Golf GTD

[Comegetsome]

GTD Prices & Specs Now up on VW Website

Have a look people.

[hooba]

Good road test of the GTD, comparing it to the GTI and the differences between the manual and DSG.

First drive: VW's diesel GTI

[daft009]

so far all reviews seem good... I have a '08 GT Sport TDI at the moment so can't wait to try the GTD!
Really wanted a GTI last time but just couldn't get myself to pay the 3-4k difference back then.
Now that the price difference is bugger all, its going to be really difficult choice!

Anyway, I have still have 12 months to decide as I'm only 2yrs into my current lease

[ConR]

GTD Review

Caradvice review:

http://www.caradvice.com.au/70468/golf-gtd-review/

Looks pretty good. I've never owned a diesel before, but would consider this for sure. Especially if the price of petrol keeps rising (inevitable).

Looks pretty sick in white in the pics

[brad]

I drove a GTD yesterday. it was in unrealistic circumstances - 10 minutes on a racetrack & the engine only had minimal kilometres on it & was very tight. I found it uninspiring. There was no kick in the back - very linear in power delivery & I could keep the boot in fairly easily. I'll stick with my 1.8TSI Octavia, which in its' current tune has more power & nearly as much torque.

[pologti18t]

Looks pretty good. I've never owned a diesel before, but would consider this for sure. Especially if the price of petrol keeps rising (inevitable).

The price of diesel will rise as well. In fact it will rise faster than petrol if the economies in Asia keep growing. Diesel powers
mining and heavy machinery and as such you will compete with them for supply. It happened in the last boom and will most likely happen again.

[Highlander]

I drove a GTD yesterday. it was in unrealistic circumstances - 10 minutes on a racetrack & the engine only had minimal kilometres on it & was very tight. I found it uninspiring. There was no kick in the back - very linear in power delivery & I could keep the boot in fairly easily. I'll stick with my 1.8TSI Octavia, which in its' current tune has more power & nearly as much torque.

But it was very easy to drive quickly wasn't it and I found the linear power a quite attractive feature.

[brad]

But it was very easy to drive quickly wasn't it and I found the linear power a quite attractive feature.

I guess so. I was with mates who are better/quicker drivers than me & they wanted to know why the instructor let me drive so fast (compared to when they were out). Apparently i was visbly faster than the other 3 cars in the group..... no idea what happened there. It would have been nice to give it a crack without ESP engaged. I could feel the electronic aids coming into play, so i looked better than I really was.

My Skoda has good power from 1800rpm but at 3000-3500 it gives you a good push backwards. It's linear, but exciting (I'd let my daughter learn to drive in it). The GTD didn't have that push (unlike the GT Sport Diesel I drove 2 years back). It didn't feel like 350nm.

edit: I take it you were at eastern creek yesterday? Which session? i was 10.00 - yellow group

[Highlander]

I

edit: I take it you were at eastern creek yesterday? Which session? i was 10.00 - yellow group

8.00 am yellow. My instructor was great. Just said go for it. No restrictions whatsoever and I caught and had to wait to overtake the car in front. I only found the ESP getting really involved on that hard left hander at the top of the hill (where I didn't have it quite right) back near the marshalling point tent.

It was great to be able to test just how good those electronic aids are. You would have to do something really stupid to get into real trouble. And I have to agree that I thought they made me look better than I was too.

Skid pan also surprised me. Real life I would never have attacked a slalom or lane change on a wet road at those types of speeds.

To prove a point, my comment on the evaluation form was "I was pleasantly surprised how well the cars drove me.

Maybe you just drive better than your mates and didn't scare the instructor.

[brad]

8.00 am yellow. My instructor was great. Just said go for it. No restrictions whatsoever and I caught and had to wait to overtake the car in front. I only found the ESP getting really involved on that hard left hander at the top of the hill (where I didnt have it quite right) back near the marshalling point tent.

Maybe you just drive better than your mates and didn't scare the instructor.

I had the left hander nailed but couldn't get the right/left (where it joined back onto the main circuit) afterwards. Where it joined back on, I kept slowing & looking to the right for traffic
I think I gave him a brown pants moment earlier (got very sideways but hauled it back in) but because i kept it on the black strip, he seemed OK. Somebody in front went into the dirt (WTF?) and he liked the fact that I slowed right down when i saw the dust (looking further down th eroad than the next corner I guess).

Who did you do the hot lap with? The young guy in the blue r20 or the older fellow in the white unit? I went with the old guy. He wasn't as quick as the blue car but talked us through everything he was doing. Speedo saw near 200kmh on the straight with about 350kg of blokes on board - I figure that was about 180kmh actual - tipped into turn 1 doing about 150-160

[Highlander]

In the white car and his commentary was great, especially at to the cornering lines and reasons for same. Made me realise the value of an instructor if you want to quickly learn the lines for a track you are not used too.

[cme2c]

I was in 2.30 yellow. Bob the instructor was great. I was in the truck, erm, GTD, initially following my wife in another GTD. Agree with the power and delivery but a nice car, well balanced. I soon passed my wife, and then later passed her again and another woman in a GTI, who started behind me. I didn't catch Stoney! in a GTI, but he didn't catch me either. I guess the half a lap or so start I had was enough.

Don't know if the same drivers were in the Rs in the late session, but there was no conversation in the white car. Might have been the Stig?

I still wouldn't buy a GTD.

[alf13]

Test drove GTD

Test drove the new GTD yesterday.

Found it an impressive drive and didn't really notice a huge power difference compared to the GTI.
Acceleration from 100 kpa to a reasonable overtaking speed was responsive with no noticable lag.

Gear changes via the DSG was very good and again comparable to the GTI.

I also found the exhaust "note" of the GTD alot quiter (concersative) than the GTI, albeit I understand how some drivers would prefer a thoatie exhaust. However engine noise of the GTD when idealling at traffic light was alittle noiser.

All features except for some minor exterior differences appear to be identical to the GTI.

Overall I was pleasently surprised by its performance, handling and lack the tradional diesel noise, that I was initially expecting, was a winner.

For me it's a definite winner. I will seriuosly be looking at buying one.

It would be great to hear from others who have test driven the GTD.

[Highlander]

Lawn Mowing

WTF. So you have to pay and you have to mow the lawns with the tractor as well? Screw that.

VW Marketing is getting it all wrong. During my VW Training Day session the only machine doing any lawn mowing was a GTI with all four wheels in the dirt and heading for the grass

[Corey_R]

VW Marketing is getting it all wrong. During my VW Training Day session the only machine doing any lawn mowing was a GTI with all four wheels in the dirt and heading for the grass

Obviously the person in the GTI was a diesel driver who was not expecting the awesome power delivery of the GTI hehe