First drive: VW Golf GT 1.4 TSI

First drive: VW Golf GT 1.4 TSI

Volkswagen??™s cooler sibling to the Golf GTI hot-hatch gets a double boost from the world's first direct-injection supercharged/turbocharged engine. By JEZ SPINKS. ...

Gluing the letters GT on to the rump of a car is usually a surefire way to put drivers??™ bums on sports seats. Having the number 1.4 embossed on the engine, however, is just as likely to see potential buyers scoffing through the showroom exit.

Volkswagen??™s new Golf GT 1.4 TSI does sound like a contradiction in terms ??¦ until you see the numbers on the specification sheet.

Despite a cubic capacity that??™s equal smallest in the VW Australia line-up, the GT??™s 1.4-litre engine, with 125kW, is also the company??™s second most powerful four-cylinder.

Second only to the 147kW turbo fitted to the Golf GTI ((and variants of the Jetta, Eos, and Passat), the GT 1.4-litre??™s ???abnormal??™ output is courtesy of the latest addition to VW??™s range of triple-lettered engine technology.

TSI isn??™t an abbreviation like FSI (Fuel Stratified Injection) and TDI (Turbocharged Diesel Injection). VW calls it a mix between FSI and TDI, but think of it standing for Turbocharged Supercharged Injection.

It??™s the unusual combination of both a turbocharger and a supercharger [see tech story] that is as significant here as a new Golf variant that will sit between the 2.0 FSI Sportline and GTI.

Volkswagen says the world??™s first ???twin-charged??™ direct petrol injection four-cylinder was designed to deliver the best aspects of diesel (fuel economy and torque) and petrol (cleaner, higher-revving performance).

You can read our separate story for more detail on how this intriguing new engine works , but in a nutshell the supercharger compressor is responsible for mimicking the low-rev urge of a diesel while the turbo takes care of maintaining momentum from the medium- to high-rev range where petrol engines are superior.

And it??™s no gimmick. The GT may not have the sporty honeycombe grille of the GTI, but its TSI engine is the bee??™s knees. It??™s like no 1.4-litre engine you have ever driven.

There??™s some initial hesitation at lower revs, but otherwise the 1.4 pulls strongly across a broad rev range. This is aided by peak torque of 240Nm being delivered between 1750 and 4500rpm, 200Nm of which is available from 1250rpm to 6000rpm.

Where the GTI??™s 2.0-litre turbo builds up into a frenzied rev rush, the 1.4 TSI is more linear. Momentum is unaffected when the supercharger compressor switches off automatically at 3500rpm, once it has provided assistance ??“ and therefore minimizing throttle response delay (turbo lag) ??“ for the continuously working turbocharger....

The TSI is a sporty engine with a purposeful note, particular when it??™s working above 2400rpm on flowing roads. It??™s accompanied by the clever six-speed DSG transmission that changes gears faster than a manual gearbox.

(A six-speed manual is standard but wasn??™t available on the GT launch owing to later shipments.)

It??™s also effortless on the freeway. With the tachometre showing 2500rpm at 110km/h, there??™s good response from light throttle applications.

First impressions are that the GT doesn??™t steer as sharply on twisting roads as the model with the extra ???I??™.

Volkswagen says it has slightly softened the suspension for the GT, although it shares the same ride height as the GTI ??“ 15mm lower than a regular Golf.

They also share identical 17-inch Continental tyres, but otherwise the GT??™s equipment level is based on the 2.0 FSI Golf.

Inside, the steering wheel rim doesn??™t have the thickness or flat-bottomed shape of the GTI??™s, although there is a similar, embossed aluminium strip on the middle spoke ??“ this time bearing the letters GT.

The GT is unique in the Golf range by including a boost gauge, which shows how much air is being forced into the engine.

At $34,990 for the six-speed manual version ($37,290 for DSG dual-clutch manual), the GT is appropriately priced between the $32,990 2.0 FSI and $39,990 GTI.

It??™s appropriately faster and slower respectively.

The GT manual accelerates from standstill to 100km/h in 7.9 seconds ??“ 0.9sec faster than the FSI and 0.7sec slower than the GTI.

In-gear response for the GT (in fifth gear) is a second quicker than the FSI from 80-120km/h, and just half a second shy of the GTI.

It??™s also worth comparing the GT with bigger-engined, naturally aspirated rivals such as the 2.0-litre Subaru Impreza 2.0R and 2.3-litre Mazda3 SP23. The 1.4-litre Golf is more powerful, more efficient and cleaner than either.

The GTI, despite being the second most expensive Golf on offer (after the R32), is surprisingly the best-selling version of VW??™s small car in Australia.

In 2006, the Golf accounted for 45 per cent of VW Australia??™s total vehicle sales. Of those 9,647 Golf sales, more than a fifth were GTIs.

The $5000-cheaper GT, however, is being imported in limited numbers (420 this year) for now. VW Australia is initially using the GT to test the local market??™s reaction to TSI technology.

Later in the year, the company will import a diesel version called the GT D. Power is identical to the TSI, but the D brings another 110Nm (350Nm).

If the response is positive, expect TSI engines to filter into other VW models such as the Jetta.

In an era of rising petrol prices and climate concern, Volkswagen??™s refined and economical TDI engines have helped propel the German car maker into Australia??™s top 10 best-selling car makers.

The company is hoping the TSI can generate a similar renaissance for petrol engines.

???We are pushing hard on our diesel strategy,??? says Jutta Dierks, VW Australia??™s managing director, ???and we believe we will always be strong on diesel, but we would like another hook for petrol.

???Timing is important and we think now is right for the GT [TSI].???

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1179601389960-theage.com.au http://www.theage.com.au/news/news/first-drive-vw-golf-gt-14-tsi/2007/05/22/1179601389960.html theage.com.au drive.com.au 2007-05-22 First drive: VW Golf GT 1.4 TSI Jez Spinks Volkswagen??™s cooler sibling to the Golf GTI hot-hatch gets a double boost from the world's first direct-injection supercharged/turbocharged engine. By JEZ SPINKS. DriveHome News http://www.theage.com.au/ffximage/2007/05/22/22Golf_m.jpg 470 282 http://www.theage.com.au/ffximage/2007/05/22/22Golf._agejpg.jpg 50 50

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