THE GL's 1.6-litre powerplant is just about as low as VW could go. The 1595cc, eight-valve four-cylinder engine has multi-point fuel injection and a variable intake manifold and develops 74kW at 5600rpm and 145Nm at 3800rpm. An aluminium block keeps the kilos down, although kerb weight is more than 1150kg. Not surprisingly, GL's performance is uninspiring - expect 12.6 sec for the 0-100km/h burst. It will be economical, but demands PULP.