213kW VW Golf GTI TCR confirmed for Aus
BY DANIEL DEGASPERI | 20th Jun 2018
VOLKSWAGEN Group Australia (VGA) has confirmed the 213kW Golf GTI TCR will land in the first half of next year, following imminent model year 2019 updates that include a deletion of the Golf 110TSI and manual Golf R.
Revealed last month, the three-door Golf GTI TCR will morph into a five-door hatchback only for our market, however it will still top the 195kW 40 Years as the most powerful front-wheel-drive Golf GTI of all time.
It will match the 213kW power output of the Golf R and, with 370Nm of torque, cedes only 10Nm to the heavier all-wheel-drive hatchback.
A seven-speed dual-clutch automatic Direct Shift Gearbox (DSG) will be the only option, with 19-inch alloy wheels and a limited-slip differential (LSD) coming in as standard.
The Golf GTI TCR will also provide a heady increase on the recently announced MY19 Golf GTI, which will also now include the auto and LSD standard, as well as 180kW/370Nm from its identically sized 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four cylinder.
VGA general manager of marketing Ben Wilks said the popularity of go-fast variants in the Golf range meant the company was always looking for something new to offer buyers.
“I think with 25 per cent of our mix of Golfs being performance models, we’ll always have something to say in this space (and) this is now confirmed for Australia with TCR next off the range there for 2019,” he told GoAuto at an event in Sydney this week.
“So 213kW from this Golf GTI TCR, and you notice there’s no brackets for overboost, because that’s 213kW flat, which is exciting. It will be a very highly specified model but five-door only, a limited release model that we’ll bring to market in the first half of 2019.”
Citing homologation stresses around the European introduction of the new fuel consumption and emissions compliance program dubbed the Worldwide-harmonised Light-vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP), VGA had already announced that the Golf GTI would lose a manual gearbox option for the MY19 update.
However, VGA has also now confirmed that the manual will be dropped for the MY19 Golf R, leaving the Volkswagen small performance range an auto-only proposition for the first time ever – but also with more kit than ever before.
“We’re excited about the (MY19) Golf GTI because we’re incorporating a performance driveline,” Mr Wilks said.
“(And) what’s the GTI really about? It’s about performance and it’s about comfort, so it’s drawing on those two parallels.”
However, the MY19 Golf GTI was not tipped to come close to matching the $38,490 driveaway starting price of the outgoing Golf GTI Original three-door manual, which was tagged as delivering the true essence of the ‘GTI’ badge.
Asked whether a more expensive, five-door DSG-only package reflected that original hot hatchback ethos, Mr Wilks said: “The GTI Original … was a strong offer. But in the final analysis we’re here to sell cars to our customers and there’s only so much demand (for a three-door manual).”
He added that “it’s unlikely at this stage” that the manual transmission would return and certainly “not in the current generation”.
Although pricing has not yet been announced for the Golf GTI, Golf GTI TCR and Golf R, equipment upgrades will include an Active Info Display, adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assistance, blind-spot monitor with rear cross-traffic alert, auto high-beam and – on GTI – auto reverse-park assistance standard.
The Golf GTI will feature a choice of optional Sound and Style Package (with 19-inch alloys, 9.2-inch touchscreen, gesture control, voice control and 400-watt Dynaudio sound system), or Luxury Package (leather trim, electrically adjustable driver’s seat with heated front seats, and panoramic glass sunroof). The single option on Golf R will be the Dynaudio system.
At the other end of the range, VGA has dropped the entry-level Golf 110TSI previously priced from $23,990 plus on-road costs for the six-speed manual and $26,490 for the seven-speed dual-clutch, with the Golf 110TSI Trendline (formerly $24,990 manual/$27,490 DSG) becoming the new entry point.
VGA has refused to comment on whether the 110TSI Trendline will become more affordable, however it has maintained its equipment level over the 110TSI, still adding front and rear parking sensors and auto headlights and wipers, and it will continue to be offered with manual or auto.
“We’re again wanting to simplify the range and respond to what customers are wanting to buy from us in terms of Golf,” Mr Wilks said of the change.
“So the 110TSI will not be with us and the Trendline will become the entry model, but right through the range we’re going to increase our level of standard equipment and right through the range there are more premium touches with the Golf. It’s a little bit more approachable from an options perspective as well.”
The 110TSI Comfortline will continue as an auto-only proposition, adding keyless auto-entry with push-button start, floor mats and electric-folding door mirrors for the first time.
And the 110TSI Highline will now add adaptive cruise control, blind-spot and rear cross-traffic alert, lane-keep and auto reverse-park assistance, plus auto up/down high-beam that (as with Golf GTI and Golf R) was previously part of a Driver Assistance Package.
The Driver Assistance Package will remain optional on Trendline and Comfortline, with Comfortline and Highline offered with a Sound and Vision Package (with Active Info Display, 9.2-inch touchscreen and Dynaudio 400-watt sound system) and Highline singularly offered with a further R-Line Package.
The Trendline, Comfortline and Highline will all remain powered by a 110kW/250Nm 1.4-litre turbocharged petrol four-cylinder engine, with a 110TDI Highline expected to remain available with a 110kW/340Nm 2.0-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder option.
The MY19 Golf, Golf GTI and Golf R goes on-sale early in the third quarter of 2018, with the Golf GTI TCR to follow in the first half of next year.
