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GTI fans will love this Golf

Thursday, 21 January 2010

THE tail end of 2009 was a good time for Volkswagen. Their new Polo was voted European Car of the Year and their Golf, which had been launched earlier in the year, was named Continental Irish Family Car of the Year. The Golf is a fine car, but if you are young and want something a bit more exciting than the regular version then the 2.0 GTI could be the car for you. I drove a white model and while I honestly was not mad about the colour it had a sporty feel to it, from the 18 inch Detroit alloys which really looked class, to the flat effect on the bottom of the steering wheel. White is a nice colour if you happen to live in a warm country like Spain or Italy. I remember in the Canaries all the taxis were white Mercedes. But in damp old Ireland white tends to get dirty very easily. I think this motor would look 50 per cent better if my test model had been black or maybe red. But GTI fans, and there are lots of them around, will still love it. Externally the front looks cool with the traditional low grille. You get fog lamps and cornering lights and two red lines just under the bonnet really stand out from the white. The chassis is lowered by 22 mm, which is not much, but enough to achieve that sporty look. When you sit in your back fits snugly into the seat and away you go. And with 210 brake horse power you won’t be left behind at the traffic lights. The passenger’s seat is similar to the driver’s and in the back there is room for three people or two, if you decide to leave down the armrest. The seats have a touch of red and grey and there is red stitching along the seats which really brightens up the interior décor. The dash has not changed much, except for a white background light instead of blue. As usual with VW everything is well laid out and easy to use. I always like the radio controls on VW and this time you get a touch screen to choose the stations. As mentioned earlier the bottom of the sporty-looking steering wheel is flat. Strange but true. I drove an automatic model, but one of the extras at the side of the steering wheel was a paddle shift where I could change the gears up or down as I liked. And if you are young and want to make more noise you can opt for the ‘S’ or sports function. Although it’s not a very long car you also get reversing sensors. The boot is a decent size and you get a full-size spare wheel. Prices start at e35,175 for the three-door GTI manual. I drove an automatic version with lots of extras which brought the price up to e42,247. A lot of money in these recessionary times, but that’s what you will have pay if you want something really fast and sporty. I couldn’t find any fault except for the exterior colour, which in my humble opinion didn’t really do the car justice. The Golf has been around since 1974 -  it’s VW’s best selling model and third best seller in the world.