  2015 Volkswagen GTI dashboard & shifter. Click image to enlarge |
The Mode button on the console cycles between Normal, Sport and Individual. In this tester, Sport firms up the steering, pipes more engine growl into the cabin and activates sport lighting, which allegedly makes the adaptive bi-xenon headlights react quicker when you turn into a bend. Huh? Throttle response is supposed to sharpen too, but I didn’t notice anything. If this were a twin-clutch DSG car, transmission responses would be heightened as well.
   2015 Volkswagen GTI gauges, drive mode selection, backup camera. Click image to enlarge |
I quickly realize the engine comes into its own above 4,000 rpm. The GTI transforms into a mighty hard charger when the tach needle swings right, and unlike many turbo mills that run out of puff, the 2.0T pulls hard to its 6,800 rpm redline.
I also discover this is the best-handling GTI to date. The electric steering is reasonably feelsome and quick (2.1 turns lock to lock) and the car follows obediently. It lasers down the twisties with a delightful disdain for body roll, understeer and torque steer. The shifter might not slot with the mechanical precision of a Porsche, MX-5 Miata, or even the new Subaru STI, but it is light and accurate. Clutch take-up is right where you want it and the brakes feels fabulous – strong and progressive.
VW’s XDS brake-activated electronic front differential quickens turn-in and helps keep the GTI tracking true through the corners. This hatch melds into a dynamic cohesiveness that inspires confidence and allows for a wicked pace on these roads. Great visibility, too. The pedals are a bit too widely spaced for classic heel and toe action, but that’s about the only nit I can pick.
Oh, and the navigation’s graphics ($695) are rudimentary and not very detailed.
Hard-core GTI-philes may want to wait until January to make the plunge however, because that’s when the extra stuff in the Performance Pack gets here.
Not an optional package as in other markets, this will be the top trim level here in Canada, dubbed Performance, over the current base and Autobahn variants. The Performance model gets an additional 10 hp, a mechanical limited-slip differential, bigger brakes, summer performance tires (all seasons will be a no-cost option) and Dynamic Chassis Control (electronic adaptive damping). Pricing has not yet been set.
Yarkony asked me to compare this 2015 GTI tester to my 2001 model. Do I have to?
My car isn’t entirely stock. About ten years ago I installed some Eibach ProKit springs and had Upsolute reflash the ECU chip. The former drastically improved the handling (while mostly ruining the ride) and the latter breathed some serious fire into the 150 hp, 175 lb-ft 20-valve1.8L turbo. I put it on a dyno right after the flash and it was making about 200 hp and 235 lb-ft at the crank. So my car does haul almost as much ass as this new one, but everywhere else it trails by an autobahn mile. Especially in braking. The binders on the Mk 4 GTIs sucked back then and they super suck now.
    2015 Volkswagen GTI seating & cargo area. Click image to enlarge |
My hydraulic steering has good feel but it is slow compared to the Mk 7. As a testament to VW’s seat designers, the 14 year-old buckets still feel awesome. With only a five-speed, the 1.8L spins a busy 3,300 rpm at 120 km/h, which does nothing for mileage or NVH but makes for right-now top gear shove. In the new GTI you have to drop down a gear or two to get a move on when up to highway speed.
So is the 2015 GTI just too perfect? Is its refinement and unflappable composure just a tad too benign? Too Rhodes Scholar and not enough Danny Zuko?
There may be those who think so. Not me.
If you need more excitement in your front-drive hot hatch, the 252-hp Ford Focus ST offers mega torque-steer, a punishing ride and tricky oversteer when on the edge. If that’s your idea of excitement…
VW’s newest GTI stands as a benchmark for everyday usability, economy, obsessive build quality, utility and, above all, pure driving enjoyment.
Is there another car that puts it all together better than the 2015 Mk 7 VW GTI?
I don’t think so.
Pricing: 2015 Volkswagen GTI Autobahn
Base price: $27,995
Base price (Autobahn): $32,895
Optional equipment: Technology Package $695
A/C tax: $100
Destination charge: $1,395
Price as tested: $35,085
Competitors:
Ford Focus ST
Honda Civic Si
Mazdaspeed3
Mini Cooper S
Scion FR-S
Subaru BRZ
Subaru WRX
Crash Test Results:
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS)
