Test Drives, Volkswagen

Test Drive: 2010 Volkswagen GTI w/DSG

June 15, 2010

The “jacky” cloth seats are a GTI trademark; tastefully plaid and very supportive yet firm: perfect for this car.

2010 Volkswagen GTI. Click image to enlarge

Thanks to the trademark squared-off profile of the GTI, the rear cabin is surprisingly accommodating; especially with this five-door, there’s no sacrifice being made for the sake of styling. Not that the GTI isn’t a looker. On the contrary, it’s quite a striking little car, thanks in particular to our tester’s optional 18-inch alloys that give the impression that the tires are just a thin layer of rubber wrapped around a wild looking wheel. And with 40-series rubber at all four corners, that’s not far from the truth.

The biggest debate I’d have with myself, were I in the market for this car, would be whether to opt for the DSG (direct-shift gearbox) over the standard six-speed manual. Now don’t get me wrong; I’m about 95 per cent sure I’d go with the stick, because that’s the only type of transmission my own cars have ever had. But until recently there hasn’t been a worthy successor to the traditional manual, and VW makes one of the best.

From a user-interface perspective, the DSG operates much like a traditional automatic transmission. But technically speaking, it has more in common with a manual: two manuals, in fact. There are six forward gears, with the odd gears engaged using one clutch and the even gears using a second clutch. When one gear is engaged, the second clutch is at the ready to engage the next gear with minimal delay – and without a clutch pedal. It’s all computer-controlled, and I can say that it works with such intuitiveness that I would have to give it due consideration when it came time to make this decision.

2010 Volkswagen GTI. Click image to enlarge

There are essentially three drive modes to this transmission: D is the most fuel-efficient method and the one that lets the transmission behave much like an automatic. In S (sport) mode, the transmission’s computers hold lower gears longer and effect downshifts more readily. This is the mode I would use most of the time because it behaves much like I would if I were controlling the shifting myself, only smoother.

Manual mode is great fun too, but for me is almost rendered unnecessary thanks to the competence of the sport mode. Manual shifting of the gears can be done by either a tap of the shift lever fore or aft, or by using the steering wheel-mounted shift paddles; pull the right one for upshift and the left one for down.

And this is where the fun factor with this transmission is most apparent: under aggressive acceleration, upshifts are accompanied by a raunchy ‘blat’ from the exhaust, and downshifts are greeted with a perfect blip of the electronic throttle every time. Wanna feel like a pro? Take one of these for a spin.

Even with aggressive city driving, I managed 11.3 L/100 km during the car’s week with me. You might note that it’s significantly higher than the rated city consumption of 8.7, but consider that I drove with absolutely no regard for efficiency because I was having so much fun, and that number begins to look pretty incredible.

So there’s not much to complain about with the GTI. It’s a blast to drive, looks sharp, and is extremely efficient. Its boxy profile and four doors with a hatch make it pretty hard to fault from a practicality perspective. And while $32,000 may seem a bit dear for what some might consider a tarted-up econobox (of course they’d be wrong), there are genuine premium touches that make that price a great value indeed.

Pricing: 2010 Volkswagen GTI

Base price: $29,675

Options: $2,375

A/C tax: $100

Freight: $1,365

Price as tested: $33,515
Click here for options, dealer invoice prices and factory incentives

Specifications

Buyer’s Guide: 2010 Volkswagen GTI

Competitors

Buyer’s Guide: 2010 Acura CSX

Buyer’s Guide: 2010 Chevrolet Cobalt SS

Buyer’s Guide: 2010 MazdaSpeed3