CAR OF THE WEEK

Three Magical Letters - GTI

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If you owned one in the 1980s, you were looked upon with admiration and quiet approval. Small, feisty, sporty, peppy, and exceedingly stylish, the Volkswagen Golf GTI would come to be recognised as one of the most desirable cars money could buy. And it was only fractionally more expensive than a more basic model. They were tremendous. And they continue to charm their owners and eager fans to this day.

In 2017, Jeremy Clarkson summed up the car well in his inimitable style: “The Golf GTI is what I use as my daily driver…it’s a wonderful car. It’s equipped like a Bentley, it goes like a Ferrari and in traffic, because it’s just a Golf and it’s grey, no one takes my picture.”

And this is precisely why the Golf GTI is so widely loved – it does the daily tasks admirably: dropping the kids at school, visiting the grandparents, popping to the shops on a drizzly Thursday evening, it takes it all in its stride. As a Golf should. But if you’re in the mood for a bit of exhaust-popping back road action, simply jab ‘Sport’ and the car turns into a lively, energetic, rapid sports car.

Sure, if you want the most aggressive handling, technology, and race-car precision, it’s understandable that you might go for a Ford Focus RS or Honda Civic Type R. But take a step back into reality and you begin to realise that a car like the Golf GTI is so popular and receives such a cult-like status for the very reason that it is a ‘cool’ car.

It also doesn’t have anything to prove. It is a formula that has been refined, finessed, and enhanced over the decades (much like the Porsche 911) in such a methodical German fashion that it has morphed into a truly capable and wholly likable automobile. It transcends all ages and social groups as well – you see modified GTI’s driven by young turbo-crazed lads, yet you’re just as likely to see one being driven by a businessmen, chief executive, or landowner. Why? Because the boffins in Wolfsburg have created a car with the perfect equilibrium of flair and everyday useability. Genius.

The vehicle showcased in the pictures below is our 2018 VW Golf GTI Performance in Pure White with upgraded 19-inch Brescia alloy wheels. It’s a lovely thing.

But we also have for sale a 2018 Tornado Red example and an equally stunning 2020 model in Indium Grey. These are all Performance variants and therefore come with increased bhp, mechanical limited slip differentials, stronger brakes with the ‘GTI logo’, and unique red GTI badging at the front and rear.

SEE THE FULL SPEC AND ADVERT HERE