2012 Volkswagen GTI

 

Vehicle Overview

The Volkswagen GTI is a high-performance sibling of the Golf. It comes as a two- or four-door hatchback, both with an optional Autobahn Package that consists mostly of interior upgrades. The GTI seats five and competitors include the Mazdaspeed3, Subaru Impreza WRX and Mini Cooper S.

New for 2012

LED daytime running lights are newly available for 2012, but little else of significance has changed.

Exterior

The GTI is based on the VW Golf, and both received new exterior styling a few years ago that made them more angular and menacing. The GTI has some unique features, including a thin, blackened honeycomb grille with two red outlining stripes; different front and rear bumpers; side skirts; and GTI badging. It also rides slightly lower than the Golf. Exterior features include:

• Standard 18-inch alloy wheels
• Dual tailpipes
• Optional xenon high-intensity-discharge headlights

Interior

The GTI can seat up to five. Bolstered, ribbed sport seats are standard in front, and there's a 60/40-split bench in the rear. Seating surfaces have a retro plaid design — VW calls it "Interlagos" — on the cloth trim; both front seats employ seat heaters and seat-height adjusters. Leather upholstery is optional. Interior features include:

• Standard leather-wrapped steering wheel and gearshift
• Standard power windows, locks and side mirrors with keyless entry
• Standard air conditioning and cruise control
• Standard height-adjustable, heated front seats
• Standard USB/iPod-compatible stereo
• Optional steering-wheel audio controls, upgraded touch-screen stereo, navigation system and moonroof
• Autobahn Package adds all above options and a Dynaudio premium stereo, leather upholstery and a keyless access system with remote start

Under the Hood

A turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder is standard. With either the manual or automatic transmission, the front-wheel-drive GTI can hit 60 mph in less than 7 seconds, Volkswagen says. Mechanical features include:

• 200 horsepower and 207 pounds-feet of torque
• Six-speed manual or six-speed dual-clutch automatic
• Electronic limited-slip control system helps control wheelspin during sharp turns

Safety

Standard safety features include:

• Antilock brakes
• Traction control and electronic stability system
• Front-seat side-impact and side curtain airbags