Here’s the problem. You want a sports car, all low-slung suspension, feelsome steering, and powerful engine.
Unfortunately, life won’t let you. You’ve got kids to haul, groceries to get, and are planning a weekend trip to Ikea to buy a Flörpensnürf bookcase.
In short, you need sensible, but you crave fun. Well, not to worry, as Volkswagen figured out the formula four decades ago. They took the practical layout of their hatchback Golf, stiffened things up here and there, and crammed a bit more power under the hood.
Presto! As if by magic, the GTI provided most of the thrills of proper sports car ownership, but was still perfectly capable of being loaded up with all life’s sundries. No longer need drivers choose between practical and fun – they could have both?
However, the GTI didn’t have the market to itself for long, and now almost every manufacturer sells a hopped-up version of a practical compact car. All these years later, is VW’s recipe still the one to have?
Design
The first rule of hot-hatchback club is you do not talk about hot-hatchback club. A Lamborghini can pose with its doors up. A Ferrari can boast a clear engine cover, the better to show off its red intake manifolds. A Corvette can have more grilles than the barbecue section at Canadian Tire.
A proper hot hatchback shouldn’t have any of this stuff, or at least it should be optional. Instead, it should put out subtle hints that there’s more going on here than just your standard car. Stuff like the current Civic Type-R is far too shouty.
The GTI nails this ethos. The base car has perfectly appropriate 17-inch wheels, and the optional 18-inch package isn’t oversized. There’s a dab of red running along the front, some slightly larger intakes up front, and a pair of dual exhausts out back.
Otherwise, the GTI is just a Golf, squarely handsome and reserved. It wears its sportiness like well-applied makeup, the kind you don’t notice unless you look closely.
Environment
Volkswagen has long positioned itself as a cut above standard fare from Toyota or Chevrolet. Buyers seemed to appreciate a little more attention to detail in ergonomics, even though VW reliability hasn’t always been a strong suit.
This seventh-generation Golf is thus not much different from an Audi product inside, and looks thoroughly upscale. There’s a crisp instrument display in front of the driver, and an eight-inch touchscreen for handling infotainment functions. The latter operates with next-to-no lag, and is intuitive.
Layout is comfortable and sensible, with plenty of space for driver and passenger, and rear seats that easily accommodate rear-facing child seats. The trunk, at 646 litres, comes with hatchback utility, and you can always fold your seats flat to cram an extra Flörpensnürf in there.
In addition, the GTI livens things up just a tad with a fun plaid pattern to its cloth seats. I’d love to see more of this return to the automotive industry, rather than the drab greys, blacks, and beiges we’re saddled with.
All in all, there’s nothing here but solid Germanic efficient packaging. Now, prod the starter button.
Performance
All 2018 GTIs get a bit of a horsepower bump, with the turbocharged 2.0-litre engine now making 220 horsepower (you could get this last year as an option). A front-wheel-drive car with 220 h.p. is just about the perfect amount, not so much power as to wrench the steering wheel from your hands, but not so little that you’ll ever be bored.
There are two transmission choices, either a six-speed manual, or a six-speed dual-clutch. While I’d encourage you to choose the former, as it wakes the car up and makes it a little more engaging, the DSG option is a better fit for the GTI’s character. It’s perfectly happy to burble along at low speeds, using the 2.0-litre engine’s torque to keep revs low.
For day-to-day use, select the GTI’s Eco or Normal drive setting, and you’ve got a comfortable little hatchback that’s easy to drive. It’s a perfect commuter, with an available Fender-branded stereo that really cranks out the tunes.
Then, when you’re out on your favourite piece of lonely winding tarmac, engage Race mode (I really wish they’d just called it Sport instead), and the GTI transforms a bit. Everything firms up, the transmission snaps through the gears, and there’s even a bit of extra engine noise piped into the cabin.
Being so buttoned-down and capable, the GTI is a little less invigorating than something like a Mazda MX-5, but it’s still plenty of fun. The fat, flat-bottomed steering wheel offers decent feedback, and even in the wet there’s plenty of traction. The GTI stops, corners, and accelerates just as quickly as more expensive machines.
Best of all, it’s well balanced. Speed limits are only so high, and summer time always brings a blitz of police enforcement. In a neutral colour, the GTI doesn’t attract much attention, and it’s also not so fast as to be a liability. It’s fun without being anti-social about it. Perfect.
Features
There’s a premium for getting all the goodies in your GTI, with my high-spec Autobahn trim hitting $39,045 before delivery charges and taxes. The basic car starts at a much more reasonable $30,545, but there’s plenty of equipment available should you wish to pay for it, from adaptive cruise control to adaptive LED headlights.
The other cost, especially these days, is fuel. The GTI requires premium, and isn’t exactly a fuel-sipper. Official fuel economy is 9.6 (litres/100 kilometres) in the city and 7.2 on the highway. Mixed mileage driving proved those figures fairly accurate, but the more you ask from the turbocharged engine, the thirstier the GTI is.
Green light
Comfortable; practical; quick; good ergonomics and features.
Stop sign
Gets expensive quick; questionable long-term reliability.
The checkered flag
Still pretty much the best all-round hot hatchback on the market.
Competition
Honda Civic Si Sedan ($28,950): Now packing a 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine, the new Civic Si is more of a direct comparison to the GTI than ever. Yes, a hatchback is always a little more flexible than a sedan, but in terms of overall practicality, they’re a close match.
With 205 h.p. on tap, the Si’s down on power, but is light on its feet and the handling is great. It’s a little livelier than the GTI, and it’s also a good deal less expensive.
However, there aren’t a lot of options available as the Si comes in just one trim, and it’s only available as a manual. Less flexible, but a little more fun.
mcaleeronwheels@gmail.com
