october 2019 | CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK 121here’s no point in a quiet last hurrah. It makes sense, then,
that the last edition of the Mk7.5 Golf GTI is significantly
different from any other Golf, and draws visually on VW’s
touring car racers.
The changes between this and a Golf GTI with the
Performance Pack are pretty stark. Most importantly, the
2.0-litre turbo is boosted by 45bhp over the PP, taking the peak output to
286bhp, and there’s a mechanical limited-slip diff and drilled brake discs
as standard too. There’s no choice of gearbox: you get a seven-speed DSG,
which Volkswagen is keen to point out is the same transmission used
in its racing Golf. Tenuous link alert! It’s also why this GTI’s bodykit is
much more elaborate, with a gloss black front splitter and sledge-sized
rear spoiler. The honeycomb door decals are, you may well be pleased to
learn, optional.
You know at a glance it’s a Golf, and there’s near-universal agreement
that the Golf species still looks good; remarkable, really, that VW can
make a car that’s as ubiquitous as red traffic lights yet still appealing.
The familiar Mk7.5 GTI interior here sits underneath several layers of
polish, like your nan’s immaculate mahogany sideboard. It’s the classiest
car of this trio, despite its age. While the Discover Pro navigation system
is starting to look dated, the high-gloss trim, digital instrument display
and perforated leather steering wheel all add a premium feel. The seats
are the stand-out feature, though, injecting some much-needed colour
into a sea of gloss black, with the traditional GTI tartan replaced by a
geometric pattern bespoke to TCR cars. It’s a shame they perch you as
high as a tennis umpire, though.
Around town, the Golf has the most supple chassis on test. Even up-
graded from 18- to 19-inch optional alloys, the Dynamic Chassis Control
(which isn’t standard, despite the TCR’s £35k price) has a Comfort mode
that means what it says. Daily-driving a TCR is in all important regards
just like driving any other auto Golf; if it weren’t for the lewd decals and
fat, shiny metal tailpipes, plenty of passengers and pedestrians might be
none the wiser after a gentle commute.
The mechanical differential hinders the turning circle, which makes
parking a little more cumbersome, but otherwise the Golf is understated,
entirely usable and, when just pottering about, perfectly civilised.
Perhaps a little too civilised for its own good. Put your foot down and
the GTI accelerates with the low-key efficiency of a sniper. There’s a flat
surge of power that never peaks or troughs – it just gets on and does its
job, with an unintrusive raspy growl from the turbocharged four-cylin-
der engine, occasionally accompanied by a single exhaust pop.
The performance is quite an achievement, but the seven-speed DSG
transmission stops you getting particularly involved in the experience.
In town or on the motorway it’s an undoubted boon to be able to leave
the car to shift for itself. But when you’re keen to engage fully with the
driving experience, the GTI doesn’t want to go all the way. The light clack
from the wheel-mounted paddles and consequent push back into your
seat is about as much involvement as you’ll get here, which feels a little...
off. Driving the Golf back-to-back with its two manual rivals makes me
yearn for the Volkswagen’s golfball stick shift.
It’s a similar case when it comes to the handling. When the going gets
twisty, the Golf is pliant and stable but it’s lacking that final bit of finesse
to make it a properly brilliant driver’s car. There’s a looseness to the steer-
ing that the Focus simply doesn’t have and that the Hyundai does a better
job of curtailing.
There’s also a general bias towards understeer if you get over-zealous
with corner entry speeds. There’s less of a pivoting action at the centre
of the car here than in the others, the Focus in particular. Instead, the
Volkswagen just deals with whatever road surface or corner it’s presented
with, neither complaining nor getting particularly enthusiastic. That’s a
long way from the classic – often quite ragged – hot-hatch experience.
The Golf is definitely more road car than track car, which is a little
ironic given VW is playing on its international touring-car campaign
with the GTI TCR’s badging, visuals and marketing. Compared with the
eager and light-footed Focus and the adjustability of the Hyundai, the
Golf feels inert and heavy on track.
It’s properly quick yet feels safe and solid to drive quickly, without
offering the glorious combination of feedback, engagement and zing that
defines the other two. ⊲Giant test: Focus STWhen the going gets twisty, theGolf is pliant and stable – butlacking that final bit of finesseVW GOLF GTI TCR
Least sensible
GTI still sensible
Fantastic
seats get
unique GTI
TCR trimT
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pre-flight briefing vwWhy is it here?
It wouldn’t really be a
front-drive hot-hatch
test without a GTI,
would it? VW has
injected some racing-
car steroids into
the TCR, producing
a model that’s the
Mk7.5 Golf GTI’s last
shot at glory before
it’s replaced in 2020.Any clever stuff?
Mechanical limited-
slip differential is
standard (the others
have electronicdiffs) and drilled
brake discs. TCR
Performance Pack
de-restricts top
speed, lowers the ride
by another 20mm
and adds adaptive
dampers. At thisprice, you’d assume
they were fitted as
standard.
Which version is this?
It’s the auto-only TCR- the newest, most
hardcore GTI. A 45bhp
power increase over
the GTI PP makes it
the most powerful
and quickest-
sprinting here. TCR
models have a more
aggressive bodykit,
stainless-steel
exhaust and optional
honeycomb-shaped
acne across the doors.