Volkswagen Golf GT 2007 review

Imagine being asked to run just as fast on a third less lung capacity.That's the test VW gave its Golf GT designers, and they came up trumps.

The GT is a hot favourite for Car of the Year, which is powered by a 1.4-litre engine that uses a supercharger and a turbocharger to produce the power of a larger engine but without the fuel penalty.

VW calls the twin-charger a TSI, a world first combination of turbo charging, supercharging and direct petrol injection.

Driving the GT is like having your cake and eating it too, adding fun and frugality to daily motoring. It has the low-down punch of a turbo diesel yet the free-revving nature of a petrol engine.

The engine-driven Eaton supercharger packs a wallop from rest and hands over to the exhaust-driven turbocharger as engine speed rises.

There is no throttle lag, almost no whine from the supercharger and just a slight “woof” from the exhaust on full throttle upshifts when fitted with the optional direct-shift gearbox.

Output is 125kW at 6000rpm and 240Nm of torque at 1750-4500rpm, comparable to a naturally aspirated 2.5-litre engine.

Acceleration from rest to 100km/h is a claimed 7.9 seconds in the manual and 7.7 seconds in automatic.

Fuel use is a claimed 7.7 litres/100km, or about 20 per cent less than a 2.3-litre engine with comparable performance.

There are two versions, the six-speed manual at $34,990 and the six-speed DSG at $37,290, both five door and both about $2000 more than the Sportline FSI and $5000 less than the top-selling Golf, the GTI.

The DSG or a direct-shift automatic gearbox takes just 0.2 seconds.

By the time it takes to blink, the highly entertaining GT with DSG has left one of its six gear ratios behind and gone on to the next.

And there is just a trace of exhaust “whoomf” under hard acceleration as the engine releases its exhaust pressure. On enthusiastic downshifts, DSG automatically blips the throttle, providing yet another sensory treat.

The DSG is a perfect match for the GTI's gutsy 2.0-litre turbo engine, making decisions in both timing and speed of gear shifts that no human can match. It is also quicker than the manual GTI, sprinting to 100km/h in 6.9 seconds or 0.3 seconds quicker than the six-speed manual.

And it uses less fuel than the manual, an official 8 litres/100km, compared with 8.1 litres/100km in the manual.

The purists will be inclined to pick the manual version, but not just because it is $2300 cheaper. Slick and precise, the manual shift is a delight to use and gives plenty of scope to explore the engine's wide rev range and its throaty growl. But after a day or two in the DSG, few would go back.

Technically speaking, the DSG is a manual transmission that behaves like an automatic with two clutch plates that overlap. The gearbox has the ability to hold two gears in mesh at the same time. As one clutch disengages the other engages, resulting in smooth and quick changes.

The sequential shift gate has a sport mode to alter the shift pattern and there are shift paddles on the steering wheel, which overrides the automatic mode. The only oddity is a brief pause as the clutch engages when selecting drive or reverse and in stop-start traffic.

Breath on the throttle and it's off, delivering strong and willing punch over a wide rev range.

The front-drive chassis is beautifully balanced, the steering pin sharp and the brakes tireless. The GT runs the same suspension as the GTI, which delivers exceptional traction and grip and a firm, compliant ride.

Equipment includes eight airbags, stability control, 17-inch alloy wheels, eight-speaker single CD audio with steering wheel buttons, sports seats, power windows and heated mirrors.

Tell-tale signs are minimal over the GTI. They include GT badges, black inserts in the lower grille, body-colour trim on the grille and duel exhaust pipes.