Mk6 Golf GTI coming to US shores this summer!
Volkwagen’s MKV GTI has been met with almost entirely positive reviews in the US. This summer, the MKV GTI’s replacement will be hitting US shores, and VW says the car is better in almost every appreciable way. That remains to be seen, but the Mk6 GTI will be landing at US VW dealerships this summer, so get ready.
If it seems like the MKV’s only been with us for a short period of time, you’d be right. The base model MKV’s debuted mid-2005 in the US, as there was about a year and a half of hangover of the MKIV generation here while the rest of the world got to enjoy the new car. This means the MKV GTI will be the shortest ever model production run, from 2006 to 2009.
The reasons for this quick update are easy to understand: VW strove to improve quality and refinement over the MKV while lowering production costs, which was the biggest issue with the MKV chassis. VW claims to have reduced the cost of making the car, while turning out a better car at the end – so everyone wins.
Under the hood, the acclaimed 2.0TFSI turbo motor receives mild upgrades, and power bumps up to 210bhp (from 200), while torque remains the same at 206lb-ft. Changes to the engine itself are minor – new pistons and rings, a regulated oil pump, new vacuum and fuel pumps, and a new MAF round out the mechanical changes. Fuel consumption drops from 8.0L/100km to 7.3L/100km despite the increase in power, which is nice.
Transmission offerings remain the same: 6-speed manual with an honest-to-god clutch or a 6-speed DSG twin clutch automated gearbox. No word on when the GTI will get the new 7-speed dry clutch DSG setup, but that’d be nice too. The chassis remains similar to the MKV: MacPherson struts up front, multilink independent suspension in the rear. In the GTI, the front end is 22mm lower and the rear 15mm lower than the normal Golf, respectively. Spring rates, damping rates and thicker swaybars are all specified for the GTI, as you’d expect.
New to the Mk6 GTI line is VW’s new XDS “electronic transverse differential lock” system. This is an extension of the existing ESP (Electronic Stability Program) system used to maximize traction out of corners. It works much like a brake-lock differential, only actively (through load monitoring sensors) – so it will put individual brake pressure on a driven wheel during a corner to eliminate understeer. It’s unorthodox but sounds like it will work, so I’m not going to complain.
Also in conjunction with XDS is some more VW alphabet soup, DCC. DCC is VW’s corporate “Dynamic Chassis Control” which debuted on the European-market Scirrocco. IT’s an actively-adjusting damper system similar to what Audi’s been using for a while, and in addition to all the other electronic goodies on the car, it gives the GTI a remarkably controlled ride for having such stiff, roll-resistant handling. What this will mean to people who want to slap on a set of coilovers remains to be seen.
The biggest step forward on the Mk6 GTI is the interior. It has been completely redesigned over the MKV chassis cars and offers better materials for less cost. Sounding familiar? It certainly looks like a nice place to spend time, though. Then there’s the parking assist feature, the satnav, the killer seats… You get the picture.
No pricing for the latest jackRabbit has been announced for the US market yet, but expect it to be slightly below the equivalent price of a MKV, if anything. The Mk6 will be hitting dealerships this summer, so save your pennies now.
In 2004, NCDübs came to life in order to bring together enthusiasts of VW and Audi within the North Carolina region.