four-link suspension in the rear is road-biased and therefore body-roll is present. However, for the occasional track day it's perfect. The GTI's electric steering is well calibrated, but not quite sharp enough for track applications.
So what was wrong with the car? Nothing really, except that the 2012 Volkswagen GTI is not a focused track-ready car. It is a fabulous all-round car with wonderfully supportive seats out of the box and a superb driving position, but it does not compete on the same level as the others do in this comparison test. This explains its fourth place finish in the test.