reference a touring-car class in which
pumped-up Golf GTIs trade paint
with equally thuggish interpretations
of the Audi S3, Peugeot 308 and
Hyundai i30 N, to name a few. This
road-going farewell to the Mk7.5 GTI
isn’t necessary to homologate the
r a c i n g c a r s – it ’s mor e of a d i lut e d
homage – although the package is
still enticing enough.
VW’s juicy EA888 2.0-litre turbo
e n g i ne i s r e pr i s e d i n t he s a me
286bhp tune last seen in the much-
loved GTI Clubsport 40 of 2017,
only now with a brace of additional
radiators from the Golf R. It gives the
G ol f e a si l y t he br oa de s t p ow e rba nd
among the assembled, pulling
with peak torque all the way from
1950rpm to 5300rpm. Elsewhere it
is predictable fare, with power put to
the road through the same electronic
locking differential and seven-speed
dual-clutch gearbox (there’s no
manual for the Golf, although it’s
the only car here available with a
neat three-door body) as the existing
GTI Performance. The alloys are a
relatively restrained 18in, but peer
through them and you’ll see the
drilled brake discs and calipers from
the old GTI Clubsport S – once holder
of Nürburgring record for front-drive
cars. That it stole the record from
the previous-generation Civic Type
R before itself being usurped by the
Type R here today shows how tight
this tit-for-tat class is in dynamic
terms. Just 6.83sec separates the
three lap times, and don’t bet ◊
GOLF GTI TCR vs RIVALS COMPARISON
24 APRIL 2 019 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 45
Trophy’s
Recaros, which
are a £1500 option,
look the part and clampyou in place for those
housefly direction changes.
Most testers preferred the
standard-fit items in the
Honda, though, which
are designed in-
house.
With the 2016 Clubsport S – the
expensive, roll-caged Nürburgring
limited-edition special – VW gave
the world arguably the greatest-
ever version of the GTI. To drive
one was to want one, although the
truth is that the more attainable,
standard versions of the Mk7 Golf
GTI on which the Clubsport S was
based have never had that knack
of quickly getting under your skin.
They’ve all been wonderfully easy
to live with, impressively frugal,
agile and quick enough for most
British roads, and ultimately very
covetable. But memorable? Not
especially, which seems a harsh
conclusion but one that also, giventhe GTI’s need to cover so many
bases, seems inevitable.
MK7 VOLKSWAGEN
GOLF GTI
Golf’s cabin still feels
fresh and is the most
comfortable at a cruise
Civic Type R is as
bombastic inside
a s i t i s o u ts i d e
Mk 7 GTI reached its zenit
h with the Clubsport S