These performance hatches are perfect proof that the Germans really have a sense of humour. The Volkswagen Golf GTI, as we all know, turns every overgrown boy into Mr Happy, while the Volkswagen Golf GTD has the same effect – laced with irony.
The Volkswagen Golf GTD is a 2-litre like its more famous sibling, but running on diesel (that’s what the “D” stands for, duh) instead of petrol. It has similar look-faster styling such as honeycomb grilles and bumper strakes, but with racy red replaced by classy chrome – which is like wearing sweatpants with a shirt and tie.
Red threads plus tartan fabric equals a joyous environment for the boy racer.
The twist turns wicked when you check out the Volkswagen Golf GTD’s engine specs. It develops more power than the 160bhp Golf Sport – supposedly the poor man’s GTI – and generates more torque than the 330Nm Volkswagen Golf R, rightfully the flagship of the range. Yet, it is quieter on paper than the Volkswagen Golf GTI, registering a few decibels less in both stationary and drive-by noise levels.
In reality, the diesel clatter at rest is unavoidable, especially after a cold start. Not as noisy as a little lorry, of course, but it is quite a sorry soundtrack for petrolheads who know their petrol.
Businesslike black and plush executive leather make this place more tourer than sportster.
Ignition in the Volkswagen Golf GTI is instant and its 4-cylinder tickover is much softer than the Volkswagen Golf GTD’s, accompanied by a promising exhaust burble. The white hatch sounds speedy already, more so than the quicksilver “taxi”.
In the cockpit, the Volkswagen Golf GTD “cabbie” is not worse off than the Volkswagen Golf GTI “baddie”.
Volkswagen Golf GTI buckets are far better than the seats in the Golf GTD.
Both guys are hugged by supportive sport seats (upholstered in standard black leather for the Volkswagen Golf GTD and optional tartan for the Volkswagen Golf GTI), their hands grab a grippy, racecar-inspired steering wheel (which is racier in the Volkswagen Golf GTI thanks to its striking red stitching) and the driving position in either machine is spot on, with the driver’s feet stepping on anti-slip rubber studs atop stainless steel pedals.
The equipment is equally excellent in both Golfs, including niceties such as an electric sunroof, swivelling bi-xenon headlights, eight-speaker hi-fi and a trip computer. Our Volkswagen Golf GTD test car goes one up with a factory-fitted reverse parking camera (a $700 option), with its lens cleverly located under the “VW” emblem on the tailgate.
Being a 2011 model, the Volkswagen Golf GTD also has an upgraded infotainment system that comes with turn-by-turn satellite navigation, video playback (when the vehicle is stationary) and a 30GB hard disk for both sat-nav data and audio files.
Arguably more irritating to the 2010 Volkswagen Golf GTI owner is that the GTD’s RNS510 touch-screen has a glorious red colour scheme, which makes the simpler RCD510 head unit of last year’s Golf look quite boring.
Volkswagen Golf GTI’s tachometer has bigger numbers and is zippier on final approach to the redline.
Another irritation is the nice red border that runs through the numerical markers of the instrument meters. The Volkswagen Golf GTI’s gauges are more subtle, and even their illumination is in unassuming white.
Clearly illustrating the petrol-diesel difference are the respective tachometers of the two hatchbacks. The one in the Volkswagen Golf GTD reads to an unremarkable 6000rpm and redlines at a relatively low 5000rpm, whereas the one in the Volkswagen Golf GTI shows 8000rpm and its redline starts at 6200rpm (although the dual-clutch gearbox actually shifts up a few hundred revs later when on the attack).
Volkswagen Golf GTD’s fuel gauge needle moves a lot slower than the Volkswagen Golf GTI’s.
We hit the road in the two Volkswagen Golfs, and promptly experience the difference between explosive TDI torque and incisive TSI power.
The diesel works like a sumo wrestler, shoving strongly but seemingly not manoeuvring much within the ring, while the petrol number is a busier bantamweight boxer who delivers his punches hard and fast after dancing around.
Both cars are punchy performers, but the Volkswagen Golf GTI is a purer driving machine for the enthusiast. The Volkswagen Golf GTD sounds good for an oil burner, but it is still industrial cacophony compared to the gasoline symphony of the Volkswagen Golf GTI.
The Volkswagen Golf GTD chugs along like a torque-laden freight train, which gets the job done but is hardly fun, whereas the Volkswagen Golf GTI sprints between stations like a bullet train, which is not only faster but also way cooler than any diesel locomotive.
The Volkswagen Golf GTD might feel a bit more energetic than the Volkswagen Golf GTI from zero to, say, 50km/h or in the first hundred metres of tarmac, but once the TDI engine is out of its 2500-3500rpm sweet spot, it struggles to keep up with the charging TSI, whose power band is almost twice as broad.
When the turbo-diesel runs out of ideas, the petrol drivetrain is still brainstorming.
Volkswagen Golf GTD’s 2-litre turbo-diesel (left) produces a middling 170bhp and a whopping 350Nm; Volkswagen Golf GTI’s turbocharged 2-litre petrol has 210 German stallions, all eager to please the well-paid stable hand.
In the handling exam, both candidates boast similar qualifications – chassis lower than normal, footwear stickier than usual (225/40 R18 as tested) and dampers smarter than most (thanks to standard DCC – Dynamic Chassis Control).
But closer inspection reveals minor technical differences, which add up to become a major factor in this highly competitive Golf game.
Versus the regular Volkswagen Golf, the Volkswagen Golf GTD sits 15mm closer to the blacktop, but the Volkswagen Golf GTI is even more purposeful – it rides 15mm lower in the rear and 22mm lower in the front. The GTI also has bigger rear brake discs than the GTD – 272mm instead of 253mm.
And the twosome’s weight distribution is slightly different, with the front axle of the GTD carrying an extra 20kg (diesel engines tend to be heavier than their petrol equivalents).
In each and every corner chosen to test the two hatches, the conclusion is inescapable: The Volkswagen Golf GTI handles better than the GTD. Not massively, but noticeably. More pointed and generally more alert, the Volkswagen Golf GTI is a playful driving tool that makes cornering an easy hobby for the enthusiast.
Playtime in the Volkswagen Golf GTD needs a bit more effort, with its steering being lighter and less communicative, and its front tyres less tenacious. Even switching to Sport mode on the DCC doesn’t make the Volkswagen Golf GTD bite into bends aggressively like the Volkswagen Golf GTI.
The diesel prefers to cruise, and its suspension is gentler than the Volkswagen Golf GTI’s, especially in the DCC’s Comfort setting – so much so that the car seems to be rolling on smaller wheels (they’re in fact 18-inch like the Volkswagen Golf GTI).
But where the Volkswagen Golf GTD outperforms the GTI is in mileage. On a full tank in the urban context, the diesel can travel over 750km before needing to refuel – some 200km further than the Volkswagen Golf GTI. That’s at least four days of extra drive time in Singapore.
The Volkswagen Golf GTI (left) is a true hot hatch, whereas the Volkswagen Golf GTD is untrue and just a little odd.
Local roads are more expensive for the Volkswagen Golf GTD to use, however. Its annual road tax is $3636 (due to LTA’s unpopular diesel penalty for passenger cars), which is over three times higher than that for the Volkswagen Golf GTI.
Even without this “killer feature”, the Volkswagen Golf GTD can only be an odd hatch beside the benchmark hot hatch that is the Volkswagen Golf GTI.
Volkswagen Golf GTI 2.0 (A)
ENGINE 1984cc, 16-valves, inline-4, turbocharged
MAX POWER 210bhp at 5300-6200rpm
MAX TORQUE 280Nm at 1700-5200rpm
GEARBOX 6-speed dual-clutch with manual select
0-100KM/H 6.9 seconds
TOP SPEED 238km/h
CONSUMPTION 13.5km/L
PRICE INCL. COE $185,800 (as of April 2011)
Volkswagen Golf GTD 2.0 (A)
ENGINE 1968cc, 16-valves, inline-4, turbo-diesel
MAX POWER 170bhp at 4200rpm
MAX TORQUE 350Nm at 1750-2500rpm
GEARBOX 6-speed dual-clutch with manual select
0-100KM/H 8.1 seconds
TOP SPEED 220km/h
CONSUMPTION 17.9km/L
PRICE INCL. COE $185,800 (as of April 2011)
Check out the latest Volkswagen Golf GTI
Check out the latest Volkswagen Golf R
Volkswagen Golf GTI and Golf R are Wolfsburg in sheep’s clothing
