Volkswagen Golf GTI VR6
The best selling Volkswagen in the US has been the Jetta ever since 1984. The
Golf on the other hand is one of the most popular cars in the world, selling a
lot better in Europe than in the States. The US Golf is offered to us as a 5-
door hatchback with a gasoline burning (GL) or turbodiesel (TDI) 4-cylinder; or
there is the 3-door hatchback with a 4-cylinder (GTI) or a V-6 (GTI VR6). And
of course there is the Cabrio (convertible) with a mere 4-cylinders. The VW 4-
cylinder Golfs have a SOHC 2.0 liter inline-4 engine with a 122-lb per foot of
torque at only 3200 rpm. Speaking of power, the narrow-angle V-6 in the Golf
GTI VR6 has 172 bhp on tap at 5800 rpm, and 173-lb per foot of torque at 4200
rpm. The 15-degree vee engine of the GTI VR6 which is capped with a unique
single-piece cylinder head turns the Golf into a straight-line performance car,
that some BMWs cannot even match. The GTI VR6 rides 10 millimeters lower than
the other Golfs. The GTI is a 4-cylinder Golf designed to look like the VR6.
The Golf is a front wheel drive car with a standard 115 bhp SOHC I-4 engine.
Optional engines are the diesel TDI with a 90 bhp turbodiesel SOHC I-4 engine,
and the V-6. The Golf ranges from $13,470 for the Golf GL to $19,710 for the
Golf GTI VR6.
Download pictures of the VW Golf.
Speed Racer going the distance in VW's Golf GTI.
