Golf GT gets ‘Sporty’

VOLKSWAGEN Australia has replaced the Golf GT with a new ‘GT Sport’ version and also introduced a new 2.0-litre turbo-diesel engine with more power as part of a 2008 model year revision for its Polo, Golf and Passat models.

VW quickly sold all 450 examples of the Golf GT that was introduced only a few months ago to test the market for its innovative 125kW/240Nm turbocharged and supercharged 1.4-litre TSI petrol engine.

The new Golf GT Sport is now an ongoing model that can be bought with not only the TSI engine but also VW’s latest turbo-diesel four-cylinder engine.

The starting price for the Golf GT Sport remains at $34,990 for the TSI petrol engine with a six-speed manual gearbox, while the diesel version is priced from $37,490.

The only change over the limited-edition GT is that the grille is now charcoal rather than body-coloured. It retains GTI-spec features like sports suspension, 17-inch alloys, big brakes, twin tailpipes and sports seats.



VW’s new 2.0-litre TDI diesel engine is essentially the same as the existing 2.0-litre unit, but is equipped with a piezo high-pressure direct-injection system that, along with software changes, boosts power from 103kW to 125kW at 4200rpm and torque from 320Nm to 350Nm (between 1750 and 2500rpm).

This engine is now also available in the Passat (above) – which continues to offer the existing 103kW diesel as its entry-level variant, with an unchanged price of $42,490. The 125kW models come with a $2500 premium.

VW has also upgraded its baby Polo automatic models, with the 1.4-litre model now having the same power as the manual (gaining 4kW to 59kW and 4Nm to 130Nm).

More significant is that the auto is now a six-speed unit instead of the previous four-speed and that all auto models now come with standard ABS at no extra cost, but the option cost rises by $500 to $2500.

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