2013 Volkswagen GTD: Better than the GTI? - Ignition Episode 50 - video Dailymotion

MotorTrend

On this episode of Ignition

Transcript

00:00 [MUSIC PLAYING]

00:04 The Golf GTD offers an interesting proposal.

00:08 Would you trade horsepower for fuel economy?

00:10 You see, this is essentially a GTI,

00:13 but it doesn't have the gasoline drinking turbo 2-liter

00:16 that we know and enjoy.

00:17 Instead, it has a turbo diesel of the same displacement.

00:21 That means it gives up some horsepower,

00:23 but returns around 30% better fuel economy.

00:26 Even better, it has more torque.

00:29 Volkswagen doesn't currently sell the GTD in the States,

00:32 but the company's brought this car over

00:34 as an example for us to drive.

00:37 That's a good thing, because it means we can answer

00:39 a very important question.

00:41 Can you have fun and be green?

00:43 The paint on this car says yes, but how about the way

00:46 it drives?

00:46 [MUSIC PLAYING]

00:50 [TIRES SCREECHING]

00:52 [MUSIC PLAYING]

00:55 Now, I'm actually really impressed

01:06 with the driving dynamics.

01:08 And there's no reason why I shouldn't be,

01:10 because this handles like a GTI.

01:13 You have very responsive turn-in,

01:15 a very nicely weighted and precise steering.

01:18 You don't have the same horsepower out of corners,

01:20 but instead, you have a lot of torque,

01:22 which is almost as enjoyable, but not

01:24 as quite as revving a four-cylinder out

01:27 as far as it can go.

01:29 Now, interestingly, there isn't a lot of noticeable understeer.

01:33 It's rather minor at the limit.

01:35 What you do have when you turn in

01:37 is you notice what feels like the brakes are grabbing

01:40 the inside rear wheel to help it turn.

01:42 And so that means the car always feels like there's

01:45 more grip in the front.

01:47 Granted, I'm not sure if stability control is completely

01:49 defeatable.

01:50 We're not getting a lot of intervention on corner exit,

01:53 but we are getting that braking sensation mid-corner.

01:58 Now, what this doesn't do, which is kind of disappointing,

02:00 is any lift-off oversteer.

02:01 You can't control the tail with the throttle

02:03 like you can with some hot-hatch front-wheel drive cars.

02:07 But I'm OK with that, because this is still really fun.

02:09 It drives less like some sort of track car

02:12 and more like a grand touring car.

02:15 This is a very fun car to toss around.

02:20 And I have the transmission in Sport.

02:22 It's doing a very good job of keeping

02:24 the engine in the power band right near its torque peak

02:26 and its horsepower peak and responding to downshifts

02:30 when the speeds call for it.

02:34 Overall, this is a fun little car.

02:37 Now, versus the GTI, the D is down on horsepower,

02:43 but up in torque.

02:44 So what does that mean for an acceleration run?

02:47 Well, it means a lot of wheel spin

02:49 as you surge through all that torque.

02:50 60 miles an hour comes in about seven seconds.

02:54 And the quarter mile arrives at 15.5 seconds

02:58 at 89 miles an hour.

02:59 And now for a 60 to 0 braking test.

03:04 Takes just 112 feet.

03:10 [TIRES SCREECHING]

03:13 The GTD gives up some acceleration at the test track,

03:23 but it still retains the delightful handling

03:26 and ride characteristics of the GTI.

03:29 Yeah, it's a bit slower, but it's just as fun to drive.

03:32 Now, part of that's the steering,

03:34 which is confident, composed, and nice and weighted well.

03:38 Part of it's the summer tires that we're on,

03:40 which are pretty aggressive.

03:41 And part of it's also the adaptive damper system

03:44 that this car is outfitted with, which has three modes.

03:47 We're actually in sport mode right now,

03:49 which tightens the steering up.

03:51 So this diesel is mated to a DSG transmission, a twin clutch

03:54 gearbox.

03:55 And it works very well.

03:57 The shifts are almost seamless, which

03:59 is pretty important considering the amount of torque we have

04:01 on tap, about 258 pound feet.

04:04 Now, redline is pretty low, again,

04:06 unsurprisingly for a diesel.

04:08 About 5,000 RPM.

04:09 And the thing is, this engine is so quiet at speed,

04:12 you have to remember to upshift if you're

04:13 trying to shift manually.

04:15 Or else you'll be bouncing into the redline

04:17 without even realizing it.

04:18 We don't have the GTI's horsepower.

04:21 We don't have its ability to rev.

04:22 Not that the 2.0T is a particularly revvy engine,

04:26 but we have torque and lots of torque.

04:29 And torque is great, because torque

04:31 is what makes you feel like you're going fast.

04:33 It gives you that sensation in your stomach of acceleration.

04:37 And I bet if you were to put most people in the driver's

04:40 seat of this car, they might think it's faster

04:42 off the line than the GTI.

04:45 Now, the biggest selling point of the GTD

04:47 is its fuel efficiency.

04:49 It's tough to make an estimate what it might be in the US,

04:52 because the EPA measures fuel differently

04:54 than they do in Europe.

04:55 And Imperial gallons are smaller than US gallons.

04:58 But if you look at what this car returns on the European cycle,

05:02 it's about 30% more fuel efficient than the GTI.

05:05 If you apply that to the EPA's rankings,

05:08 you come out with about 36 miles per gallon combined.

05:10 Now, that's your proven, as tested,

05:13 Motor Trend official number.

05:16 Not really.

05:18 It's also hard to compare price between US and Europe,

05:21 because this car has a few options that we wouldn't

05:23 get in the US, like the parking sensors,

05:25 like the adaptive ride control.

05:27 We also have a bottle opener here,

05:29 or at least a spot for one, for the bottled carbonated water

05:32 that people love to have in Europe.

05:35 But in Europe, this car costs less money than the GTI.

05:39 And considering this car's strengths, its torque,

05:42 its fuel efficiency, I think it's the one I'd buy.

05:46 Driving the GTD is, unsurprisingly,

05:49 a lot like driving a GTI.

05:51 It's the same sort of confidence in the car,

05:53 the same sort of ride.

05:54 We have a very nice outward view forward.

05:58 And the whole thing allows you to place the car exactly where

06:01 you want it on a road.

06:03 The torque means it's nice coming out

06:05 of corners in low RPM range.

06:07 But it's also nice to drive about town.

06:10 This is the kind of car you can enjoy equally on a back road

06:13 or on the commute.

06:15 It straddles a nice line between comfort, luxury,

06:20 and sportiness, and fun.

06:22 This thing, like a GTI, feels nimble, responsive, quick,

06:26 and capable.

06:29 I think this is a car that the majority of consumers

06:32 should be driving, this style of car, a hatchback

06:35 with lots of cargo room, lots of leg room, lots of seat room,

06:38 with a lot of torque and very strong fuel efficiency.

06:41 I mean, this car makes so much sense for how we drive.

06:46 It's a wonder that more people aren't adapting to it

06:48 or adopting this style of car.

06:59 So while the GTD is slower than the GTI,

07:02 it doesn't lose the things that make the GTI so enjoyable.

07:06 It's great fun to toss around on a mountain road.

07:08 But it also makes for a great commuter,

07:10 thanks to the addition of so much torque.

07:12 The only question is, then, Volkswagen,

07:15 when will you sell it here?

07:16 [MUSIC PLAYING]

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07:48 (upbeat music)

07:51 (upbeat music)

2013 Volkswagen GTD: Better than the GTI? - Ignition Episode 50

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