With the MkV GTI, VW recaptured the mojo of the MkI and MkII GTIs to the delight of VW purists, plus any enthusiast who appreciates a car that is a kick in the pants to drive. But when it’s time for a new Golf, we also get a new GTI. Since the old GTI was such a great package, VW pretty much left the drivetrain, suspension and steering alone. What we do get is a new exterior and instrument panel. The black honeycomb grill with red stripes, an homage to the Mk I GTI, looks great, and should make anyone smile who “gets it” smile.

What should also continue to make a GTI driver smile is the powerplant-still a 2.0L turbo intercooled four with 200hp. Depending on your preferences, you have a choice of a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed DSG dual-clutch transmission. The manual takes you to 60mph from a stop in 6.8 seconds (6.7 for the DSG), while delivering 21 city/31 highway mpg (the DSG does slightly better, at 24/32mpg). It’s also worth mentioning the DSG features launch control.

Inside the GTI, the overwhelming theme is that this is a Driver’s Car. The flat bottomed, red-stitched steering wheel, heavily bolstered front sport seats and metallic trim remind one of what a proper Teutonic interior should be. Standard on the GTI are heated seats, and a touch-screen in dash 6-disc CD changer with an iPod adapter and Bluetooth. New for 2010 is the Autobahn package, which includes leather seating and a power moonroof.

By TheGarage